Teddyson John is mentor and impresario in Stripped: Carnival Magic, with AUDIO²

An edited version of this article was published in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday on 30 January 2024

Saint Lucian soca star Teddyson John returns to the Lord Kitchener Auditorium, NAPA on Wednesday 31 January, for the second consecutive year to deliver his unique grand soca cabaret concert Stripped: Carnival Magic to audiences here in Port of Spain. In a star-filled extravaganza that resets the idea of how a Carnival music concert is presented, in the middle of the season, John along with a new cast featuring the likes of Kees Dieffenthaller, Destra Garcia, Alison Hinds, Mical Teja, Nadia Batson, and more, will take listeners on a different path that showcases how high energy soca songs can be transformed into soundtracks for Caribbean elegance and jazzy smooth tropical adventure.

John spoke to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday about this year’s show, outlining the genesis of the event idea and how the event acts as a steeping stone and mentorship platform for St. Lucian singers and Caribbean artists generally. “I think that there is so much more that we can achieve,” says John. “[Soca is] the only genre that has dates on it…making sure your catalogue is not even existing because of the dates we have on our stuff, and the truth is, the world is our platform.” He continues, “there are so many people you can touch with the music, I just decided, there is an audience in the jump-and-wave and the cooler fetes—nothing wrong with that, it’s part of the Carnival vibe and festivities—but there is a niche market of people that like that calm down, chill out kind of vibe. So, for me, it’s a level of intimacy, transparency and vulnerability that you can not really get on a big stage.”

The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for this new direction for John; no Carnivals meant that soca artists were nervous and wondered, “what’s next?” Thinking outside the box as he noticed other genres were thriving with “bodies of work” coming out in spite of the isolation and season cancellation, he bucked the trend of putting out music only for Carnival, with the release of a smooth jazz album of his hits, Caribbean Moscato in late 2020. He utilised his catalogue of songs going back more than a decade to reinterpret the sound and energy, spirit and aesthetic of the music, thus creating a unique palette for live interpretation. No samplers and drum machines.

A full-fledged musician with a background in gospel, jazz and R&B from his earlier career as a cruise ship singer, John was able to arrange the music for new ears. He was also able to suggest new arrangements for his guests in 2023, and this year, the cast has come around to the idea of showcasing music with a different way. In 2024, in addition to the above-mentioned six soca stars, he will also be hosting Jimmy October, Vincentian star and 2019 Road March co-winner Skinny Fabulous, and up and coming St. Lucian singers Shemmy J and Kayo. John is paying it forward to his two countrymen. Kayo is a Canada-based Lucian who was on the recent Man With No Door tour in 2023 headlined by Kes the Band and featuring Teddyson John and Jimmy October. Shemmy J is an up-and-coming artiste who John is giving an opportunity to be heard.

He says, “Sometimes, I just remember the days I used to knock on the these doors and trying to get that opportunity to be heard. Certain people gave me the opportunity, some people didn’t, but I just want to be a bridge. He [Shemmy J] has an amazing spirit, an amazing heart, his vibe is a kind of soca-Afrobeats with an amazing catalogue. He is a young guy, and I just want to give him the opportunity to introduce him to Trinidad. And the same kind of vibe and love Trinidad gave to me, I am hoping they will stretch out to him as well.”

Now as a frontline singer with the in-demand All Stars band—he calls them a family—John has his sights on the broader business aspects of the soca and Carnival music industry globally. Lessons learned from the tour with Kes the Band in 2023 translated into understanding the need for a proper body of work, the need for measuring the music’s impact by streaming and broadcast analytics, the importance of official box office numbers from registered venues, the high standard for production value in live music performance anywhere — his female-lead production team here are Abeo Jackson, Tonya Evans, Celia Wells, and Tenille Clarke — as factors that can lead to moving beyond a boundary. He notes that Stripped: Carnival Magic “is what can be the difference in the music, or another path, and that you can create your own audience apart from Carnivals.”

As he thinks beyond the current Carnival season with his three releases, all on the ubiquitous ‘riddims’ trend, he is looking at the big picture. “There’s 9 billion people in the world, and not everybody knows what we do,” John says with a grand vision. Risk is his best friend: “you have to jump with your both feet in. There are no losses, just lessons.” The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is back as official presenting partner and understanding Teddyson John’s role as a cultural ambassador, see the long term vision and potential. Touring with this is performance package is inevitable.

Stripped: Carnival Magic is a cross-Caribbean collaboration among singers, and musicians from St. Lucia and Trinidad, and has as a tagline, “Where the forces of influence collide to bring the season alive,” promoting the idea that the many ways we celebrate the Carnival are open to anyone anywhere willing to listen. And rediscover anew the magic of soca music.

LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW WITH TEDDYSON JOHN about his show, Stripped: Carnival Magic

© 2024, Nigel A. Campbell. All Rights Reserved.