Music Around the World: Antigua & Barbuda

Our next Musical World Tour stop is the Caribbean island nation of Antigua & Barbuda. Made up of a total of ten islands (Antigua, Barbuda, Great Bird, Green, Long, Maiden, Prickly Pear, York Islands, and Redonda), this beautiful section of the Lesser Antilles has given the world some pretty good music despite its small population. My sorority big sister is from here, which gave me another reason to be excited to learn more about their music. Here's our usual information dump to get you quickly acquainted with the islands:

-Capital City: St. John's (located on Antigua)

-Official Languages: English (Antiguan & Barbuda Creole vernacular)

-Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, currently under the leadership of Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams, and Prime Minister Gaston Browne

-Colonized by Great Britain in ecame an associated state in February 1967, granted their independence from Great Britain and joined the Commonwealth in November 1981

-Land Area: 35 square miles (not included in world ranking)

-Population: 14,731 estimated as of 2018 (not included in world ranking)

-Religion: 22.7% Anglican, 19.4% Methodist, 10.5% Pentecostal, 8.3% Seventh Day Adventist, 7.1% Baptist, 6.8% Catholic, 4.9% Church of God, 1.1% Jehovah's Witness, 0.1% Plymouth Brethren, 0.2% Presbyterian, 4.5% no religious affiliation (as of 2011)

-Drive on the left side of the road

Antigua & Barbuda's music has a larger African influence than European as the population consists mainly of generations descended from West African people who were enslaved. They are also of course influenced by the other musical styles of their Caribbean neighbors, such as steeldrum (originated in Trinidad & Tobago and is one of my favorite percussion instruments because it just sounds so awesome), calypso (also from Trinidad & Tobago), soca (also Trinidad & Tobago), zouk (from the French Antilles), and reggae (from Jamaica). These musical styles brought me some really fun listening experiences this week, and I'm excited to share them with you as we go ahead and jump in to the music!

Feeling Good by Claudette Peters (composer unknown)

The "Soca Diva" Claudette Peters is a 41 year old singer/songwriter from Antigua who has been lead vocalist for the band Taxik, been awarded the Order of The Most Princely Heritage, as well as winning 9 Soca Monarch titles (the highest awards at the Antigua Carnival's soca competition) in her 19 year career. As a solo artist she has released 10 singles, with Feeling Good being released on the Soca Gold 2018 compilation album. When I saw the song title I couldn't hear anything but Michael Bublé's Feeling Good in my head, so the intense energy that came through the speakers immediately upon turning Peters' song on was unexpected but a ton of fun. I wasn't able to find a good transcription of the lyrics anywhere, but definitely give this song and others in her discography a listen.

Nobody Go Run Me by King Short Shirt (composer unknown)

Sir MacLean Emanuel, known as both King Short Shirt and Brother Emanuel, is known as Antigua's most successful calypso artist. At 79 years old, he has enjoyed a fifty-nine year carer in both calypso (pre-1997) and gospel music (1997-beyond after converting to Christianity). He received a knighthood from Antigua & Barbuda in 2014 for his contributions to the promotion of calypso music. He released 16 studio albums between 1973 and 2005, with Nobody Go Run Me being featured on his Ghetto Vibes album from 1976. I really enjoyed this song as well - I wasn't expecting trumpets on a calypso track for some reason but they add a super fun layer to the song. I couldn't find a reliable transcription of these lyrics either, but I absolutely recommend his music for a listen as well.

Samba De Unity by Roland Prince (composer unknown)

The late Roland Prince was an Antiguan jazz guitarist who enjoyed success both as a band leader and as a member of an ensemble. Though he passed away in 2016 at the age of 69, his music still lives on and I have to say, Samba De Unity was probably my favorite piece I listened to this week. Featured on his 1976 Color Vision album, this song gives off a little bit of elevator music vibes at first but the longer it goes on the more relaxing and meditative it gets. If you're a smooth jazz fan, I highly recommend giving him a listen.

Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee by Z Digital (written by N. Richards, W. Chambers)

Being a member of the Commonwealth includes having God Save the Queen as a country's royal anthem, but since Antigua & Barbuda is an independent nation, they also have their own national anthem in the form of Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee. Written in 1967 by Novelle Richards and Walter Garnet Picart Chambers, the song was adopted while the islands were still a British colony and then became the official national anthem upon gaining independence 14 years later.

Fair Antigua & Barbuda/We thy sons and daughters stand/Strong and firm in peace or danger/To safeguard our native land/We commit ourselves to building/A true nation, brave and free/Ever striving, ever seeking/Dwell in love and unity

As per usual, I hope you found some fun, interesting new music to listen to this week and that these songs help you imagine yourself on vacation at the beach. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!