RIKKI KEEPS IT
PUMPING
By Angela
Martin-Hinds
Sunday Express
Section 2
July 23, 2000
Page 4
It's
been more than ten years, but the sweet, erotic, pulsating song
still beats like hot lava in his head.
Every
time he climbs on to a stage in any part of the world, the audience's reaction
is the same. They beg him for her, they
clamour for her. They demand that he
give them - "Sumintra".
And
Rikki Jai, always the consummate performer, does not disappoint. He is hot, flamboyant, sexy, all swiveling
hips and bewitching eyes, a master manipulator when it comes to onstage antics,
an entertainer known for captivating his female fans and working them into a
frenzy with his sensuous lyrics.
In
1989, he launched his career as calypsonian on the Spektakula Forum stage with
the unforgettable "Sumintra", a song composed by Gregory
Ballantyne. The impact was so great
that on some nights Jai received as many as five encores, gaining not only a
solid fan base from all sectors of society, but also establishing himself as
one of this country's more popular and well-loved entertainers.
He
recalled his initiation into calypso with a quiet smile: "'Sumintra' was
my statement song, my signature song based on something good in my life."
Away
from the scorching bright lights, however, Rikki Jai is the total opposite of
sexy entertainer. He presents a
different persona, that of a shy, cool individual. He is, in his own words, "a very private man and a total
country boy."
Now
celebrating his tenth anniversary as an entertainer with a mega concert at
Guaracara Park on August 29, Jai 35, adept at both chutney music and soca, is
reflective and happy about the success he has achieved over the years. Success, he said, has brought him both emotional
and material growth.
"I
am especially grateful to Errol 'Bally' Ballantyne, a good friend and a
gentleman, and to all who have contributed to my career and to Rikki Jai, the
human being. I am grateful that I have
been able to attract and maintain fans and a good name in this business. My music speaks to the young, old,
middle-aged, Indian, African, Chinese, White and that says a lot for any
performer."
Jai
captured the Chutney Soca Monarch title in 1998/1999 and the National Chutney
Monarch title in 1999/2000. Those
competitions saw him winning two Mitsubishi Lancers and some $275,000 in prize
money.
He
traded in the cars for what he said was his favourite vehicle, a two-door
Nissan jeep, and according to him, put his money to good use. Shrewd when it comes to investments, Jai
also revealed that he does not have a manager, but instead handles all his
financial transactions and contractual obligations himself.
Although
he has not performed on the local calypso circuit in recent years - his last
soca hit was in 1993 when he sang "Wine on a Bumsie" - Jai has been
very active on the chutney scene, writing and touring all over the world.
"Chutney
is a festival-oriented music and in demand all year round. So during the year I perform in London, Fort
Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, New York and the Caribbean. When I do a chutney show in London, I see
people from Guyana, Fiji, Suriname and Mauritius coming out and supporting the
music and when I am booked for a soca show, especially in London, I get quite a
good response from Trinidadians and Grenadians."
Jai,
has penned such chutney hits as Doolahin, Rosie Bilna and Jarah Lagehla. "My mom speaks Hindi I gain a lot from
her and I sing in a dialect called Bhojpuri."
He
referred to the much-anticipated upcoming concert as a great celebration of his
work, with a lot of other music thrown in to please his fans: "This
concert is long overdue. I have been
waiting for this for a long time. I
will be doing over 40 songs. The
preparation has been hectic putting all of these songs into a repertoire. I will be doing ballads like 'To Love
Somebody', several hits from the '70s and '80s, soca, chutney, and
calypso. I will be performing for two
hours. I must confess that I have
butterflies in my stomach. I am
anxious," he sighed.
He
said that despite his many years on stage he still experienced some performance
anxiety, reason being that "each performance was different, and each
audience was different."
"The
nervousness is important, though, it keeps you on your toes. The day you lose that nervousness you might
as well get out of the business."
The
fifth child in a family of six (there are three boys and three girls), Jai
hails from Friendship Village, on the outskirts of San Fernando. "I am surrounded by love. I come from a loving family. I live with my sister. When I leave the stage I tend to do
family-oriented things. I don't like
clubs and I don't like to party, I love movies and river limes. My big thing is renting a movie and just
kicking back and staying close to those I have known all my life."
A
practicing Hindu, Jai pointed out: "I am first and foremost a Trinidadian,
a man with social concerns. I am aware
of all the race talk and cross talk.
The politicians are to be blamed for this, but I refuse to get caught up
and tap into this. I am not about
race. I prefer instead to accentuate
the positives in this society. Sure,
I'm Indian, but I don't like dhalpuri and paratha. I will eat sada, but my favourite food is creole food, coo coo,
callaloo, provision, and fish. Whatever
part of he world I am I go in search of my creole food and if I can't find it I
go to the supermarket and buy it and prepare it myself."
Guarded
when questioned about romantic love, he admitted only that he was very much in
love. He was more open, though, when he
explained some of the difficulties entertainers encountered while trying to
maintain romantic relationships.
"You are always on the go.
There is the separation factor to contend with. Also, your mate has to be mature enough to
understand that you must have a relationship with your fans. These are the people who support you. I will never be rude to a fan, under any
circumstances. I have had some fans get
my number and call me at home. Some of
them want to touch you. I know how to
interact with them and where to draw the line."
Asked
about his ideal woman, Jai confessed: "I don't have an ideal picture, but
I know the type of person my mate is and what she is about. I know there is lots of love and a certain
degree of compromise and comfort. That
is what makes the relationship good."
He
said there were no immediate wedding plans, but he added that when he does
marry he hoped to have three children.