By Michael Mondezie
An entertainer reborn.
That’s what 2011 National Calypso Monarch Karene Asche plans to present to Trinidad and Tobago at her first solo concert, on June 24, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain.
Asche has aptly titled the showcase “The Rebirth”. And much like the story of the immortal Phoenix rising from the ashes she plans to emerge a new hybrid act that bridges the gap between two of these islands’ leading musical genres calypso and soca.
The showcase will feature several performers from both genres including soca stars Erphaan Alves, Sekon Sta (Nesta Boxhill), Mical Teja (Mical Williams) and Viking Ding Dong (Andre Houlder).
“Calypso is the mother of soca and with The Rebirth concept, in many ways I’m doing a kind of makeover of who Karene is. People knew me as calypso, but just as calypso is mother there’s also soca energies inside me,” Asche told the Kitcharee during a recent WhatsApp voice notes exchange.
The culturally aware Laventille-born singer cited a similar transition in soca inventor Ras Shorty I’s (Garfield Blackman) classic 1973 hybrid “Endless Vibrations”. Widely recognised as the first ever recorded soca the song’s lyrics signalled a change in the energy of Carnival that Asche says she now feels internally.
“Change the accent of Carnival to a groovy, groovy bacchanal”, Asche sang. “I’m realising more and more commercially, for entertainers to survive in this space, they cannot do so on calypso alone. The youths are embracing the soca, more than the calypso and even though folks call me a veteran I’m still very youthful. That’s why I decided to not just focus on calypso, but to try to include soca more and more into my repertoire. I always knew I was able to do it and I’ve decided to blossom out into that direction,” Asche explained.
Soca in her blood
The transition should come as little surprise to anyone who knows Asche’s musical history. As the daughter of the late soca act Errol Asche, she found herself exposed to not only the sounds of the genre, but also the stage from a very young age.
“For years my dad sang with Ed Watson and the Brass Circle. I always felt that was part of my DNA. Even though my dad didn’t sing serious calypso, that part of my DNA (soca) I couldn’t escape. So with the soca I would be featuring my late dad’s music as well (on concert night),” she related.
Asche, who credits music teacher Michelle Hazell and calypsonian Sheldon Reid as “highly influential figures” in her music career trajectory, says she is excited to see where this new direction leads. Notably, the late venerable calypsonian Singing Sandra (Sandra Des Vignes-Millington) played a key role in the latter parts of Asche’s development.
“It’s always been about growth and development. I have shied away from genres in the past. I’ve done political songs in a playful way. Then I have the hardcore commentaries. So (on concert night) be careful what you ask for; yuh might even get a (cover of American pop stars) Beyoncé (Knowles) or Lauryn Hill,” Asche joked.
Calypso purists need not worry, Asche added. She ensures fans of the genre she intends to keep creating quality works in that arena and openly sharing her knowledge with younger acts.
“Don’t be scared I won’t walk away from it. A lot of them (younger performers) look up to me and I’ve been passing on tips and teaching them the ropes. Life is a relay, you have to pass the baton. I gained a lot of knowledge from those who took me under their wings and taught me the ropes, similarly, I see the need to keep on passing the knowledge.
“That’s the only way for the art form to grow. I’m spreading my wings and doing a cultural makeover. Doing my versatility my style. To survive I need to do more. I’m always thirsty for doing more you know,” Asche concluded .
