Putting the Small Island on an International Stage!

There are quite a few characteristics that Caribbean people share and the love and appreciation for music is just one of them!

Soca and a few other overlooked Caribbean genres are infiltrating the international music scene so much that the international artistes are now sampling and seeking inspiration from Caribbean genres.

However, soca has been, by many, associated with only a few Caribbean islands and as a result, small islands like Anguilla are usually overshadowed and underrepresented.

But… Anguillian bands and artistes are no strangers to the international stage. Just some 15+ years ago, the Anguillian band, Musical Brothers, “blazed the trail” and toured the Caribbean and USA. More recently, British Dependency toured the USA and Africa, among other countries and, their album R.E.D. is being considered for a GRAMMY Award in 2018. While, Omari Banks has been making waves in the world of reggae. and Deanna Mussignton’s journey to XFactor UK.

Taking Anguilla’s music industry up a notch

Ambitious Anguillians in the music industry believe that it is time to “take it up a notch” and proactively promote Anguilla for its distinctive adaptations of Caribbean genres – Anguillian soca consists of the prominent feature of instruments like the bass guitar and synthesiser, infectious riddims and high-energy, crowd-moving chants, for example.

For the past five years, Sherlon Richardson has been one of the advocates for the promotion of Anguilla’s soca music.

He has been working to showcase and highlight Anguilla’s talent and provided ambassadors such as Latest, Shea Shea and Bookie the opportunity to perform in Atlanta and Texas in front of thousands. He has utilised this platform to put Anguilla on the map by leveraging the network developed to make it easier for other local artistes to share the same stage.

As he strives to stay true to his mission, he is now planning to explore the UK market where Anguillian and Caribbean communities in Slough, Birmingham and elsewhere are eager to welcome, jump up and whine to live performances from their very own.

Other entities are striving to create a similar platform, such as the Kings Club, who are driving the development of rap in Anguilla.

Let us know your favourite Anguillian song in the comments below.

Looking for live music on island? Head over to the Music Schedule in the Anguilla Calendar.

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