Crossover stars

WHEN IT comes to music, it’s been the Carnival of the crossover stars.

Musicians, young and old, have amazed with their versatility. They have effortlessly moved from genre to genre, proving something about TT’s rich multicultural heritage.

Machel Montano, 50, has brought us soca, chutney and will defend his Calypso Monarch title.

In his footsteps is Xhaiden Darius, eight, who won the Junior Calypso Monarch crown then, days later on February 26, took home the title in the primary school category of the Schools’ Intellectual National Carnival Chutney Soca Monarch. He also placed third in the Junior Soca Monarch, and won the South Junior Calypso Monarch crown, both in the primary school category.

Yung Bredda, 25, is responsible for the defining notes of the season in soca. This, after years of making just about every type of music imaginable, from dancehall to zess to hip hop. He wowed Skinner Park on February 22, proving his skill in calypso and seems poised to challenge Mr Montano for the crown.

Not to be left out is Rikki Jai, 60, who will also vie for that title and will, like Mr Montano, be onstage at the Chutney Soca Monarch final. And Squeezy Rankin, who has moved from freestyle to the Big Stage in the Savannah. He’s already been crowned Young King.

Iconic rapso group 3canal, too, having ended its annual J’Ouvert band tradition, has unveiled its new chapter: a turn to kaiso. Meanwhile, SuperBlue, the ultimate power soca artist, recently experimented with historical storytelling through song.

In many ways, this flowering of crossover talent is not new.

Our music has always been about fusion. For instance, soca, the soul of calypso, was invented by drawing upon Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian traditions. And rising figures like Orlando Octave, 33, have long been bending it into new shapes.

Yet, what all these musicians are today expressing, individually and collectively, is the soul of the country.

They are united not just by the quality of their artistry and their appreciation of a good riddim or brass line. Their versatility is the perfect expression of centuries of multicultural harmony within these isles.

That is no small thing.

All over the world, intolerance and hate are poisoning societies and the global marketplace of ideas.

We are under no illusions about our country and its problems. We acknowledge the tensions – of race, class and creed – that sometimes exist within our society.

But make no mistake. Our crossover stars are doing more than just entertaining us.

They are living proof of what this small but unique country offers the world. It is a uniqueness that sees those participating in the Carnival season, a pre-Lenten rite, doing so peacefully alongside those marking Shivaratri and Ramadan observances.

So, let the sweet music play on.

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