Although the public and especially her fans may be looking forward to her humorous side once again on the Calypso Monarch stage tonight, reigning Calypso Monarch Terri Lyons says she has more pressing issues to address.
“I know a lot of people were expecting me to come funny, but there are serious matters that have to be dealt with,” she told the Sunday Guardian.
In the composition with which she intends to defend her 2020 title against her 11 competitors in the climax to C2K23's calypso events, Lyons declared that she had taken part of her Calypso Monarch earnings and opened a house cleaning business and eventually calls for the entire nation to do some house cleaning. Titled after the very expression, “House Cleaning” is a direct warning to perpetrators and offenders involved in crimes from robberies to domestic violence and sexual abuse that Lyons and the community would no longer be tolerating their acts. She identifies various offences and rallies the community to send out the “bat signal” just like the one superhero Batman responds to and comes to the rescue of those in distress.
Pointing out that former calypsonian Watchman was her uncle, the calypsonian, soca entertainer and actress said she was reverting to the true role of the calypsonian and confronting the crimes and atrocities in this country head-on in the song written by Maria Bhola-Paul and herself.
“Some people say that I'm encouraging vigilante justice, but I'm not doing that. When you call the police for help, and you are in that present danger and let's say the police take an hour to reach, if the village could hold that person for that time until the police reach, it could help,” she said.
She said that the village could also be instrumental in helping to solve crimes by giving information, but many would be afraid because police stations and other authorities needed “cleaning”.
“So when I say house cleaning, it means that everywhere that is housing a particular group of people needs to be cleaned in order for our communities to be peaceful. You can't have a family member being a paedophile, and you know and once they're not touching your kids, you are OK.”
Reigning Calypso Monarch Terri Lyons
She said she was asking all hands to be on deck when it came to crime as all could be affected, adding that even if neighbours did not talk they could still look out for each other's children, especially. It was up to all members of society to clean their own houses, Lyons said. She said she had been affected by the recurrence of some of the issues she sings about in her calypso; some of which she had witnessed and others she had heard from people whom her foundation has been trying to help.
A powerhouse performer with a natural magnetism and command of the stage after her calypso and soca icon father Austin "Superblue" Lyons and soca star sister Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez, Lyons said for Dimanche Gras night, she wants the public to “just listen.”
As to retaining her title, she said her work was not centred on competitions and that she did not want to take the enjoyment out of the experience by focusing on winning. In 2020, when she captured the Calypso Monarch title, her approach was to deliver a good performance and enjoy it with little pressure, she shared.
She said she had even joked with some people that: I'm not afraid to lose. They could take my title, but they can't take my crown.
“After competition, my name has to live on,” she said, describing herself as an entertainer and a brand. She said she was concerned with creating music for longevity and was planning another I am Lion concert for later this year as her first held last November was successful. She also intends to work on bringing back calypsoes in fetes in the way Black Stalin and others' music used to be played.
She also took home the Queen of Queens Regional Female Calypso title at a competition held at Festival Village, Montserrat two weeks ago from a field of the top 10 female calypsonians in the Caribbean with her winning 2020 compositions “Obeah” and “Meghan My Dear”.
Following her 2020 Monarch triumph, her reign was extended due to restricted in-person activities during the pandemic, Lyons established the Terri Lyons Foundation as humanitarian work is close to her heart.
She has not stopped since. She said there were calypsonians in need but were ashamed to ask for assistance. Assistance did not necessarily mean a handout but a hand up or emotional support, she added. She also said some soca artistes were performing for free because of their passion or for the exposure as had happened to her in the past.
Lyons has also busied herself with preparations to launch an eyelash line complete with a branded merch box which can be used for accessories and trinkets in collaboration with Mink Wink. She will also be releasing a Terri Lyons clothing line after Carnival which will serve to embellish what people already have in their wardrobe.