Despite the absence of Crop Over as we know it, the island’s musicians have been keeping the thirst for normalcy quenched with some new releases. One of the latest artistes to drop a new track is Faith Callender.
Within the past week, the artiste dropped her new song Don’t Break Yet. The provocative track features Faith as we have never seen her before. She told Bajan Vibes her aim is for her music to say “I am strong, I am sexy, I am confident”, and admits she is not afraid to own every part of that.
The track was written by Pull D Trigga on The Paul P. Project and put together by Paul Parris. The riddim is produced by Ibezz, Saddis, DJ Ky and Paul Parris and additional production on the song was done by Dreadhawk Productions. It was recorded at Slam City Studios by Barry Barman Hill.
In explaining this new course, Faith said: “The more I grew as a person, the more my music grew with me, the more confident I became in who Faith Callender is. I was able to bring that out in my music unapologetically.
“I had to get comfortable with letting go of old habits and patterns to truly take charge of the growth and evolution that wanted to present itself in this current stage of my life.”
Faith believes female entertainers have a unique set of hurdles to face. “My biggest musical challenge would have to be understanding the personalities and pre-existing notions that surround the music industry – the idea of it being harder for females, the pressure that comes with ‘always having to look good’ and being judged based on appearance and not necessarily skill set.”
Getting to this point in her musical journey was pivotal, and she believes embracing a new sound was a must. “Yes, it is somewhat different to what people are accustomed to hearing from Faith. I’ve been searching for my ‘sound’ for quite some time and through some soul searching and quieting my surroundings, completely blocking out influences and reconnecting with my past, I was able to find something authentic to me, something that flows naturally and encompasses who Faith is. So, this will definitely be the direction that I will continue on.” She firmly believes her music is fun, sexy, confident and simply truer to who she is.
The entertainer’s main musical influences at the moment are Shenseea, Patrice Roberts, Spice, Hood Celebrity and Stefflon Don. Though she has ventured away from her traditional sound, her roots are still buried in soca.
“I believe this still falls under the soca category, of course, just with a slight dancehall influence. Just like we have Sweet Soca, Bashment Soca, Power Soca, this is just another sub-genre under the soca umbrella,” she says of her newest release.
The song has been in steady rotation since its release and she has received nothing but positive feedback. “The feedback for my new single Don’t Break Yet has been overwhelmingly amazing. The best part for me is people recognizing that it is ‘more me’ which has been expressed by so many.
“DJs, fans and followers all have been telling me how much they love the vibe, my vocals are strong, the topic is super relatable, and they love the confidence I exude on the track.”
In fact, of all her songs, this is her favourite one so far. “It represents the evolution of my artistry and the vibe is just correct,” she added with a laugh.
While some artistes struggle with the process of recording and production, that is not the case for Faith. “I do enjoy the process of both and have started to become more involved through expression of ideas of each process. My ultimate advice would be to work on personal development, don’t lose track of your true self amongst the noise, have a strong belief in your dreams and never, ever give up on them.”
The most challenging aspect about producing this particular release was getting the precise sound she wanted. “I wanted this release to be a complete representation of Faith Callender. I wanted it to be somewhat ‘perfect’, like the little perfectionist I am. So, I went back and forth, back and forth with the producers, songwriters and trusted friends to make sure the finished product was to that standard.”
Among her favourite artistes are Rihanna, Beyoncé, Buju Banton, Lauryn Hill and Chronixx. “They all are unapologetically themselves in their respective fields and you feel it through their music. Rihanna also stands out for me because she is an island girl with a strong belief and impeccable work ethic that held onto that belief and created success for herself that most believed was impossible.”
Faith’s career progression is paramount. “My plans are to continue to develop my sound and release music with or without a season in play and to push my brand beyond our borders and into international waters. I definitely have a whole heap of plans in the works for this new release. You can expect loads of fun and flirty content, pictures, videos, merchandise and some collaborations are on the way.”
The initial stages of the lockdown were especially hard for the performer. “At first, I struggled with the idea that major streams of income had been completely removed from my livelihood and was unmotivated to do much of anything for a couple of weeks.
“During that period however, it gave me the time to slow down and pay attention to other opportunities that surrounded me. I started my own Instagram concert series – Soca Lockdown, to help persons through what I was feeling in the beginning. I took up a graphics course and also added a non-traditional source of income to my life through the Money App. It was a complete reset of mindset for me.”
Faith is excited about the prospects that her musical career holds. “I am open to collaborating with anyone who is on a similar path as I am. Once the vibe is correct, I’m definitely down. If I had to choose at this particular point of my career, I would say Shenseea. Our vibes and audience are quite similar and that would be one HOT record,” she added with a beaming smile. (STT)
