Kittivisian Life attended the 11th St.Kitts Music Festival (along with many of the Region’s media) and took the opportunity to interview some of the performers. In this review we will focus on the Ladies at the Festival.

Thursday Night, June 21st– Soca - Caiso - Calypso
First among the ladies on stage was Queen Anastasia of St. Kitts-Nevis.

KL: Queen Anastasia, those of us in St. Kitts know you as our foremost female Calypsonian. Many of your fans believe that locally you’ve not received your just deserts, would you agree with that?

QA: Well, I have to agree with what my fans say, it’s my fans who’ve put me where I am. If it weren’t for my fans, I would not have won the award in Trinidad, where I was voted one of the foremost female Calypsonians in the Caribbean.

KL: In terms of where you are heading, what are your plans?

QA: I’m studying at the moment, at UWI, on a distance learning programme here in St. Kitts. With a family and job, I couldn’t go off to one of the campuses. I’m doing Business Management, as I want to learn all aspects of the music industry; perhaps finally moving into promoting or producing.

KL: And musically?

QA: I’m working on a new album; it’s called ‘Versatile.’ This one is a mixture of different styles; Soca, R&B, with a very Caribbean flavour reminiscent of Bob Marley, in the lyrics. It will showcase my voice and show more of what I can do.

KL: Queen Anastasia, thank you for talking to Kittivisian Life and best wishes with the ‘Versatile’ album.

The headliner of the night was Alison Hinds of Barbados. Alison Hinds performing at the 11th Music Festival.

Kittivisian Life spoke to Ms Hinds after her performance and we were tremendously impressed by her high energy performance and her extremely quick recovery; within five minutes of coming off stage, Ms Hinds was doing television and radio interviews.

KL: Alison, that was a tremendous performance! Over an hour non-stop!

AH: Thank you. It is very strenuous, but that’s what the fans have come to expect from me. KL: How do you maintain that stamina?

AH: I keep fit by working out for up to 2 1/2 hours every morning during the week when I’m at home and most days when touring; being in the gym is now a part of my life. I eat healthily; plenty of fish, vegetables and fruits. I eat very few carbs, and I now only occasionally eat rice. I also take lots of supplements and I drink plenty of water, which helps to keep my energy high and boost my immune system.

KL: Your daughter is just 3 years old, what would you say to other mothers struggling to get fit after childbirth who say they just don’t have the energy to work out?

AH: I can Identify with women in that position, I’ve been there. I was very heavy after having my daughter, and it was very tough getting back into shape. I know that I’m blessed to be able to have a personal trainer to help me get to the level of fitness I need to be able to do my job. But you can start from where you are; put the baby in the stroller and go for a brisk walk. Eat sensibly and take little steps, it will make a difference. When you’re able and can give a little more time to yourself, you can leave your baby with Granny or Aunty, start a regimen and go to the gym.

KL: What’s next for you professionally?

AH: I’m going to continue to develop the show; this is the Alison Hinds show and I intend to develop it into the kind of performance where, when people come out to see me, they will have an experience that compares with a professional show coming out of Las Vegas or Miami and feel that they’ve been truly entertained.

KL: Alison, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us, and all the best for the future. Waving the flag at the Music Festival.

Friday Night, June 22nd – Reggae - Lovers Rock - Dancehall
Kittivisian Life spoke with Tessanne Chin, just after her performance.

KL: What would you say to young girls who see you and may want to emulate you? Tessanne Chin after her performance at the 11th Music Festival

TC: First of all, you have to know yourself; your drives and motivations, as well as your physical, mental and emotional characteristics. You have to know where you stand in terms of your profession as well. This is a very tough business and you need to be focused and know what it is you want to achieve.

KL: What advice would you give to young artists starting out, in terms of how to promote themselves in the business?

TC: Again, you need to know yourself and what kind of image you want to project. You also need know your audience, so first identify that, identify the people you’re trying to touch; if it’s the more alternative audience, you need to go to places where they play live music, find your niche and go for that segment of the market.

KL: Would you recommend the music industry as a career choice for a young woman?

TC: This is very natural for me; my parents are musicians, so I’ve grown up within the industry. I can understand how someone who didn’t grow up with parents in the industry may have difficulty persuading their parents that it’s a suitable career. But at the end of the day, I think you have to do what’s right for you. And be serious about it; it’s not something you can play at, it’s an actual job, you work long and irregular hours. For female artists in particular, just be exceptional at what you do, and know you are the only person who can do what you do. Get educated about the business, because people have a lot of sweet talk. Also don’t ever let your gender be a stumbling block; you can be as strong as you want to be, as you need to be.

KL: All the best for the future, Tessanne, and thank you for taking the time to speak to our readers.

Lady Saw
Lady Saw, of course, had top billing for the night. Kittivisian Life was unable to get a personal interview, but at the press conference earlier in the day, the Lady made an impression on the media by being very gentle with her detractors and being candid about her personal sorrows and the resulting growth over the years. She spoke of her latest album release ‘Walk Out,’ and her message to young women and girls in ‘World’s Prettiest’; giving them encouragement to try to find themselves in this world regardless of their physical appearance and the different concepts of beauty that is promoted to women. She also said that it isn’t out of the question for her to tackle different genres of music; she is multi-talented and whatever the Creator inspires her to do, she’ll do whole-heartedly!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 3:55 pm and is filed under music & arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.