Hunter sings ‘Tanty Man’ in original melody this year Thursday, January 27, 2011
TRINIDAD NEWSDAY - By SEETA PERSAD - During the lead up to Carnival 2010, chutney artistes came in for heavy bashing from the media and the people at large for stealing melodies from Bollywood tunes and adding local wording to create a bachanal tune for Carnival.
Many of the artistes have heeded the call for original melodies this year as they head into major Carnival competitions.
One such singer/songwriter is "Hunter" (Lalchan Babwah) who remains a top act for many years in Carnival in TT. He was well- appreciated on the crossover stages as he remain one of the few chutney stars to be selected for the International Chutney Soca Monarch other than Ricky Jai. His song “Jep Sting Naina” was released in 2008/09 and continues to be in demand.
The songs was based on the melody of the Bollywood tune “Jab Se Tere Naina,” which was originally done by India’s Shaan, and remixed with English words. He then collaborated with Ravi Bissembhar, Andy Singh, Anil Bheem, Nishaan “Hitman” Prabhu, and Drupatie Ramgoonai, to record the song. The song hit the local scenes like a thunder storm, getting heavy airplay on the radio and at fetes since November of ’08.
Hunter became one of the most travelled chutney soca artistes as he spent most of 2010 performing abroad. “I know I have to meet the demands of the people both here in the country and in other countries where chutney soca is in demand, so I set about to do just that," a busy Hunter said. He added that shows for Carnival began in December and will run way into March.
His tune this year is “Tanty Man” which has a groovy melody that is now dominating the local airwaves. Known for bringing humour and sweet melodies in his tune Hunter did not disappoint his fans. He is definitely one of the top chutney act this year as he has been contracted for the biggest Carnival events in the country. Overseas promoters have already begun knocking on his doors.
Talking about this tune, “Tanty Man” which he wrote himself, he said that Ravi Bissembhar created the music for him and it was later mastered by Zaheer Khan (Big Rich) of Couva. "I had the melody in my head as how exactly I wanted this song to sound. Ravi was right on the button with his music and Big Rich them came into perfect the melody,” Hunter said.
According to Hunter, he chose to do his own melody this year simply because he knew he do not need a melody from India to put out his art. "Okay while it is interesting to do a melody that everyone knows and just put some chosen words and make a hit out it, I believe as an artistes we must really create our own work that is our culture in Trinidad and Tobago and not necessarily that of India," he stated.
Commenting on the recent hiccups with Southex (promoter of Chutney Soca Monarch) and the Ministry of Culture, Hunter issued a line of advice to the new government. "Chutney and soca music is our culture. It unites people like nothing else can. It helps people to free up themselves in a world of stress and frustration. So the Culture Minister need to take another look at what exactly is Soca and Chutney Soca music in this country." He went on to say that artistes like Ricky Jai, Machel Montano made it to New York's Madison Square Gardens with their music. He also noted the music indigenous to TT is popular in many countries of the world.
While critics were complaining that chutney artistes were delving too heavily into “rum songs” Hunter’s tune “Bring It” was very much in demand with fans everywhere. “The so-called rum songs were good at fetes and parties. On the competitive stage the people looked at it differently,” he said, noting that he has proven that he can delve into any topic and deliver for his fans here and abroad.
This popular artiste says he is happy with the way his career has taken off since the release of “Bring the Rum” on which he collaborated with Bunji Garlin.
Commenting on complaints about the lack of good lyrics in chutney soca songs, Hunter conceded, "Many composers and artistes go with this idea that chutney soca means to dance and wine down the place and this is why they go for easy lyrics that will have people jumping and waving."
He admits that he is guilty of writing tunes simply for people to have a good time, forgetting the constructive lyrics. However, he said, once he gets a good topic, he is able to compose tunes with a message for the nation.
Hunter, who has been on the local entertainment scene for several years, was best known as the composer of ‘‘Forty/twenty’’, a big hit for the band Dil-e-Nadan. It was a song about a 20-year-old man who was attracted to a 40-year-old woman.
He was one of the main act with the fame Dil-e-Nadan for two years before he joined Anil Bissembhar’s band, Karma. He composed several songs for the popular Sangre Grande band, including "Rat Boy" and "Gyal Yuh Start Meh".
In 2007 Hunter decided to go solo. Commenting on that decision he said, "This is the better way to go. I am on my own and I can perform in as many show as I want without having to be committed to any one band" He said his solo career has been very successful and he is able to make more public appearances.
