Terri Lyons says from a child, her father, SuperBlue has instilled the importance of being able to write lyrics. This lesson, she says, has resulted in her penning most of her songs, including her latest release, Hell Of A Night. "When we were younger, my father would give us paper and pen and tell us to write a verse," she said, adding that he never told them which genre of music they should stick to. "He just wanted us to write whatever came into our heads. Something personal, something that came from the heart," she said, because they were the only ones who would truly know what they felt inside. Maintaining the Trini vibe Lyons says her latest release is different and special, and says she worked hard on it.
"I really love to sing. I really love to try all different styles of music. I worked hard on this song- not hard like a lot of hours but it was really special to me and I think this is one of the songs...that I would like to push to get me to another level in my career." She said even though the song has elements of pop and dance music in it, she tried to maintain the Trini vibe here and there. "I don't pump my fist... but I'll put meh hand in the air," she said with a laugh. "If today or tomorrow the song turns out to be something bigger than what I'm even thinking, I will always keep that Trini element in it," she said. Lyons says she has received good feedback on the track. She says she has a soca single in the making with producer Kernel Roberts, is which she sings a bit more than usual, much like with Hell of A Night.
Soca hustle
On the issue of soca music and claims by many that the genre lacks dimension, Lyons agreed. She says younger artistes coming into the business need to understand that soca lyrics can address any topic of personal interest.
"Everybody thinks that if they go on stage and they don't see one person put their hand in the air, that means they weren't good, but they have to realise that some people like to relax and take in music-enjoy music. Dancing to soca isn't always about putting your hand in the air." She opined that soca music had been looked at as a hustle to purchase Range Rovers and other expensive cars for far too long. "A lot of them say they love the music and I'm not doubting that they do love it, but at the same time, their movements or their focus towards it, make it seem like they're only studying the money. It's just a hustle." She believes the competitive nature of the local Carnival structure adds to this mentality and the culture is being hindered from developing into something that the world can enjoy.
