A Grammy Award for T&T's soca music is considered to be the ultimate achievement for its exponents and producers of this genre of music. Such a feat could usher in new respect internationally for this indigenous rhythm and sound created by the late Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman).
While there have been advances to the Recording Academy board of directors (Grammy Awards) from nationals, though individually, for a soca music category to be added to the honour roll, these overtures have been unsuccessful.Getting this brand of music recognition on the Billboard charts was the other route taken, but that too yielded no positive result.
Now, Colin Jackman, president and chief executive officer of the Soca Awards Organisation, which was responsible for staging the International Soca Awards, said it could be "some time" before soca entertainers clinch status in world-view on Grammy night. In a Sunday Guardian interview, Jackman said he hoped the staging of his event would eventually catapult soca music to the Billboard Charts and ultimately the Grammys.
He believed the International Soca Awards project was a critical vehicle towards securing Grammy Award status. The Eight Annual International Soca Awards ceremony took place on November 27, in the Lord Kitchener Calypso Auditorium, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa), Port-of-Spain.
Montano cops Soca Artist of the Year award
Machel Montano, walked away with the best Soca Artist of the Year award, while Buffy (Chrystal Bellille Cuffy) was named the best Female Soca Artist of the Year. She was also voted Best New Female Soca Artist. Swappi (Marvin Davis) was the New Male Soca Artist.
Ravi B amassed the most votes to clinch the Chutney Soca of the Year.
It came as no surprise that JW and Blaze won the award for Song of the Year-Palance, while Kernel Roberts took home the Soca Song Writer of the Year prize, as well as Soca Producer of the Year. He shared with Garret for the songs on which they collaborated: Steam, Palance, Road Show.
Jackman said: "Talking about a Grammy (award) would not advance our music.
"When my organisation sat and met the board of the Grammys, the board asked me how many units we were moving; how much of the music is selling.
"That was a hurdle. They wanted to know if they come for one artiste if there are others they can take. They wanted to know if we had (recording) labels in Trinidad. We need a record company in Trinidad."
He added: "I am sure there are artistes around the region that sell 150,000 copies of their music, but it can't be tracked; there is no bar code to track music sales."Systems for T&T to claim industry status were not in place, he said.Jackman lamented that the majority of entertainers still did not have a management structure in place and represented themselves on business matters related to their craft. In his view, this took away from their creative energy.
"Marketing is a major tool," he said. "We lack it bad. We are calling on someone to open a record label. But in the meantime, the International Soca Awards is here to take soca to higher heights."