Dawn Edwards popularly known as Lady D has been singing in Calypso competitions since 2009. Though her love for singing was first fostered in church, Dawn could not resist Calypso and all it stood for and became consumed by it.
This year, Dawn’s Calypso “Going Back Normal” was not selected for the Senior Calypso Monarch Final but the song’s message of returning to pre-COVID days when socialising with each other and artistes performing in front of large audiences were allowed is a dream reflected by many.
In the song, Lady D sang of the finalists performing virtually from the National Cultural Centre (NCC) stage. The vibes hit differently when there is not a physical audience, she bemoaned. But performing virtually was not the only thing the singer was distressed about. While she was initially drawn to Calypso for its social commentary and singers being able to freely express themselves in light entertainment, the same cannot be said about the genre today.
According to Lady D, Calypso has always been more about the lyrics than the voice. She added that Calypsos were about social issues and trending topics, but today they are being censored. If the song discusses a politician, the Calypsonian cannot look forward to making in the monarch competition. In fact, she said, if Calypsonians want to sing about politicians, then they are really only singing for the love of the genre and their fans.
The singer said that Calypsonians are not out to attack politicians but instead songs are usually done in a jovial or sarcastic manner. However, if politicians feel attacked by the lyrics, then they should take the message seriously and do better. “We’ve experienced this in the last two years, where certain songs we sing are not allowed into the Calypso final even if it’s a good song and people love it,” lamented Lady D. “We’ve come to a point where it’s now left to ask the ministry [Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports] what should we sing? When we listen to Calypso from other countries, they are bambasing [lambasting] their leaders. We don’t write songs like that. We still utter some respect for our leaders. Some Calypsonians didn’t even write a song for the competition this year because they are being prevented from doing what they love. Persons should be able to express themselves freely. Why can’t we speak about what is happening? With this behaviour, Calypso will eventually die.”
The rules on Calypso were never this ridiculous, the singer pointed out, adding that she believes the current coordinators of the competition do not care about the opinions of Calypsonians. Lady D said that it was not entirely the present administration that was preventing them from singing as they liked as there were other coordinators under the same government who were keen on being inclusive of their opinions and issues that mattered to the singers.
“This time people are forcing things down your throat, saying, open your mouth, you got to eat this,” she went on.
Many of the great Calypsonians she and other artistes were inspired by expressed their voices freely, Lady D said. Among her inspirations were the Mighty Sparrow, Cro Cro, Lord Canary, and the Mighty Rebel. She also mentioned Trinidadian Terri Lyons, one of the new singers who is making waves in the genre.
And, while Lady D is all for promoting new talent, she said that this should not be afforded at the cost of losing the more seasoned artistes. She noted that often people would say give the new singers a chance, but if they want that opportunity, they have to be measured by the same yardstick as everyone else, instead of having things being made easier for them. “They need to work for it just as hard,” she emphasised.
Though she has never won the monarchy to date, Lady D has finished in third and fourth places in Calypso competitions, making her the most consistent woman Calypsonian. In 2010, her song “Stop This Brutality” came third at the Calypso Monarch Competition. In 2013, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time”, also saw her attain the third spot. She sang her way to fourth place with “Deh Ban Day” in 2014.
Lady D has also won several amateur singing competitions. Further, she finished in second place in a Ministry of Health sponsored jingle competition in 2003 on the topic of HIV/AIDS. In 2010, for the same competition, she copped the third place.
Although she is a songwriter, when it comes to penning her Calypsos, she leaves this up to Ssignal Productions producer Bonny Alves, owing to him being the expert in music as well as being up to date with social issues and trending topics.
However, Lady D has been writing her own songs for as long as she can remember, though they are usually Gospel or Soul, some of which she would sing in church or on other special occasions.
Coming from a home where her father always sang, though never publicly, and her mother was “a beautiful soprano” (she description), who was always singing at church, she quickly became passionate about music. The fourth of five children, she grew up in Lamaha Street, Newtown where life was filled with family, church and music.
Decades on, though no longer a city girl, life is almost the same, surrounding family, church and music. A mother of three boys, Lady D enthused that her sons are also musically inclined with her eldest, who is a police sergeant being a member of the police band while her youngest often accompanies her to special occasions where they perform as a duo.
Lady D feels strongly that artistes like herself should be given the opportunity to be all they are meant to be. “I feel that the monarch competitions should be run by an independent body instead of the government. But, if the ministry is to run it, then let some of the big sponsors have a hand in the decision making. Banks DIH is one of these sponsors. It shouldn’t be about the money alone, these sponsors should be more involved,” she stressed.
Additionally, she believes that the judges for the competition should be more au fait with the genre, the singers, melodies and lyrics of other songs so that they can pick up whether persons in the competition are copying past Calypsos. Some of the judges, she posited, are not even familiar with some of the names of the popular Calypsonians.
She said she has realised that some of the songs selected for the final were aired on the radio or social media prior to the competition, adding that this was never so back in the day – a song was first shared with the public when performed in the competition.
Currently, Lady D is working on several Gospel singles and hopes to have them released before the end of the year. She is also considering writing a Calypso/Gospel fusion piece in the future.
She is featured on the Ssignal Productions lovers’ rock album ‘Higher Level’ which is being sold at more than 400 digital retail stores in 100 countries.
Prior to the pandemic, Lady D was one of the regular performers at Ssignal Productions annual Emancipation Concert and was the official caterer for the event.
Competitions aside, Lady D who now resides in the West Demerara region is a caterer and operates a store with her husband at Upper Berbice. From time to time, she is hired to sing at special events.
To listen to some of her Calypsos, look up Dawn Lady D Edwards on the Sssignal Productions YouTube account. For bookings Lady D can be reached via Facebook at Dawn C Edwards Dickson or 686-5045.
