I just want to say Happy New Year to everybody.
I hope you have a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2003 and way
beyond that. Be safe, be healthy, be happy. Please watch out. You
know there's a fight against HIV/AIDS. We don't want to lose any
more young people to this disease. It is definitely deadly and will
kill you. If you are sexually active, please be selective with whom
you sleep with. Your body is a temple and must be cherished and
looked after and a blessing that god gave you and the only one you
have. So, please be very careful. HIV/AIDS is a killer.
Alison Hinds, 1/1/2003.
Dover Beach,
Christ Church, Barbados.
Caribbean Soca Queen, Ragamuffin Queen, The Hottest
Woman in the West Indies. Utter any of these descriptions in any
Caribbean neighborhood from San Francisco, California to Speightstown,
Barbados and everyone will know you could only be talking about
Alison Hinds. The frontwoman of the band Square One and one of the
most creative, innovative performers to emerge in the last decade,
Hinds has quickly become the standard bearer of that Caribbean religion
known as feting. Since she became the first woman to win the road
march title in her native Barbados in 1996 with Ragamuffin, through
other mega hits like Faluma and Iron Bazodee, Hinds has been racking
up accolades and packing in crowds across the Caribbean and from
London to Los Angeles. But beyond being one of the great soca entertainers,
Hinds continues to be a great soca fan.That's why she took time
out to take to the beach in Dover, Barbados with Jouvay.com for
a lengthy chat about life, career and the joys of soca music.
Jouvay.com: Happy New Year. Thanks so much for
meeting me today. How come you all did not perform last night?
Alison Hinds: It was
about time that the band members had an old year's night to themselves.
A lot of the guys have kids, families, wives and girlfriends and
I have my family, so it was an opportunity for us to do what we
wanted to do and not have to entertain anyone else. At least we
got to be in that position for once.
Jouvay.com: Well, you all entertained people last
week Thursday (at your 17th anniversary party, Reflections). You
all did 3 hours straight.
Alison Hinds: Ahha,
It was really good. Boatyard was excellent. We had a great turn
out. We got a lot of positive feedback from people who went. We
also had alot of our diehard Bajan Square One fans who would have
been around when we were a nightclub band. We had stopped being
a hotel band. Playing in clubs like Warehouse which does not exist
anymore, After Dark, Ship Inn, and Club Miliki which was a really
good night up in St. Peter. So we played covers from that time as
well as our old soca like Ring Ki Ting, Get on Stage and Ruk-a-tuk
Party and Paling Song. I did a couple of ballads which the people
really appreciated. It was a really really good night and the band
had a genuinely good time. It was just being able to perform, do
reggae, do soca, do ballads and have a good time. And just have
a range of music. I think we're moving back to our roots to stand
out once more and play what Square One was known for and the way
that Square One was known for playing. You play raggasoca, the party
music, then you throw in a bit of reggae. The people want a variety
of music. Of course we will always play Square One music whether
it's old or new. We actually had a request session last Thursday
and people were calling out tunes like Faluma, 69, Stick On, Raggamuffin.
People were calling out tunes like bush. It was like oh gosh we
can't play all, but we will try. I think the band members really
really had a good time also.
J: Ever think about doing that outside of Barbados?
I've seen you quite a bit last year and you play a lot of the big
soca hits of other artists whilst many folks, for example those
in LA, would have been happy with just your songs.
A: Yeah, you have to
watch and see what happens and take feedback from the public. Not
just the wider public, but from folks who know the band through
the years. We are realizing that people, yes they like party music,
but different audiences like different things. For example, Bajans
like to "wuk up", or "pelt waist" as we say or as real Bajans would
say "spin pouch". Whereas a Trinidadian audience, they like to jump
and wave with the flags in the air. And we can still provide that,
but I think our sets are going to be markedly changed for the new
year and beyond. As I said we want to get back to the core of Square
One.
J: There are rumors that you are splitting from
the band.
A: That's good. Let
people talk.
J: I understand that you are working on a solo
album.
A: Yes. It's in the
works right now. I'm not sure when the release is going to be because
it's not going to be released in conjunction with any carnival.
I have to decide when the release will be and then I'll let you
know.
J: What kind of music will it be?
A: It's Caribbean inspired
music because I am a Caribbean woman at the end of the day so I
have to stay true to my roots and to who I am and what I am about.
Everything will have a decidedly Caribbean vibe to it whether it's
a soca vibe or reggae vibe or zouk vibe, as long as it's music from
the Caribbean 'cause all of it belongs to us, I will incorporate
it.
J: And Nicholas Branker is the main producer?
A: Yes, Nicholas Branker
and Charles D. Lewis are the executive producers of the album.
J: And who's writing most of the music?
A: We're going to get
a couple of writers. I've written a couple of songs as well, so
it'll be the first time actually having my work produced and published
so I am looking forward to that.
J: I understand that Terry has written most of
your songs.
A: Yes he does and
produces most of my stuff as well. Along with him and other writers
like Daddy Iroy, Rameses, Red Plastic Bag..they have all written
for me. There are quite a few people who have written for me in
the past. One of the guys from Burning Flames as well. There are
writers out there who I can get songs from. I don't have any worries
when it comes to finding writers.
J: I can imagine that everyone wants to write
for you.
A: That's a good position
to be in. Let me tell yah.
J: Well, you know everyone says you are the queen
of Caribbean/soca music. They'll be like "Oh lawd", when they find
out I met Alison Hinds. Seriously, you are truly loved by many.
A: Thank you.
J: So, you've been in the music industry for a
very long time now. Do you see yourself doing anything else?
A: I don't want to.
I want to do this for as long as I possibly can..as long as my legs
and waistline can move...because I really love performing. It gets
me upset when people, Caribbean people in general, who would approach
me regardless of where I am and ask me if I am ever going to have
kids. And I am like yeah I am going to have kids and a family. I'm
obviously going to have to take a break and return. And people say
"you might not want to be out there touring after that". I'm not
saying that I am not going to love and appreciate my children. It
does not mean that my life stops or that I have to stop being an
entertainer.
J: They don't ask the men those questions.
A: Exactly. There are
tons of international artists who stopped, had a child and carried
on. There's this thing with soca and calypso that when you reach
a certain age you're supposed to stop or slow down. I don't know
how I will feel after I have a child. Yes, I will take time off,
but If I need to take my children with me then so be it. I want
them to see what mommy does. And if daddy is not in the business,
then they can stay home with him. I don't see any reason for me
to stop. I truly love what I do. I love to sing and perform and
travel. I've gone to places that I would never have been able to
get to from Guatemala, to Brazil to Europe and North America, and
the entire Caribbean. I love what I do and as I said I will do it
for as long as I possibly can.
J: When did you guys go to Brazil?
A: It was a while ago.
We went to Sao Paolo. We had a great time. And Guatemala was phenomenal.
It blew our minds that Faluma was #1 for 49 weeks in Guatemala.
And Guatemala is huge, surrounded by Mexico and Honduras. The response
that we got there from people was.....they were so happy and very
warm. And it was like we were superstars when we performed Faluma,
and Togetherness, and Kitty Cat, all of these songs. They had done
remixes to Faluma, a dance mix, DJ mix, all kinds of things. And
Suriname was like that also. Our first performance was huge.
J: It's amazing that you found Faluma and just
blew it up.
A: Exactly. We did
not know it would do that. We just wanted to expose it to Bajans
when we first learnt it for Suriname. We recorded our whole live
performance that night, but we specified that the DJ should play
that. We played it a couple of times live, but people were not familiar
with it. And then with time people suggested we re-record it and
release it and we did that. And it just took off. That song still
has a life of its own. Square One cannot play without that song
otherwise pelt, bottles, tissue paper, all kind of thing.
J: You do a lot of songs in different languages.
How do you do that? Are you fluent in them?
Alison Hinds: I used
to be fluent in French, but not so much now because I don't have
anyone to practice with. I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I like it
and I like salsa and mernengue. So, listening to the music I can
sing it. Faluma is in a language called Sranan Tongo which is a
slang from Suriname. There's that and another slang called Taki
Taki, but Dutch is the official language of Suriname.
J: I'm from Guyana, so we're right next door.
A: Right. That's another
one of our favorite places to perform. When we play in Guyana the
people come out in the numbers. There was a time that we played,
it was not last year.
J: Was it 1999, in Sophia?
A: Yes, I could not
believe it. There were people pouring out of cracks, people on the
rafters, hanging off of the windows.
J: And the president was there. I was there. You
know folks had formed a wall to the ceiling and you could not see
over them so I wukked up without ever seeing you all. That was like
one of the best shows. Where else is a favorite place to perform?
A: I have so many favorite
places. We have memorable shows in many places. It's not fair to
say we have a favorite place. Wherever we go we are well received.
And people want to hear Square One tunes. It's so much tunes we
can't play all. We did a show last year called Square One's top
50 hits and our manager compiled the top 50. It probably took us
3 hours and change and we did not even play all of the songs in
their entirety. We have so many more songs. We have 7 or 8 albums
and each album has on about 18 or 19 tracks plus whatever solo stuff
that I would have done or Andy or Cecil.
J: So, who are some of the people you collaborate
with?
A: Elephant Man, Peter
Ram from Barbados, Lil Rick-the hypa dog from Barbados, Iwer George
from Trinidad, Bunji Garlin from Trinidad, there's a guy called
Derrick who used to be in a band called Apex from St. Lucia and
he did the French patois in Aye Aye Aye...I think that was my first
collaboration, another young lady from St. Lucia who did the patois
for Electricity which was written by Onyan when he was with Burning
Flames, and Foxy Brown.
J: I heard you were doing one with Red Rat and
Denise Belfon.
A:Yes,
he said he wrote one. Denise is a good friend of mine also. I would
like to do something with her. She's a good girl. She has good energy
on stage and she's a very strong performer and she does not stand
for any crap if a guy comes up on stage and gets out of hand. She
does not joke.
J: So, you're like a role model for women of the
Caribbean. Do you get a lot of little girls coming up to you to
tell you that?
A:Yeah,
I do. I like the fact that I have that kind of positive effect on
young women especially, although I don't like to see myself as a
role model as such. At the end of the day I am subject to mistakes
just like anyone else in this world. I try to do my job to the best
of my ability and perform as best as I can. I like if a young woman
comes to me and asks how to get into entertainment. As long as they
know that originality is important. I got in trouble for saying
that I did not consider myself a role model and I was not responsible
for raising anybody's kids. The job of raising kids comes from the
immediate family and friends. I have no problem with young people
trying to emulate me in terms of my success and the work that I
put into what I do. And that applies in anything that you do. You
have to put in hard work. If you don't put in hard work you can't
get it back out. I am happy if I have influenced some young people
to want to get into entertainment and to do it in a positive way.
I try to carry myself to the best of my ability because that was
how I was raised not because I am an entertainer. And that's something
that must be taught from baby. We are easy prey.
J: Some would argue that entertainers do have
an influence on society.
Alison Hinds: I agree.
We have a certain amount of power. That is evident when you hit
the stage and you can control thousands of people and they will
wave and jump and sing and scream. Yes, we do have a certain amount
of responsibility to produce a certain kind of music, but then there's
freedom of expression. For example, I like rap music but I don't
like gangster rap. If I don't want my child exposed to that kind
of music, it's up to me as a parent to be vigilant. Same in Caribbean
music, there's positive and negative and you must control what your
kids are being exposed to especially at a very young age, from 0
to 3. I will not blame any entertainer or athlete or star for the
behavior of my child.
J: How did you start singing?
A: I have always been
able to sing. That was one of the talents that the good lord above
gave me. I used to sing in the choir when I was growing up in England.
I was always interested in the arts, doing drama and choral speaking
in school. I did not do it much in secondary school because I was
very stage shy. I could not go up on the stage, it was scary. I
could not talk or move or do anything. So, for those of you out
there who are scared to go on stage, there is hope. The first time
I was on stage for a local talent competition here I was petrified.
My heart was thumping in my chest and I would stand in the middle
of the stage and sing. I was not moving a muscle. For me it came
with experience. Just getting comfortable with being on stage. Then
I decided it was time for me to come out and interact with the audience
because they want to be a part of what's going on.
J: And now you're the diva of the stage.
A: And now I do my
thing.
Jouvay.com: For the young ones who need to understand
how hard you work, what's your schedule like?
Alison Hinds: Most
weekends we are out of the island and I can't really plan anything
ahead of time because even though you might have free time something
may come up. I may have to do an interview, or a voice drop for
somebody or I may have to leave on short notice to go and do a promotional
thing for the band. Sometimes we could tour anywhere from a weekend,
to a week or 2 weeks or longer than that. There's not much time
to do anything. That's where my mother comes in. She helps me a
lot especially with my bill paying. It helps to have somebody who
understands how hectic it could get and could deal with those things.
We do rehearsals during the week. It's not regular. We would do
it to brush up on certain songs or if it's for a particular show.
For example, the show on Boxing night since we had not done some
of those songs in years. If you are intending to get into this business
in a a very serious way, and say you get a hit song and you get
a chance to tour. Understand that you will be in demand. Make sure
you surround yourself with people who are earthy, who would be real
with you, who will tell you when a show was crappy. Understand that
it is not easy and it takes a lot out of you. I take a lot of vitamins
and supplements..alot. People want to know if I am a walking pharmacy.
These vitamins help supply what would be missing otherwise from
food. You have to try your best to get as much rest as you can.
You see the shopping thing..that does put you in trouble. After
a while you have to think of the future. There is no automatic health
plan, life insurance plan, or pension plan in this business. I have
all of that. Whilst you're making the money you must invest it and
make the money work for you so that you can get to a point and decide
to take a break. Don't just let the money trickle through your fingers
like sand.
J: Is there anyone who advises artists in the
Caribbean?
A: Not really. I am
lucky to have a financial advisor and try to impart some of my knowledge
to people who are young in the business and might get carried away
with the gear and gadget buying. To have a financial advisor or
accountant is excellent. This business is a very fickle business.
You're up today, and tomorrow nobody wants to hear you so you have
to prepare with that in mind and put things in place for when you
have a low year because everybody has a low year.
J: That's good advice. Is there anything else
we should talk about?
A: Not really. I just
want to say Happy New Year to everybody who's watching this right
now. I hope you have a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2003 and
way beyond that. Be safe, be healthy, be happy. Please watch out.
You know there's a fight against HIV/AIDS. We don't want to lose
any more young people to this disease. It is definitely deadly and
will kill you. If you are sexually active, please be selective with
who you sleep with. Your body is a temple and it must be cherished
and looked after and a blessing that god gave you and the only one
you have. So, please be very careful. HIV/AIDS is a killer.
J: Thank you. HIV/AIDS is such a dread issue in
the Caribbean now. A friend from an organization called Red Thread
in Guyana suggested that the first place to start would be with
the PSAs because the current ones are not really effective at reaching
the young generation.
A: It has to be real
life experiences or else it does not make sense. It has to be "I
had this experience and it scared me and I don't want you to have
this same experience". That's what it should be from whomever is
doing the public service announcement. Otherwise it don't make snese
because right now all this stuff is flying over kids' heads. They
don't care about "wear a condom" or "Just Say No". It needs to hit
them. If you could find a young person who is suffering with HIV
right now to be a spokesperson that would be good. We don't like
to do that.. It's better for you to get out there and let everybody
know what's going on than for people to continue getting HIV and
then it becoming full blown AIDS. It has to be real life experiences.
And I am willing to be on that bandwagon and I know for sure Rupee
and there are a lot of other Bajan entertainers (I can speak for
the Bajan entertainers) who would get on board and share an experience
that they had. Where they personally were scared. Maybe they thought
they were HIV positive or that they had been with someone who had
exposed them. And then they should take it that much further and
take it into the schools directly. And not just let the medical
people speak to them of statistics, you need real people to come
in and talk to those kids on a level that they can understand and
say, "Look, this is my experience. I want to know how you feel on
a real level. What are the myths you still have about sex?" A lot
of young people have mythys like you can't get pregnant the first
time. Or when a guy can say "I don't feel nuttin". Well, if you
can't feel nuttin you ain't getting nuttin. They just don't understand
the seriousness of it. You have to get past that giggling stage.
Start them talking and then they will tell you how they feel. They
themselves don't feel affected by it. Some work needs to be done.
Jouvay.com: Yeah, maybe we could do something.
Alison Hinds: Yeah,
works need to be done.
As the light fades and we move to one of the small shops surrounding
Dover Beach to light up our video, a crew of Bajan men surrounds
the window, hailing Alison up, saying "If looks were a minute she'd
be an hour."
Yes massive, this is Alison Hinds from the big band Square One
out of Barbados
And you must big up the crew of jouvay.com
You know why?
The iron have me so bazodee
The iron have me so bazodee
Iron have me so bazodeeeeee
Jouvay.com
You must be dey
Thanks to Desa Philadelphia for writing the introduduction
and Mark Niles and Bevan Springer for arranging this interview.
Thanks to Brad Tafa Hemmings of Caribbean Entertainment for mixing
the shout out for us.
