Every year, as carnival time approaches we have a resurgence of google searches for 'New Soca Music.' The music, born in the belly of the Caribbean, deep, deep south on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago forced its mother music, Calypso, into the background and became the heart and soul of Carnivals across the diaspora. The music suited the 'new generation,' and festivities took on a new life. The music brought joy to the people and it showed as revelers feted for the weeks preceding Carnival Monday and Tuesday when the masqueraders took to the streets. This child of Calypso, Soca is more than a vehicle for fun and gay abandon; it serves as a cultural expression of the rich heritage of our Caribbean people. If only they had kept the name Calypso and not give it the name Soca, maybe, just maybe, this new Calypso beat would have had its own category on the music charts today.
We are our own worst enemies; the media does not do enough to promote the music and culture of our country and of the entire Caribbean basin. In Trinidad and Tobago, every media outlet becomes involved during Carnival season, eager to partake in the festivities. However, as soon as Carnival concludes, the radio stations and media outlets disappear, leaving a void for local culture, much like the moon chasing the sun to set as evening approaches. However, if we embrace our unique talents and promote our culture, our vibrant sounds of musical joy, we can celebrate not just the rich history of Soca but also Calypso, Rapso, Chutney Soca and our beautiful steelband music. We can show the world that when you come to Trinidad and Tobago and you tune in to our radio stations Calypso, Soca and its variants, and steelband music will be the music they hear.
Kenny Phillips always talks about the potential of our music and culture. He and his sons work continuously, bringing music with their brands, including WACK Visual Radio, which plays local content 24/7/365. The potential impact our music can have goes beyond the carnival parties and street parades. There are stories that are told in Calypso that are just cast aside by the media; if only they could see the value in the message and the beauty of the music. It has been said time and time again, "With Calypso, our stories are told." Please don't let our beautiful music last as long as the cicada's life above ground... breathe new life into the music and ensure that "our stories are told to the world." We must rise and ensure that our music becomes Word Music.
As a call to action, we urge everyone to do what they can to promote our music and culture to the rest of the world. The world is watching and is ready to embrace our beautiful culture. Exposing them to our music will prepare them to dance to steelband, calypso and soca music. This can only happen if we continuously promote our culture, not just during carnival season but all year round.
Let us spread awareness of the Caribbean diaspora's culture.
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Song Title: Can You Feel It
Artist/Performed by: Aaron Duncan
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Year: 2020/21
Genre: Soca
We present the music here for your listening pleasure and promotional purposes only, adhering to the "Fair Use" Musical Content Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. Sokah2Soca/Soca Music Blog © 1990 by Santiwah is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-SA/4.0/.
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