Shari-Fa Harrigan December 1st, 2021 MUSC 1080

Culture, Fete, and Vibes… Soca Music is for Good Times!

Semester PowerPoint Presentation
Let’s journey through a cultural door to the Caribbean, also known as the West Indies, that
includes 13 independent Caribbean islands and 18 dependencies. We will be traveling to the
Island of St. Thomas which is the main island of the U.S Virgin Islands located in the Eastern
Caribbean Sea. The capital of St. Thomas is Charlotte Amalie; however, the territory is
composed of three large islands which are St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and The British Virgin
Islands, Tortola which is the neighboring island. Although the island is most known for its
beaches, cuisine, and tourist attractions, it is the place I consider home.
The Virgin Islands itself is filled with tropical weather, talented people, and uplifting music.
When people think about the Caribbean, they gravitate towards the scenery of the Island, the
cultural history, and sometimes carnival which is celebrated every year in the Virgin Islands.
Each island in the VI celebrates carnival, we kick off the festival starting with St. Croix which
begins in December and typically ends in January, then we head to St. Thomas, which starts in
April and ends in May, then we typically end with St. John which starts in June and ends in July.
There are activities for locals and tourists to attend just about every night, but what brings people
together is the food and of course, the music. Music from the Caribbean can be broad in terms of
genres, it consists of reggae, dancehall, calypso, zouk, and Soca just to name a few.
Soca music originated in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago in the 1970s, it is a
combination of soul music and calypso combined. Soca stands for soul of calypso; it was created
by Garfield Blackman also known as Lord Shorty who is considered the father of Soca music.
Upon my research, I discovered that Garfield began singing Soca music at the age of seven.
During the 1960’s when Reggae began to rise there was fear that Soca music was slowly fading,
to help keep the music alive, Lord Shorty decided to take matters into his own hands and test the
sounds of Soca. He began to combine Indian rhythm with calypso music for at least a decade,
this resulted in him creating Soca music and developing his first hit song called Indrani. (See
source at the bottom of paper and bibliography slide)
When I listen to Soca music, I often hear different instruments in a song. Sometimes there are so
many elements that it is hard to listen closely and distinguish them all, everything is fast paste
but always has a rhythm that flows together effortlessly. Some of the instruments used in Soca
music are steel pans, horns, a bass guitar, and a drum kit but that is only a few instruments that
can be used to construct a song amongst many others. West Indian people are very creative when
it comes to creating music, they get their inspiration from just about anything, for example
during the pandemic there was a song created by a local artist by the name of Big Shaw called “6
Feet Apart.” The song talks about a female who contracted the virus and needs to stay back but
also encouraging her to push back her waste and dance. (song available on YouTube) There is
also a song called “Backyard Jam” by Farmer Nappy, which is one of my favorites, it is a song
about not being able to go out and have fun due to the lockdown, but instead of going out they
Shari-Fa Harrigan December 1st, 2021 MUSC 1080

can go to a friend’s house, grabs some pots and pans to make music and have their own little
carnival without getting caught by the police since gathering was restricted.
Soca music is a genre that is played all year round, but it is becomes popular during Carnival
season throughout the Caribbean. Every year a local artist and sometimes mainstream artist write
a song for carnival, it is such a tradition that a competition has been developed from it. There are
two separate competitions that take place, The Road March Song and The Soca Monarch. The
Road March Song started in Trinidad and Tobago, (T&T). A winner is determined by the song
that is played the most during carnival, and it must be a song that makes people want to get up
and dance, although the competition started in T&T, St. Thomas also participates in their own
Road March, local artist will create a song and perform it on parade day. The winners are
determined by the judges who sit in front of what we call Market Square.
Soca can be described as ecstatic, entertaining, and uplifting, people say that the best genre to
listen to in the West Indies is Soca music. Various artist come together and create a Soca album
for the year (Listen to “Get Soca 2020”) this genre is often used to bring people together and
allow us to have a wonderful time because the music is exciting and vibrant.
I had the pleasure of interviewing two local artist form St. Thomas and ask them a couple of
questions about the music they make which is Soca. Dennis Liburd originally earned the name
“Pumpa” in elementary school due to his sports prowess. The name now represents his ability to
“pump up” a crowd with the passion, good vibes and energy he brings to every performance.
Pumpa’s musical career began on the island of St. Croix where Xtaushun Band was formed and
produced the hit song “Energy.” Xtaushun took the Soca scene by storm, winning the St. Croix
Festival Road March championship in 2003/04 and 2004/05. As his career progressed, he
continued to gain recognition both locally and globally. By 2013 Pumpa was the first Virgin
Island Soca artist ever invited to perform at the Metropolitan Orchestra in England. He brought
the sound of the Caribbean overseas with his internationally recognized song “Massage.” In the
same year he won the title of USVI Soca Monarch King for his outstanding performance of his
hit song “Honk Yo Horn.” Pumpa continues to add to his list of musical achievements. His
performance of “VI Up” in the 2014 St. Croix Carnival earned him the title of 2014/15 VI Soca
Party Monarch. In 2015 he defended the title with his performance of “Butterfly,” which earned
him first place in the Jumpy category. He also took second place in the groovy category with his
performance of “Role Model.” Pumpa continues to bring his passion for performing and his love
of the music into every performance, recording and video he produces. His goal is to share his
passion both locally and globally and continue to raise the bar within the Caribbean music scene.
I will be using his song “VI Up” as a listening guide which was released in 2014 to promote and
talk about the Virgin Islands. In the beginning of the song (0.06), sounds like a flute mixed with
a weird guitar and bass sound, in the intro before the song starts (0.07) Puma says, “These
beautiful islands, VI yea, hands in the sky”. The song then starts with what sounds like a bass
guitar and drums, (0.09) which is where the songs becomes more upbeat. Throughout the song he
Shari-Fa Harrigan December 1st, 2021 MUSC 1080

sings about each of the Island in the VI and encourages listeners to put up a peace sign, and their
pinky to create a VI sign. If you listen closely, you can hear what sounds like a xylophone and
towards the ending you hear a steel pan being played (2.23). Although the song talks about the
islands it also allows listeners who might not be familiar with the island how beautiful our
culture is.
The second artist is Lorna Freeman. Ms. Lorna Lenise Freeman, affectionately known as “The
Voice”, “The Fox”, “Songbird”, and “Songtress”, is the second of four children born to her
proud parents, Sidney and Grethel Freeman. Her enlightening musical journey dates back to the
1970s, where from the tender age of seven, she began singing and performing for a wide variety
of audiences. During her formative years, she developed and further nurtured her passion for
music and singing in church and school as a featured vocalist of various groups including, but
not limited to, The Freeman’s Trio (w/siblings); Echoes with Soul and the Ivanna Eudora Kean
High School (IEKHS) Choraliers and Concert Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Jo-Sandra
Jones– James. In 1986, Lorna’s creative musical genius afforded her the opportunity of attaining
a number of musical distinctions and historic accomplishments. This astounding vocalist
received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance from
Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. Her undergraduate career was laced with several
social and professional distinctions.
The song I will be using as a listening guide is called “Stay Deh” which was released in 2019
and it is a Soca song. The beginning of the song immediately starts off with what sounds like a
piano (0.01). The intro (0.02) begins with Lorna asking, “Have you ever had a feeling that you
will never love again, but then you find that special someone that restores unconditional love.”
You can hear the song get low in tempo at (0.17) and then it picks back up again. The song
expresses emotions of love but, Lorna is also saying that she likes the way her and the person are
dancing together, asking the lover to never leave her side because they are “bub-a lin” (bubbling)
meaning they are in the groove. It seems like a song that would be used during carnival because
we often dance with our lovers which consist of close intimate dancing.
In conclusion, Soca music is universal and a very popular genre worldwide that brings people
together.

Source

History of soca music, a child of calypso. Soca Music History. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7,
2021, from http://artdrum.com/ESSAY_SOCA_MUSIC_HISTORY.htm.