Jah Vinci and NotNice call for more stage shows

Grammy-winning producer NotNice and veteran singer Jah Vinci are calling for an increase in local stage shows, with an aim to develop the stage performances, raw talents and authentic sounds of younger artistes especially.

The musicians, who opined that talent and creativity are still embedded in many Jamaican artistes, said most times it is not "put to the test" because most modern-day artistes depend heavily on technical tools to alter their sounds.

"Nuff a di show dem a dead out, wi need more local shows. Mi see dem have some likkle 'Unplug' and live acoustic [shows]. Yea man, wi need more a dat. It is important to sustain live music, because di youth dem fi know how fi deejay, too - live, and not just studio - and actually go out deh guh deliver properly," NotNice told THE STAR.

"Maybe 10 years from now this [new sound] from younger artistes a go become the norm, but my problem wid it doah is like, sometimes dem nuh fully learn. Dem just stay inna dem room, voice a song and it buss. Suh dem affi a figure it out on the road. Suh dem nuh have no stage performance, and dem affi a learn on di job," he added, while advising artistes to "practise on dem own time, try build dem voice and do some training".

In agreement, Jah Vinci stated that it takes plenty of practice for artistes to sound as good as they do on record.

"A no everybody into parties...people waah shows too. Yuh have people who wudda definitely put on dem clothes and seh, 'Yow, mi waah guh watch a Jah Vinci perform or a Beres Hammond', suh wi need more a dat fi sure," said the 'World Singer'.

Jah Vinci said the secret behind his longevity is deeper than just his musical gift as a singer.

"Talent a one, but ano everybody talent work for. It's good when yuh write songs weh people can relate to, and yuh affi have structure behind yuh," he said, adding that artistes also have to watch how they "deal wid people".

"Most a di man dem feel like dem just buss pon dem own, [but] somebody response fi dat - di fans, the producers and di people dem weh yuh interact with every day. Me is a people person and a dem ting deh mek yuh be a column in a di ting, man," he shared.

In that breath, the Heart Too Clean artiste said as a singer within a space mainly populated by deejays, he commands respect with his music.

"Mi just mek di music talk, to be honest, and a dat mi get mi respect outta. Because today dem wi seh 'yea' and tomorrow dem seh 'nay', and just true mi waah dem seh 'Yea, yea, yea', yuh affi just mek di music talk; and the ladies have been saying 'yea' over the past couple years now. Suh mi respect 'tall' out deh, man," Jah Vinci shared with a chuckle.

However, in a recent STAR interview, veteran promoter and former artiste manager Heavy D said the local musical market is now more interested in parties than stage shows.

"People don't want to be looking at a stage for five to six hours any more; dem want a hour or two outta di stage and den dem waah party. [So] the local market is now asking for one and two artistes per show. [Also, artistes] don't need to overexpose themselves in Jamaica because after a while, yuh affi stop and move along," he said.