By Michael Mondezie
The 52-year-old soca veteran has one of the biggest fete-shakers for Carnival in his groovy ‘How Ah Livin’.
Farmer, born Darryl Henry, shares his current confident state of mind in the Mical Teja-written anthem’s chorus. He sings: How ah livin’ better than dem How ah lookin’ better than dem How ah feelin’ better than dem Better than dem, no problems The Country Life Music record label owner, however, was quick to clarify that ‘better then dem’ refers to his peace of mind over physical riches. He has also released for Carnival 2024 ‘Doh Do We Dat’, ‘Livin’ Meh Life’, ‘Concentrate’ on the Paris Riddim and ‘Smooth Ride’ on the Candy Dance Riddim.
‘When ah say Farmer how ah livin, better than dem, better than dem meaning health wise, not no richness, people might feel being better than dem is being rich (but) is being happy, smiling, yuh understand? Loving what around yuh. Loving de atmosphere waking up in de morning and yuh could say thank yuh Father for waking me up. That is better than dem!’ a jovial Farmer Nappy told the Kitcharee during a WhatsApp exchange on Thursday.
Growing older has taught him what’s most important in this world, Farmer continued. The former Xtatik lead singer says he has come to better grasp and appreciate the old adage ‘health is wealth’ in recent years.
‘Some people might be thinking living good is driving a (Mercedes) Benz or living in a big house. Is not that. Peace of mind, happiness, nobody harassing yuh, that is livin’ better than dem to me.
My personal goal for 2024 is I just wanna be more at peace of mind. To try to deal more health wise. Look at my body, go to the doctors make sure everything fine,’ Farmer shared.
Forever the Robin of soca music
Farmer laughed out loud at the assertion that after being the Robin to Machel Montano’s Batman for so many years he was finally his own star soca superhero. He has supported Montano for nearly three decades, together building an unsurpassed musical dynasty in soca music.
‘I will always be Robin yuh know. Because Robin and Batman will always have to work together to save the world,’ he responded coyly. With Montano’s announcement of taking a step back from the festival to focus on PhD studies, Farmer added he just may have to play both roles this season.
‘Batman step aside lil bit to do schoolwork and ting, but my role now is to handle Robin role and Batman role.
Is two roles that very difficult to handle, but I will always be Robin because Robin is just important just as Batman,’ he laughed.
‘I want to win the Grammy,’ Farmer continued more seriously, explaining being nominated by The Recording Academy in the United States has been a lifelong goal.
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Farmer fulfilled one of his life quests when he won the International Soca Monarch with his Covid-restrictions-period hit ‘Backyard Jam’. Bringing home the first Grammy for soca and taking the music to new audiences around the globe is now his sole focus, he added.
‘I want to be (Grammy) nominated. I want my songs in movies. That is what I aiming for, I chasing goals. I want my songs to be in a movie deal. To do something different not even new ones only, any song. I want the next level, to be recognised all around the world. I want to be able to bring to the Caribbean a Grammy award for soca music,’ he shared.
A village effort
Global domination for soca music will take a village effort, Farmer said. Soca creators must also be willing to step out of their comfort zones. That step, he added, must be taken together. ‘We have to buy in to our music before the world buys in to it. It means we have to go together. To win the Grammy we have to go together. We travel to New York, Canada, Notting Hill, Miami, Boston Carnival, we just keep making the same circle for years. We need to step out the circle and take it other places but we need to take it together we cannot go alone,’ he lamented.
That breakthrough of soca music will be done in its pure form and not all the hybrid genre mixes we hear today, Farmer maintained.
‘From my point about it, I not going and touch other music to add to my soca music to take to the world. I gonna take it raw. The conga and de tassa. The African and the Indian music mixed together that brings soca music. My raw material must be sold to the world. I mustn’t add somebody else ingredient to sell my material; they must taste my material how my material is, so my soca music will be raw nothing added and mixing into my ingredients,’ he said.
Speaking on Trinibad music being the soundtrack of rival clashing gangs in Port of Spain, Farmer says more than ever soca acts have to be concious of their lyrical content and the messages they share with their young impressionable fans.
‘Wha we need to do is keep our lyrics clean. We know children brain fresh, they know the songs word for word, we need to keep we music clean and know de message we sending out there. We are pastors. Out there in these parties we are like pastors so we need to know what we singing to dem and keep it clean. Let our music be friendly, dancy, enjoyable, not this one shot a man and having women to another level,we music need to be clean, thas wha we need to do,’ Farmer concluded.
