Busy Signal show- NSC hall kept busy with reggae signal |04 July 2013
Many, perhaps deterred by the ticket price of R350 considered as too expensive, had preferred to stay outside the hall and listen to the music in a night fair atmosphere instead of buying a ticket and going in to watch.
“My disappointment is that he performed playback. For R350 I would have preferred to chill at home with a video or just listen to him as I normally do. To come all the way here for a playback show just does not make sense,” complained one fan.
But thinking reasonably, it would have been technically impossible to put on a show with a live band as Busy Signal only accompanied by his manager, four sound engineers and a DJ, had arrived in Seychelles just a couple of hours before the encounter with the Seychellois public! Finally, he was on stage only with the DJ. However, after the show had already been postponed once and the artist’s arrival seemed uncertain until the last minute, it was better to have him perform playback rather than not see him at all.
The world known artist, visibly a communication maestro, himself diffused the situation when he uttered: “I have been busy. I am always busy.”
If this uncertainty had caused some disenchantment among the hard core fans in the quarter filled hall, Busy Signal’s presence and the artist’s great talent and professionalism was more than enough to fill the empty space left by his would be musicians as he majestically interacted with his public comprised essentially of young people.
Moreover, if most of us had expected him to hit us with his more popular songs like ‘Reggae Music Again’, ‘Missing You’, ‘Na Go A Jail Again’, ‘Come Shock Out’, ‘Push and Shove’, ‘You and Me’, ‘The Gambler’ etc., and if most of those most loved hits were in his lineup for the night, he did not fail to surprise the crowd with a rich and mixed repertoire of reggae, dance hall and raga music.
In the end fairness was restored as another fan expressed that he had been satisfied just by seeing the star and that the show was worth the R350.
To the press, in a typically Jamaican jargon, Busy Signal described his stay in Seychelles as “glorious and very great”.
“I am honoured to be here. I feel at home here, as if I am in Jamaica with a mixture of different cultures, which makes you meet people, make friends. And this is what music is all about. Music means no fighting, no violence, but interacting with people. Music is my only occupation. I have had the chance to work with great musicians and this is a blessing for me.”
Busy Signal was however surprised to discover how popular he is in Seychelles, as shown by the exciting and animated welcome offered by the Coral Strand staff, when he had checked in at the hotel on Saturday.
“There was a large crowd of people and everybody wanted to be photographed with me. I am surprised to have such mass base in Seychelles,” he said.
Asked about how he came into music, Busy Signal revealed that he got music from his mum who was singing all the time and who sung in church, and from his grandfather who was a pastor.
“It all started in church. So I started with gospel music before evolving to dance hall, reggae and reggae tone. My music also goes with my inspiration. I am inspired by things around me. Most of my songs talk about real life and people’s experiences.”
For the Jamaican artist, who has followed in the footsteps of other great Jamaican reggae names like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and others, reggae music has been his country’s best ambassador.
“Reggae has brought Jamaican music to an international level. Reggae was the start of Jamaican artists but I assure you that it has not been an easy road. It is not easy to break through in Jamaica, it is just so hard. You have to make your mark in terms of your image and your performance. You must never clash with another artist but you must keep your guards up in terms of music.”
On reggae music and Rastafarianism, the icon who is among the rare Jamaican artists not to sport dreadlocks, had this to say:
“Music is a worldwide language. So you do not have to have dreads or be a rastaman to do reggae.”
So Busy Signal, what next after the Seychelles?
“I am off to Europe on the next leg of my international tour. Also, we are in the era of technology when everything is on the net so more songs, more videos are coming.”
Busy Signal also performed at the Berjaya Praslin Beach Resort at Côte d’Or on Praslin on Sunday evening before leaving the country yesterday. If Busy Signal has already conquered the Seychellois public with his poetic and rhythmic songs, his philosophy of music being a universal tool to promote peace, love and harmony should surely be an inspiration to young Seychellois artists.
Michel Savy