Sally Sagram...Chutney’s liberated gal
Sunday, February 27 2011

TRINIDAD GUARDIAN - By Desiree Seebaran - Although a newcomer to the Chutney Soca Monarch stage, when 26-year-old Sally Sagram took the mic last Saturday, there was no question about her intentions. Her onstage swagger belied her traditional Indian wear. “Every year is a king for chutney soca. It’s time that a queen take over!” she declared to the crowd at Skinner Park, San Fernando. Sagram was one of only three female competitors out of 15 finalists vying for the title this year—she made the cut as a first-time contender. Even though Samraj ‘Rikki Jai’ Jaimungal copped the crown, Sagram expressed her pride in reaching the finals of the prestigious competition.n“I think that everyone brought 100 per cent to the competition, and everyone upped their game this year,” she said. n“We just need to up the game a little more in the future and not argue about results. It is a competition, after all.” nSagram plans to be a heavy contender in the chutney soca world in the future. “When I go onstage, I really represent for a woman. Guys feel that they always rule, and I am here to say, ‘Not so’; this is the way I can get it done.”

Her performance at the finals echoed these confident words. Her offering, called Go So Nah, written by another woman in chutney soca, Lisa Samaroo, is a catchy, comedic rebuff to an over-enthusiastic suitor. Sagram enhanced the act by initiating a dance competition between her male and female dancers.m“When I first heard the song, I laughed, because it’s so comical,” Sagram said in a telephone interview. “It’s different to what’s being played now. Everyone else is singing about taking a drink, or a horn song.” Go So Nuh is a remake of a 1950s Hindi film song, like many other chutney soca songs. They’re popular because the tune is familiar but the words are in English so that everyone can identify.
Women especially, appreciate the empowering nature of the song. In fact, when Sagram and her band Xtreme performed at Club Tobago in New York recently, “the ladies were in front the stage singing for me. I didn’t even have to do the chorus.”

Although Sagram is such a strong advocate of female empowerment, ironically she started singing because it was her dad’s dream for her, she said. “My real passion was as a dancer,” she explained.
“But Daddy’s dream for me was to sing. What inspired me the most was when he died in a car crash in 1994. I was 10 years old.” Her older sister Sarah had already started singing and Sally joined her, “to honour our dad.” But while Sarah stopped to focus on school, the younger Sagram continued singing all through high school and even put her degree in Marketing Management on hold to concentrate on her Chutney Soca Monarch performance this year. Sagram sang with chutney group Spread Pal Crew up until 2008, spent a year as a solo artiste, and was then asked to head Xtreme two years ago. She felt that it was the right fit. “Most chutney bands feature male artistes. People may think that a woman can’t do the job! But I’m unique; I’m a woman of strength. I can take the lead and carry the crowd.”

Xtreme is musically directed and led by Riad Sultan, but it’s bright, bubbly Sagram who owns the band. And it has given her the space to experiment. “Spread Pal did only chutney. With Xtreme, we have crossover. We come to the table with anything. I can sing soca, Latin; I have a lot of freedom,” she said.
Sagram believes that the chutney soca art form could do with an infusion of creativity and originality; it’s easier for artistes to cater to what the crowd wants, she added, but to really excel, artistes should push the envelope on their own creativity. Still, Sagram’s self-assurance hasn’t blinded her to the fact that others have gone before her to make chutney soca what it is today. “I am sure that Rikki Jai will continue to fly the chutney soca flag high for 2011. His career speaks for itself, and he is one of the people who represents T&T internationally in terms of promoting our culture. Let’s just hope that next year we have a chutney soca queen!” she joked.

Sagram also respects the female veterans in her art form. Drupatie Ramgoonai is a veteran she particularly admires, and Karma’s Nisha B is a good friend. But Sagram admits that women could take a stronger role in chutney than they do at present. And with Xtreme’s backing, she intends to do just that. “We’re coming hardcore as of this year. You will see more of us, and hear more of us,” Sagram promised.