A major international soca music breakthrough, according to Jamaican reggae legend Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell), is unavoidable.
Shaggy, who will perform at Kes The Band’s Iz We event tonight at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, San Fernando, is in Trinidad to promote his brand-new song, “Mood,” which includes the band’s main singer, Kes Dieffenthaller.
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The two-time Grammy Award winner, who is best known for working with Machel Montano on the 1998 smash song “Torro Torro,” thinks a flagship soca talent will achieve superstar status globally and imitate what Barbados’ Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) and Nigeria’s Burna Boy (Damini Ogulu) achieved for African music.
In a fascinating conversation with the Express on the Sky Deck of the Hilton Trinidad in Port of Spain, Shaggy stated, “As far as soca making it internationally, I think it’s inevitable at the end of the day. Every music has its journey. I always say stars promote culture, but superstars shift culture. It only takes one superstar, when I say superstar, I mean a star with super hero like talent, charisma, charm, work ethic and drive. The minute you find that artiste that is a big enough star to shift culture then the culture will shift.”
The native of Kingston cautions that whomever is given the torch of leadership must “come with quality” since they will be responsible for the genre’s destiny.
“Yuh hope to God which ever artiste that pops up and gets you moving like that comes with quality and is not just a fad but brings something that lasts throughout decades. We been hearing about afro beats and then you had Burna Boy that star with superhero-like talent, charisma, charm, worth ethic and drive. And there you go. Rihanna did the same and you get a shift in culture. So, you just need that one artiste that’s going to come out of this culture and once that happens you are off to the races,” he noted.
Shaggy said he is not surprised by the amount of support soca music is receiving in Jamaica. According to reports, the Carnival sound of these islands has supplanted dancehall music as the dominant genre at many events and is played often on the radio.
“I think soca has always been viewed in a good light in Jamaica. From a child coming up I could remember early days of (the late Montserrat-born hitmaker) Arrow and (T&T’s Grenada-born icon) Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) who make music all the way up. Then you move from calypso into soca and as you know I’m not new to collaborating with soca artists.
“As far as the marketability of soca music, whether it’s now or then, everything just comes within time. As generations go on and Internet and streaming become a part of our everyday life you would find people starting to tap into cultures they couldn’t tap into before. When you think of Trinidad and soca music it has always been a kind of seasonal music, now you seeing that change a little bit where even after the season some of the songs resonating beyond borders,” he noted.
Shaggy exhorts local musicians to explore with making “hybrid music” and not be scared to move away from a pure soca sound. It is a strategy that has been successful for the baritone Jamaican, who is best known for topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice in as many months in 2001 with the number-one singles “It Wasn’t Me,” which he co-wrote with fellow Jamaican Rik Rok (Ricardo Ducent), and “Angel,” which he co-wrote with Bajan Rayvon (Bruce Brewster).
He noted, “I always say make hybrid music, the more hybrid music yuh make the more yuh erase the ceiling so the music can go past this ceiling that we have. Sometimes we have people who are purists and those purists are the ones that sometimes keep the music stagnant because they don’t wanna hear nothing else other than what they used to hearing. But I think with the younger generation hybrid as become a part of it everybody is stepping out the box and embracing and fusing music.”
When questioned about the newest hybrid sound to come out of T&T, Trinibad music, Shaggy expressed his excitement to learn more about local culture firsthand. He mentioned that his collaboration with Kes is only the first of several hybrid soca/dancehall/pop tracks he has in mind for his upcoming EP.
“I’ve heard of Trinidad. I haven’t really tapped into it, but I’m here on the ground not just to do the show but to soak up the culture and create a vibe.
“’ Mood’ is a feel good record. It really jumped up quickly and now that we are here and we can promote it we will see where it is going, but it certainly feels like something special and I’ve had a few special ones so I know the feeling. I think once we go out there and people see us they gonna catch the mood and be in the mood and of course we have the video coming part of which would be shot here,” he shared.
Apart from music, Shaggy claims that finding a decent Trini pelau is his first order of business.
“Listen I don’t know if I can go as much as I used to go. I’m a little bit scared where that is concerned I might haffi go take some IV shots and some vitamins fi really prep up for it. I love the food I cant wait to have my first pelau as soon as possible. I can’t wait to get drunk down the line and go through the different hot sauces when it comes to doubles. We are here to have a good time to bring some energy and represent Jamaica within the Trini Carnival,” Shaggy noted.
