Soca Artiste – By Kisean Joseph
Soca Artiste Concerned Rising
Soca artiste Tanzania Sebastian-Hector, known as Tizzy, said the high cost of producing quality music is shutting out young, upcoming artistes who lack financial backing.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview, Sebastian-Hector said a single song can cost thousands of US dollars to produce, before accounting for videos, graphics and promotional material needed to support each release.
“A good song can cost anywhere between 800 to 1,500 to 4,000 US, and that’s just the lyrics,” Sebastian said. “Now, somebody will tell you, okay, I will give you a $500 song. May not be as good as the $1,500 song. So, where are you getting the money as a young and upcoming artiste to be able to afford the quality of the song or the production that you deserve?”
Sebastian-Hector said the demands go beyond the studio, noting that modern releases require accompanying visuals for every track.
“It’s no longer that you release a song and that’s the end of that. You must release a song with graphics. You must release a song with video,” she said, adding that her second EP alone included nine songs requiring individual promotional support.
Travel adds further strain, she said, particularly for artistes without management or tour support covering transportation and accommodation abroad.
“If you leave now, you have to find somebody to pay to drive you, somebody to pay for where you’re staying,” Sebastian-Hector said. “All those costs are additional costs that you would not necessarily undertake if you’re in your own country.”
She credited a number of sponsors for helping to offset those costs, including during international travel.
Sebastian-Hector also addressed the physical demands of performing as one of few frontline vocalists in a band, saying artistes today are expected to carry entire sets alone.
“Now you’re the only frontline singer in a band and you’re performing for anywhere between 20 minutes, half an hour, hour, 45 minutes,” she said. “So you have to be physically fit and ready.”
On the state of the genre, Sebastian-Hector rejected the idea that good Soca music is a dying art form, saying the issue lies with airplay rather than a lack of quality material.
“It’s out there, it just needs to be played,” she said. “If you don’t play it, the people don’t know it… If you don’t feed them the music, then they have nothing to come and enjoy themselves with.”
She also pointed to her longstanding work introducing schoolchildren to Soca and carnival culture, dating back to around 2007, including past performances at local schools with a full live band.
