BAJAN SUN MAGAZINE
OCT 2014
Which performances/songs you see as a crowd
favorite?
How is it, performing outside of Barbados and how
does it compare to performing in Barbados?
Recently I get a really good response from my cover of a
song called “Counting Stars” by One Republic and
“Pompeii” by Bastille. In terms of original material
“Don’t Leave Us Stranded” is well received and is played
heavily on Y103.3 along with “Pyrite Mountain” which is
a song about a race horse who ran in the Queen’s Plate
and was bred by horse breeder and former Barbadian
jockey, Sean Hall. “Daydreamer”, a song about a
homeless person I frequently saw in St. Lawrence Gap, is
also among fan favorites.
Performing outside of Barbados is always a thrill and
very encouraging. In general, I think the genre of music I
perform is more readily accepted overseas; people tend to
have a greater understanding of where you’re coming
from when you deliver a song. We have quite a lot of
people here who are into alternative, pop rock and
acoustic music but the level of love and appreciation
shown is not the same as it is in Los Angeles, Nashville
or any of the other places I’ve been to.
What do you think about performing in Barbados?
Where have you performed (locally, regionally,
internationally)?
Some of the places I’ve performed have been here at the
Barbados Jazz Festival, the Virgin Festival and I also did
some performances in Ontario, Canada. I’ve been
travelling to Los Angeles for the past four years to attend
and perform at ASCAP (The Association of Songwriters
Composers Authors and Publishers) where my song “I
Won’t Let Her” was featured for the feedback panel
hosted by elite music producers and songwriters. Most
recently I travelled to San Diego to attend the Urban
Network Summit where I performed twice and was asked
to perform again on the final day. This June, I attended
The Songwriters and Music Business conference where I
received the top award of a free AAA recording package
at the 515 Studio for my songwriting and performances.
You can catch me live at Limegrove Mall in the water
food court every Friday between the hours of 7:30pm and
9:30pm. I also busk and sell CD’s of my original music at
Holders Farmers Market every Sunday from 10:00am
until 1:00pm.
What is the response like to your performances?
People are usually very pleased, especially with the
original material.
What was the largest crowd you performed in front
of?
That would have to be The Barbados Jazz Festival where
there was upwards of 4000 people.
I think Barbados is a hard market to break for any artist of
any genre because there are so many talented musicians
out there doing similar things; unless you find a way to
stand out, it is difficult to penetrate the market.
Fortunately, with the help of my management team at
Odyssey Entertainment, we’ve created our own niche in
the market which has enabled me to perform almost
anywhere. I’ve been able to perform to a wide
demographic of people from busking in Sheraton mall,
performing on CBC TV 8, performing on the West Coast
at private residences, performing at festivals, galas,
hotels, corporate events and even on a yacht! Some of the
places I’ve been are extremely beautiful and and I’ve
learnt a lot while meeting many lovely people who
continue to show appreciation for my music—for this I
am thankful. I feel at home performing here.
Who have influenced your style of music (artists/
friends/family)?
My first musical influence, when it came to family, was
my mom who sent me to classical piano lessons at an
early age. My dad also showed me a few basic chords
when I started playing the guitar. When I was very little
he used to play “The Joshua Tree”, an album by U2 from
the eighties, and I used to sing all the words to the songs
and sometimes pretend my cricket bat was a guitar and
rock out. Dave Matthews, Coldplay and Kings of Leon
are some of the other bands that molded me sonically as a
young adult. I’m currently really into Ben Howard and Ed
Sheeran as well and constantly go back in time to draw
inspiration from some of the older classic bands and
artists like BB King, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Elton
John, The Chambers Brothers and The Rolling Stones.
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