Five Guyanese singers have united virtually to release one of the latest anti-Covid-19 songs. The captivating calypso titled “Let’s Fight Corona” details the impact the virus has had on the world so far and what we should do to stay safe.
The five artistes are Claude Bascomb, nephew of calypso legend Mighty Rebel, who is the producer and one of the singers; Raelene Phillips-Cadogan, daughter of the Mighty Rebel; Roger ‘Young Bill Rogers’ Hinds, seasoned calypsonian and two-time chutney monarch; Pearly ‘Precious Pearl’ Lewis; Wilbur ‘B52’ Levans, Soca artiste and former calypso monarch.
Claude, who resides in the US and operates the Claude Bascomb Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York, said the idea came to him after he saw a number of artistes in the US doing medleys through virtual platforms. “I said to myself, why not let the West Indians do the same.
The recording took a little more than three weeks to complete,” he said. The other singers being in Guyana and recording on their phones from their rooms, also contributed to him not being able to finish the song faster, he said. He shared that because the singers were unable to record from studios, noises outside their door or from passing vehicles were picked up and therefore it took a bit more time than usual for him to enhance the quality of the song.
“Mr Bascomb came up with the rhythm and part of the chorus, sent that to us and asked us to write our pieces to go with that and that’s what we did,” Young Bill Rogers said. “I came up with the last part of the chorus that repeats ‘Go Away COVID’.” The talented artiste said that once he had the melody of the song in hand, it took him only minutes to come up with the verses. He said he used his daughter’s phone and sang his piece using the voice recorder part of WhatsApp.
“Let’s Fight Corona” is 8 minutes, 38 seconds, far longer than a regular single, but its catchy tune and relatable lyrics make the song rather enjoyable.
Raelene’s voice follows Young Bill Rogers, who sings the opening lyrics. “I think we need to bring awareness to not only Guyana but the rest of the world; something very serious which we may want to take for granted,” she said. The woman stated that what is not important now is how it came about but finding a cure for it or minimizing the effects it has on the world.
Asked whether she intended to follow in her late father’s footsteps, the singer said that while that was something her dad would have wanted, she never allowed him the opportunity of seeing such and therefore does not think it is something she should now consider, when she did not do so while her father was still alive. “Because of this, when I have to perform, I get rather emotional because I feel like have robbed him of that,” she added. Nonetheless, Raelene intends to not let her talent go to waste and as a teacher may write lyrics for students representing her school at various competitions.
May 31, Raelene said, will be the second anniversary of Mighty Rebel’s death and she is working on a project where the singers of “Let’s Fight Corona” along with several other calypsonians will sing a verse of two of his songs. She said that prior to the pandemic, there were plans to have a competition that featured the late calypsonian. The format was for students to randomly select a name, do research, write a song about the late singer as well as sing one of their songs. It has been postponed for now.
Pearl said that for her it was the perfect opportunity to be part of the song as she was not taken up with anything else, adding that she feels privileged to have been allowed the chance to contribute to something so important. Known for her competitiveness having vied for the calypso monarchy 12 times already, this year the singer performed “Put The Meter Where We Can’t Reach It”, a song that spoke against water wastage.
Claude has several other ideas he is working on, including a virtual concert, still in the planning stages. He mentioned also that he is working on a new calypso single he intends to so a solo of come Mash next year if all goes well.
“Let’s Fight Corona” has been aired on the Voice of Guyana and other radio stations a number of times over the past week and will be released on YouTube over the weekend. The single is slated to have a video of its own coming soon.
