MUSIC-CARIBBEAN: Search for a New Star

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Sep 15 1998 (IPS) - Wanted: One superstar to revive world interest in the music of the Caribbean.

This became obvious after the big Midem Latin America and Caribbean extravaganza which took place lasat month in Miami when, for the second year, Caribbean performers competed in the shadow of their Latin counterparts who captured the lion’s share of attention – and business deals.

The 1998 staging of Latin Midem was a virtual carbon copy of last year’s inaugural show with Latin booths dwarfing the Caribbean presence, thanks primarily to the growing popularity of Latin music worldwide.

There was a constant buzz around the Latin stalls especially the Caiman and Reyes booths which housed two of the largest distributors of music out of Latin America. In contrast, the Caribbean booths saw little action.

According to one Trinidadian distributor response from buyers was “extremely slow” and from the Barbadian booth it was “moderate”.

The differing reactions come as no great surprise to music pundits since the reggae and soca sounds of the Caribbean have waned rather than grown in the last decade. Latin music, on the other hand, has flourished.

According to data from Billboard Magazine, Latin music is the fastest growing market on the entertainment scene. This music, whose audience base was at one time limited to ethnic communities in the United States, has come full circle largely due to the success of American-based superstars like Gloria Estefan and her protege, Jon Secada.

In the 1970s Latin music was at the same stage reggae and soca is at present. Back then, its biggest names were Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana, Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano and troubador Spaniard Julio Iglesias.

But in recent years the sound has exploded coinciding with the growing Latin population in major American cities like Miami, New York, Los Angeles and throughout Texas. Performers like the late Tejano singer Selena, Enrique Iglesias (son of Julio) and Secada have sent the music’s stocks soaring with millions of dollars in sales.

This burst has not gone unnoticed by major American distribution companies. Sony, WEA, BMG and EMI all have separate labels marketing Latin product, all reporting strong figures.

That is not the case with reggae and soca which have not sold in any great quantity to attract major distribution. More significantly, neither has produced a major star that would take respective sounds to a major audience.

Fifteen years after his death Bob Marley remains the leading pop figure from the Caribbean. Promising performers like his son Ziggy and The Melody Makers and Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Montano are mere pretenders to his throne.

For either music to make the big breakthrough the experts, like Randy Chin of New York-based independent label VP Records, believes a new star is critical. Right now, for reggae, the leading candidate is deejay Beenie Man.

“Reggae has a certain level of popularity because of Bob but to bring to another notch it needs a big crossover artist,” said Chin. “Beenie Man is moving along that path but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Beenie Man’s “Many Moods Of Moses” album, featuring the hit single “Who Am I”, is the latest reggae effort to present reggae with some hope of making the big breakthrough. Released in late 1997, the album has sold a respectable 150,000 units without any major push. Says Chin, “If it was being promoted by a major label it would most likely have sold gold by now.”

Soca has not found such a following in the US. The music’s biggest players, Trinidadians David Rudder and Montano have yet to break out of the Carnival circuit though both are signed to major labels, Rudder with Polygram and Montano with Capitol.

“We need an icon just like any other music form,” reasoned David Jordan, a representative of the Barbados Cultural Foundation. “We need someone who will take the region’s music further.”

Interestingly, the Caribbean performer who drew the most attention at the four-day show was not Beenie Man but David Kirton, a dreadlocked reggae singer from Barbados. Kirton’s debut album, “Stranger,” was a revelation and reportedly attracted the ears of executives from several major labels.

With his live sound a throwback to 1970s roots reggae there are many who believe Kirton could be the next big thing to come out of the Caribbean. But Kirton like Marley is a devout rastafarian who is wary of the unpredictable nature of major companies who have an eye on instant returns from their signings. To date he has followed the Marley line and distributed “Stranger” independently.

“We’ve got so many offers in the past (from major labels) that didn’t materialise we are prepared to do things on our own,” said Kirton’s wife, Noelle. Ironically, one of the major labels showing interest in Kirton is Island Records the company that launched Marley’s international career in 1972.