Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo is once again our Carib Soca Monarch and from the crowd’s response at the final last Saturday, Guyana could not have agreed more. In an exclusive this week, the monarch, as humble as ever, sat down with The Scene to discuss the year ahead.
The Scene: Jumo, tell us how you felt minutes before your performance. Did you have any doubts about your work and what is it that you planned on doing?
Jumo Primo: No, not at all because I was and I am confident. I knew I had a plan and I stuck with it. I told myself that the only person I am trying to beat is me. I thought, how do I overcome what I did last year? I knew what I had so I felt that I should stick with my plan.
The Scene: And the competition itself? Share that experience…
Jumo Primo: It was amazing man. A-MAZING! After 17 previous performances I was surprised to see the number of people still waiting to see my performance and this was already late. I loved participating with the crowd, not all artistes have it and it is something very important – having that connection. It is like I’m not just a champion but I am a champion of the people. People were crazy, excited, ecstatic!
The Scene: How you feel about regaining your title?
Jumo Primo: I feel awesome to know that I am still the champ. I am looking forward to doing bigger things with my crown. I really want to go to Trinidad, Antigua and Miami carnival. We have so much talent in this country and as a representative, I want to stand up with the big names in the business.
The Scene: And you are entering “Fireworks” into the International Soca Monarch competition next year in Trinidad, correct?
Jumo Primo: Correct.
The Scene: Your song took the crowd by storm; some were already singing it. Tell us about the background of the song that made you champ once again.
Jumo Primo: Well we celebrate our Independence, New Year and any other festivities with fireworks. Every nation uses fireworks as a mass celebration and it is a sign of beautiful freedom. We are beautiful people inside and that’s the message in my song, why can’t we light up ourselves like fireworks?
The Scene: You know Kwesi Edmondson’s song, “Same Thing” attacks the other competitors including you saying that every year the Soca artistes sing the same song, a remix of the song or a sequel to it. How do you feel about his message?
Jumo Primo: He is right to an extent. Other artistes do sing back their songs or a different version altogether but it is not true about “Fireworks”. It was totally different. I told people that it will be different and it was. I personally feel that the Soca Monarch has to take on a different perspective: Not wining up for everything but bringing a positive sense to it, show patriotism and talk about some issues – we can actually create a standard.
The Scene: What motivated you throughout the competition?
Jumo Primo: Oh that’s easy man! Motivation comes from my family, my fans. I am a true artiste – I love performing, it is the only thing I know, the only thing I can do well. The stage is the only place I can be free and I want to thank God for that, if it wasn’t for Him I would have been nowhere.
The Scene: And where does the Soca Monarch get inspiration from?
Jumo Primo: Machel Montano – the King himself. I would love in the future to do a collaboration with him on the stage, me and him together. He is my idol and I am working on that.
The Scene: What are your plans for Mashramani?
Jumo Primo: Well I am performing for the GT&T Mash Band and I am also entering the Road March Competition. That is for the song that is played the most on the road at judging points.
The Scene: Against Adrian Dutchin again?
Jumo Primo: Yup. Well Adrian and I together form X2 and we have a lot of projects we will be working on in the future. Plans are now coming into place. I know that after Mash I will be doing some Reggae and Dancehall music. I am also planning on doing some more work with the band Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires, the band is still struggling after Byron Lee’s death but we are still doing it. It [The Band] has been a great experience for me with them, I have toured various countries – went as far as China and Byron Lee himself taught me a lot. It was like going to school all over again because I had to learn everything all over again. I am thankful to my grandmother who schooled me and moulded me to be the humble guy I am today, I am loved by my people and I do everything to please them.
The Scene: What would be your intentions to put Guyana on the international scene when it comes to our music? Particularly the genre you are famed for.
Jumo Primo: We are different in some aspects – the way we pronounce our words, our different tone, our different sound makes our Soca music apart from the Caribbean, we need to play some more Soca music all year round and not just centred on Mash, this will make it stronger and encourage local people to keep it strong, to encourage the youth to write constructive Soca. Most importantly we need laws in order for our art to survive, copyright laws. The worst thing is when the talent in our country leaves and excels elsewhere because the country cannot give the artiste the support he/she is yearning for.