Richard Peters has big plans for Carnival 2012. The 44-year-old soca singer is aiming to enter not one, or two, but three of the biggest competitions for the season-The International Power, Groovy and Chutney Soca Monarchs.
Peters, a director at the eight-year-old Cascade-based production studio, NISE, says while he is aware that breaking through the soca scene as a new artiste may be a difficult task, he's more than ready for the challenge.
The performer, who goes by the stage name Richie Pete, recently released his five track CD, a collaborative effort with calypsonian Sister B, titled Road Stage. And although he admits that the feedback hasn't been what he had hoped for, he's not giving up that easily.
Attributing the lack-lustre reception to his tracks to a lack of support by local DJs, Peters says, "The soca industry has become so saturated and new and upcoming artistes aren't really given a fair chance." He adds, "DJs like to say that the problem they have with new artistes is that they are not coming up to scratch but I don't think all of us fall in that category. Hopefully some day the atmosphere that surrounds soca will change." Peters is confident, however, that once his songs do get "fair" airplay, "the people will love what they hear."
A powerful song
Peters may not be a household name in the soca world but when it comes to music and entertainment, he's been around for years-a decade to be exact. "In 2006, I was a soca ambassador in New York where I performed in outdoor concerts...The reception there was good," he revealed. This year, the artiste entered the Chutney Soca Monarch for the first time with a song called My Prime Minister and although he received "one of the warmest welcomes I ever got" he failed to make it past the preliminary round. But 2012, he believes, is his year to shine.
"I'm sure I'm going to get through this time because I have a powerful song," he told the T&T Guardian. That song is called Chutney Festival and was penned by Nigel Smith. For the upcoming Power Soca Monarch Competition, Peters hopes to get the judges attention with the CD's signature track, Road Stage.
"I'm still deciding which song to perform to enter the Groovy," he noted. "I have a suspicion though that the Soca Monarch will have the magnificent 12. "I say this because the same people get in every year. You could almost close your eyes and say 'Yes he's in, she's in.' The rest of us will have to grapple for the last few spots," says Peters, who adds that the $2 million first prize was "not at all" a motivating factor to enter the much-talked about competition. "It's not about the money. I just love performing and if I happen to get paid $2 million for doing it, well, OK then!" he said.