Vincentian soca artiste Skinny Fabulous says he was “caught off guard” by the announcement in New York on Thursday that he is the 2024 Caribbean Music Awards’ “Artist of the Year Male (Soca)”.
He told iWitness News that in the emotion of the moment, he might have made inelegantly a point that he wants to get across to his fellow citizens: do not allow geographical size to limit your impact.
“I’m not sure I did a good job at making the point that I wanted to, because I was really caught off guard with that award. I really didn’t expect that one at all. So it never even crossed my mind as to what I’d say if I had gotten it,” he told iWitness News.
In winning the award, Skinny defeated some other big local and regional names, including Vincentian, Problem Child, and, among others, Trinidadians Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin.
Skinny, whose legal name is Gamal Doyle, also won:
- Song of the Year (Soca) (“Come Home” — Nailah Blackman & Skinny Fabulous)
- Collaboration of the Year (Soca) (along with Mr. Killa and Asa Bantan)
- Video of the Year (Soca) (“Come Home” — Nailah Blackman & Skinny Fabulous)
The Vincentian soca artiste had received the most nominations of a soca artiste in the awards, the results of which were announced in New York Thursday night.
Skinny, who is known for his strong lyrics and aggressive delivery style, had received six nominations, second only to Jamaican dancehall and reggae performer Dexta Daps, who got eight nods.
“What I was trying to say is that, typically, when you’re from a small village or community, or in this case, a small island like St. Vincent, sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to see yourself being successful or growing to a level beyond that geographical space,” Skinny told iWitness News.
He said that unlike places like New York where people are surrounded by success stories and the idea of opportunity, “in St. Vincent, … you have to adopt a certain mindset to see beyond the restrictions of the small island that you’re on.
“And so, what I was trying to say is that I was surrounded by people who believed in me, I believed in myself, and it paid off. … But I’m not sure if I got you to say it how I wanted to say it.”
He said that on the whole, the Caribbean has been struggling to get the recognition that it deserves globally in terms of its contribution to the musical landscape and influences on different cultures.
“But if you zoom in to the Caribbean itself, countries like St. Vincent, we also had our struggles with being recognised within the Caribbean, and how important we are to what the Caribbean music landscape looks like, particularly in soca music.”
Skinny said that struggle is slowly disappearing or has disappeared.
“I’d confidently say that we no longer have to fight for that recognition when it comes to an island that is doing major things every year.”
Skinny, who performs around the world, said that there was once a time at international parties when St. Vincent would not be mentioned when the emcee called out the names of Caribbean countries to see which ones were represented.
“St Vincent was always overlooked. And that is no longer the case because even if you don’t see a St Vincent flag in the crowd, which now you’re most likely to see, … the emcee has no choice but to recognise St. Vincent because if you’re talking about countries that have impact, you cannot go around the fact that we as a nation, St. Vincent, we’ve been contributing in a significant way to what Soca Music looks like over the last decade,” Skinny told iWitness News.
“And then when you zoom into St. Vincent now, I’m just extremely happy and honuored to be one of the flag bearers of Vincentian music and culture.”
He said that typically, awards such as the Caribbean Music Awards are dominated by the bigger islands, “like, you know, the Jamaica, the Trinidad, sometimes the Barbados.
“So it was just amazing to note that a tiny guy from a tiny island in a category filled with giants like Machel Montano and the Bunji Garlin and so forth, it’s typical that these guys would just take that category hands down.
“So I was just trying to say, ‘Man, yeah, you come from a tiny space where you kind of struggle for recognition. But you know, with the right work and the right confidence and belief in yourself, you could shine through any situation.’
“And even if it was a case that I didn’t actually get that award, I would have still been completely honored and humbled just being in the category of some of these giants, you know,” Skinny told iWitness News.