With over 10 million views on YouTube for his hit song Bang Bim, MarzVille is looking to push soca music to the world. Now, with the release of his most recent song Life So Nice, there is no stopping him.
Speaking to Bajan Vibes recently, MarzVille, whose real name is Omar McQuilkin, said it seemed as though the coronavirus was going to get in the way of everything but he found a way around it.
“Dealing with the COVID and the social distancing made it hard to get out to do the video, so we had to wait on the right timing. When we had the ease of curfew, then we had to rush to finish everything. For the production side, we wanted things to be perfect, and that went well.”
He explained that Jason Shaft Bishop came to him with the song Life So Nice, which was not quite finished in 2019.
“He came to me one day and said he had the perfect song for me. I instantly fell in love with the song, so I put my flavour to it because it needed words. It was actually supposed to be released last year, but that did not happen and then this year, with all of the riots and corona, I thought this would be the perfect time to release the song.”
The song has over 4,000 views on YouTube and is number 16 on the number of songs available there by the soca artist. It takes a positive look at dealing with the coronavirus, protesting, riots and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Michael Knight and Peter Coppin were a part of the production team and organized the vocals and the rhythm.
“We wanted to do a music video which impacts what is going on now and still after this time. I would have worked with Danny Reid on the graphics and Scenes Entourage.” The song was written initially by Shaft and Angela Hunte along with MarzVille.
MarzVille added that one of his goals going forward is to help the world see that soca music has gone beyond what it is now and has a life all year long. The public can also look out for more songs from him, but he’s looking to gradually release them.
“For me, I am waiting to see how it goes. It would probably be other styles of soca but it is when, as I am trying to space out the music. I would look at bringing out three or four more releases for the course of the year.
“I want the artistes and the people to see that it is not just a seasonal music but that it can be released throughout the year. Soca music is not just about wukking up and jumping and waving but you can speak positivity in soca.”
Along with bringing soca to the world, MarzVille said that he may consider an album called MarzVille’s Greatest Hits but right now soca music albums don’t sell as well compared to other genres of music.
“At this point, I am just looking to provide good music that people enjoy.”
MarzVille said generally his challenges arise from a lack of support from the country as a whole and from people not supporting the artform.
Some of his proudest moments include travelling to Spain and Paris to perform. “These are places I never thought I would have travelled to, but I ended up going,” he said with a laugh.
He said other songs like Bang Bim could be expected. The father of six said that he may be looking to include his children in his music as some of them like singing. However, for now, he said he would ensure that they focus on their academics first. (MR)
