SW Storm: I’m calling it quits

Sina Wayne Maraj is calling it quits—at least where competitions are concerned. Known in the music world as SW Storm, the soca and chutney artiste said after he failed to make it to this year’s semifinal round of the National Chutney Soca Monarch, he has gracefully bowed out of competitions altogether.
Despite delivering what he described as a “sterling performance,” the father of two did not  get the judges nod to place among the 41 semifinalists, who included the reigning king, Ravi B. Making it clear that it was not a case of sour grapes, SW Storm, who delved into the chutney arena in 1998 with the song Dhoula, said he remained puzzled as to why he was not chosen, as his track, penned by Kelvin Kissoon, was currently “one of the top playing Chutney songs.”

“I gave a first class performance but, shockingly enough, I didn’t make it to the semifinals. In 2012, there will be no more competitions for me. Competitions can be damaging. When you are singing around the world at a certain level, and then someone is ‘x-ing’ you out, it can be real damaging,” he said. SW Storm, who has made it to the final leg of the competition on three occasions, added that his fans were also up in arms over the situation. “People still can’t believe I didn’t make it. They are leaving messages on my Facebook wall. They’re like, ‘How the hell you didn’t make it to the semifinals?’”

Yuh Mudda Can
This year seems to be a tough one for the London-born, Toronto-based resident, as he has had to deal with yet another setback. His other track, Yuh Mudda Can, has been banned on several local frequencies due to its “offensive” title. Stating that he was still a bit surprised and very much frustrated by the ban, he explained, “It’s about a young girl who doesn’t want to cook or clean, she only wants to lime and party. So, I tell her you can’t cook or clean, but your mother can.

Some people interpret it as cursing but I didn’t use any fowl language. The song has a strong story line. It’s open to interpretation. If people want to twist words, that’s up to them.” But, it’s not all bad news for SW Storm. He said his other offerings, a chutney song titled Mrs Walker and a soca track dubbed Rollin, have been getting “favourable airplay.”  And a remix to Mrs Walker, which he called No Chaser, has also been doing well.

Stick to your guns
The Thank You T&T and Sweet singer, who has toured Europe, Sri Lanka and Dubai, among other places, remains confident about his future. Vowing to continue touring and making “good music,” he asserted, “What’s important to me is to have a good touring year. I get great responses from fans outside of T&T, so I’ll continue to make music.” Noting that to survive in the competitive music industry took confidence and determination, SW Storm advised young artistes to stay focused on their goal.
“Stick to your guns. You have to be in it for the love of it. It can be tempting to give up at times because it’s a really hard business. Be strong. You have to fight up with the politics.”