When Jonathan King was 12 years old, he entered the Junior Calypso Competition. It was his first time in such a singing competition but Jonathan, better known as ‘Lil Red’ had been around music all his life.
His mother is Michelle ‘Big Red’ King, a talented singer who has excelled in the soca genre. Jonathan is also a third generation artiste. His grandmother Desiree Edghill is an award-winning actress turned health activist.
He recalled that as a child he would watch his mother prepare for shows and perform and he would sometimes assist her with words when she wrote her songs. It seemed only natural then that Jonathan would turn to soca himself.
“My mother is my greatest inspiration. She is also my number one fan and cheerleader,” he said. Jonathan believes that because he is the child of a singer in the same genre of music, he is often expected to be at a certain level and to use his mother’s foundation. But he said his mom always encourages him to be himself and to do the best he can, because as long as it is his best it is good enough for her. “Therefore even though she would often times assist me in developing my craft, she never imposed her style. So I was able to nurture and develop my own style,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said, Big Red has paved the way as Guyana’s soca queen and this has made it a little easier for him in that he was introduced to the “right people” in the music industry, who showed him the skills, gave tips and tricks of their trade.
Jonathan’s exposure to the spotlight began when he won a talent contest while working at Qualfon Inc Call Centre. Winning made him feel confident in his craft and he wanted to explore the next level, so Jonathan decided to enter the 2012 Carib Soca Monarch competition. He noted that it is the one time of the year that Guyanese music is in the spotlight.
Six years earlier, in 2006, his mother had been crowned soca monarch only to have the title removed a few days later owing to what was said to be a tallying error. Michelle King continued to soar in her music but never entered the competition again.
Jonathan said his mother’s experience made him want to battle and redeem the crown. He has not yet done so, but he doesn’t seem to be giving up.
This year was his third year in the soca monarch competition. “This gives me the chance to share my craft and benefit from this spotlight,” he said. Winning the competition for him is going to be the chance to break into the international music industry. This year is the closest he has come to wining, placing fourth with his song, “Who We Are”, which had received a lot of airplay and great reviews.
He recalled performing “Who We Are” at the Soca final at the National Park. He approached the stage from the crowd in a crane, wearing a red “Soca General” suit, pumped high into the sky by the mechanical crane he started to perform for the hundreds below.
This year, Jonathan also won two awards for “Best Song Writer” and “Best Music Video” at the Hits and Jams Music Awards for “Who We Are”.
Some of his other musical productions are “Hold Meh Tight”, “Sugar Stick Wine,” “Meet She Meter” and his latest single “Party On”.
“Making my mother proud… [following] in her footsteps, I believe God is guiding me to my destiny. Everyone is born with a purpose and mine is to spread my message and the message of the people, to the world through music,” he said.
Jonathan has a friendly personality which draws him close to many people although he keeps the company of a small circle of friends. He singled out Quacy Dey Yorrick, whom he considers to be a great artiste and a great friend. “He always has positive advice, [is] willing to share knowledge and he always motivates me and makes me confident. He has not only inspired me to be a better musician but at the same time a better person,” Jonathan said. Some of the soca artistes he idolises are Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Olatunji Yearwood aka Tunji Montana and Kerwin Du Bois, he also looks up to Chronixx and Drake.
Jonathan likes music of all genres. However he prefers to sing Soca and Pop. He cannot play any musical instruments but it is his desire to play the keyboard. Jonathan is currently signed to Vizion Sounds International Records/Promotions.
Right now, Jonathan and his management team are working on producing an official soca album, to be released and distributed by VP in New York and on iTunes and Amazon. They are also working on releasing new music videos for some singles from the album.
In the next five years, the 21-year-old sees himself representing Guyanese’s music on the international stage, performing, touring and showing the world our Guyana’s style of soca music.
He likes to socialize, chat on social networks, enjoys meeting new people, swimming, making and listening to music and chilling with friends; he is thinking about adding modelling to the list.
Off the stage he writes and rehearses to perfect his craft. He spends most of his time at the studio. He would like to further his education in music as his future plans include producing music.
To stay connected and updated with him add the soca artiste on BBM 2A80445B. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to his channel on YouTube.
