It is just a taste; just a little taste of the Carnival that Trinidad and Tobago knows. For some – whether it’s a taste or the full-blown mother of all Carnivals – whatever was happening with Carnival 2022 should have been communicated earlier.
Well that’s the way some artistes including Terri Lyons feel.
Lyons said many overall are glad for the Taste of Carnival but some were not totally ready, mentally or otherwise, for it.
“Everyone asks if we have other incomes, even if we have other incomes, our main income, where we produce most of our finances, to continue balancing our lives and keeping our heads afloat, is in entertainment.
“Yes, the other incomes and stuff is there but it cannot compensate for the amount that has been taken away. That come like a pay cut for us. A drastic pay cut.
“Even though some of us may be ready musically, we are not there but we are just doing. That is why we fly out and do most of our shows because the place is more open to be more comfortable to do certain things.”
Lyons said many understood the seriousness of the situation but wished the announcement of what was happening with the annual festival had been made earlier. She said many artistes were glad that the Government was putting in some effort but they share the view that that effort should have been put in before.
“I know some of the people are like, ‘But ent you ready?’ Yes I am ready but I can’t just study me alone. At the end of the day, I don’t want to be standing in a show by myself.
“I want to have other people to have me on my toes also. And a lot of strong calypsonians, especially calypsonians, are not ready, mentally even if they are ready with music, mentally, they are not.
[caption id="attachment_937903" align="alignnone" width="683"] Terri Lyons says many artistes were looking to leave the country and participate in carnivals that are happening. She said they want to make their revenue, come back to TT, take care of themselves and help other entertainers who were unable to do so. -[/caption]
“Financially, they are not.”
Lyons said many calypsonians were making do with what they do have.
She said if there was no pandemic she would have been aware of the dates of events and tents dates way earlier.
“I could have prepared myself. People don’t have the money right now to put on a show. We will show up to give what we can...”
Asked how easy it was for her to get her songs out this year, Lyons said it was not easy.
She has Fling Bam Bam, Can You Feel It featuring DJ Private Ryan and is featured on Swappi’s We Wanna Live along with Carl and Carol Jacobs and is yet to release another.
She said an artiste has to be careful about how they spend their money but, “Right now, thankfully, plenty of the artistes band together and producers now band together with the artistes where we try to be lenient with each other when it comes to recording, using each other’s studio, when it comes to writing music.”
Lyons said people needed to understand not because they were hearing music coming from the
