Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo is a performer who knows what his audience needs and he always strives to give it them because for him even one unsatisfied fan means that he is not good enough.
Even though he has been in the business of singing and entertaining for many years he never takes any performance for granted and he does each one as if it is his first. As he puts it, music is a “passion” and there must be “love for it”.
Maybe it is his urge to always please that saw him running away with the Banks Soca Groovy Monarch title last December. From all reports, Primo left his competition in the dust as he entertained the audience at the National Park and there was no doubt about who was the winner at the end of his performance.
The Scene recently caught up with this consummate performer and he spoke at length about various issues. Apart from him coming over as a genuine performer who places his fans first, Jumo also yearns for the day when musicians will really be given an opportunity to thrive in Guyana.
While he could be considered one of the more successful local artistes, he is crying out for more to be done for musicians so they can make a decent living.
On the lighter side of things Jumo revealed to The Scene how he got the name ‘Rubber Waist’. It was not a name he took, rather, it was given to him. He does not even know the name of the person who so labelled him, but it has stuck.
‘You have to love it’
During The Scene interview Jumo described winning the first soca groovy competition as a “big leap” in Guyanese music as the groovy soca is a different with a “different speed and tempo”.
“Being the first ever groovy king and being a part of the Banks competition was very exciting,” he said.
It was the first local competition he entered and he did it on the urgings of the Manager Burchmore Simon and others as according to him he is always a guest artiste at local competitions.
“People keep telling me, ‘Man, Jumo you know I think you should enter’ and some people might say that it is advantage because you know I have been around but it really don’t matter. All I did is lift the competition and show people the level that you have to be at if you are going to be in this business.”
He revealed that he has performed abroad with all the big names in soca and “they have a lot respect for me” because he is from a land that has “adopted soca”. He said many persons want to be in music but they don’t realize that music is a passion as “you have to please your audience; you have to perform; you have to love it.”
And even though Jumo is a very confident individual he never took the competition for granted as he knew that he had perform at his best if he wanted to be crowned king.
“A lot of people said, ‘Oh Jumo will win’ but for me personally I don’t take anything [for granted] because I had to prepare just like anybody else; days of rehearsal with the girls every single day, sometimes it grind them into the ground. I don’t take anybody easy because in competitions certain people you might over look and those are the people who surpass you.”
Since he won the crown Jumo said persons in the Caribbean and North America “having being taking note because they never heard about groovy soca”. At the time of the interview, he was attempting to enter the groovy soca and power monarch competitions in Trinidad. His other half in the x2 group -Adrian Dutchin – is also taking things to a new level with his entry into the local and Trinidadian chutney competitions with a piece called “OK”.
“Basically that is my goal right now, going to Trinidad and entering the groovy and power monarch competitions because being in Trinidad and performing out there… the world would be watching,” Jumo said. “Trinidad has the biggest carnival…”
Banks DIH is also planning a countrywide tour with many of the persons who were in the groovy competition.
Even though Adrian and Jumo are individual artistes their group x2 is still very much alive. Jumo said they just finished recording a new album. Jumo is still a part of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires as even though the founder–Byron Lee–is no more his band still lives on and they tour various countries. From next month he will be Jamiaca for two months performing with the band during that country’s carnival celebration.
x2 has a few shows in some American cities and according to him “even though you see me and Adrian doing out own thing, x2 is still there. x2 is still going strong… We are working on our first single and first video for this year.”
Talented family
As would be expected Jumo reveals that he comes from a talented family- “a family with a whole generation of musicians but I am the only person for my family [who sings].” He says his sisters are very talented in dancing and have won several competitions, while he has a brother who is good with drums.
“So it is a very talented family, but I am the only person doing the singing in the family and for me I have been loving music for years. I have been in a lot of bands in Guyana.”
He has been a part of bands such as Jahrusalem–the band he said that really gave him a break and made him popular–Mischievous Guys, Sheriff Deputies and EC Connections.
Jumo said he is now in his thirties and he started singing professionally at the age of 14 but even before that he always loved singing.
“Basically music is my first love, second love, third love; it is my life because everybody have something that they like. Even though I want to do something else like business, music is the first but I know I am getting older everyday and I will need to do something else but I tell people even when I meet seventy I still will try to move and sing.”
He said it was with the Jahrusalem band that his career got the much need boost and he made a name for himself and got the name ‘Rubber Waist.’ Jumo toured with the band in Canada, America and other countries. It was in America that he was spotted by the late Byron Lee who approached him and he later became part of his band.
He admitted that it was hard to break away from Jahrusalem as the band members were like a family.
“But the manager… he didn’t really have a vision. He thought the band was about him and that was one of the reasons…I had to go and do things for myself. Since I went to Byron Lee I have been to so many places as far as China performing…”
But it was a report in a local newspaper which described his wining as moving his waist like a rubber.
“I never saw her,” he said of the reporter who did the story. “Probably she did see me at a show and saw the way I was moving my waist… and she was giving a report on the band’s performance and she said something about Jumo moving his waist like a rubber,” Jumo said with a slight laugh. Since that report several years ago the name stuck with him. He cannot recall the name of the reporter or which newspaper carried the report.
‘Most hurtful thing’
He said outside Guyana artistes are being paid for their music when in Guyana it is not the same story. “In Guyana people see you driving, they see your name all over the place but it doesn’t mean you are being paid what you are supposed to be paid.”
Foreign artistes, the agitated Jumo at this stage in the interview said, will visit Guyana and they are paid well, while the local artiste are paid but a fraction of that amount and in some cases are even asked to take less than what they were promised.
“That is one of the most hurtful things because the promoters here they pay these guys so much money because they have a name and when they bring them some of them don’t perform.”
Yet when the locals perform, “they want to tell us if we could take a cut. A cut from what? Zero out of zero is zero.”
He said when local artistes record their music almost immediately they are pirated and out on the streets being sold for next to nothing. “That is why we need somebody who would realize that music is a very [integral] part in society because everybody listens to music…”
He said the radio station needs to pay more attention to local music as a lot of foreign music is being played even though there is good Guyanese music available.
“Our music right now is on par with anyone’s,” Jumo boasted.
He said those in power should pay more attention to the music industry and he raised the longstanding issue of copyright laws and no protection for musicians.
“So it is kind of hard all these people who play instruments and so on all their lives and when they reach 40 or 50 they have nothing and they have so much talent but they in Guyana trying and not making it. We really need somebody to help the industry.”
He pointed out that many of the Caribbean countries promote their music and draw tourists–giving their artistes stages to perform. Jumo wants to know why the same can’t be done in Guyana when there is so much local talent.
Zeroing on criticisms that what passes for local music is sometimes really ‘crap’, Jumo said, that might be so but pointed out that in other countries there are also people who sing “stupidness”.
“But you don’t have to play and promote what is not good because not everybody could sing; not everybody could write a good song; we already know that… But out of the crap there is some good music and they need to play the ones that make sense and the ones that people enjoy.”
He pointed out that if the songs are not played then no one would get an opportunity to hear what local musicians are putting out. He said the television stations are at fault too as they seldom play local videos and when they do many times it is late at night.
“People love x2, people love Shelly G, you have people who love Malo and then you have people who love Mystic and the only time you does hear Mystic songs is on Brutal radio, which is bad because he is good,” Jumo said.
“All the [radio and television stations] promoting other people. It’s not that we are not good. So that is why it is so hard for musicians.”
The entertainer has two children–a son and daughter–and while he is not married he said he is not available as he is in a serious relationship. But he said his career it is very hard for a woman, including his travels around the globe. He said at the end of the day “that is how I eat, that’s how I survive, that is how I could buy gas for my car or buy clothes and pay my bills.”
He describes himself as a humble and cool individual, one who loves his fans as he realizes that they are the ones who keeps him going. He was also grateful to his many sponsors and he promises to always do his best to put out good music.
(samantha_alleyne2000@yahoo.com)
