Nadia Batson on Writing Timeless Soca, Owning Her Artform & Building Her Own Table

In this episode of The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit with one of Trinidad & Tobago’s most respected and intentional soca artists — Nadia Batson.
Nadia opens up about her creative philosophy, explaining why she refuses to compete with her past hits and how trusting her instincts has led to songs like “Pieces” taking over TikTok and Carnival stages across the Caribbean. We dive deep into her songwriting process, the importance of knowing your audience, and how confidence — not pressure — fuels longevity.
The conversation also explores:
​How “Pieces” became a regional anthem
​Writing songs without music and trusting melody instinct
​Stage nerves, performance dominance, and vulnerability
​Building Art Form to reclaim creative control
​The realities of Carnival performance, vocal strain, and technology
​Why Nadia believes in building your own table in the industry
​Her journey from background vocalist to frontline artist
​The balance between artistry, business, and authenticity
This is a masterclass in creative confidence, Caribbean music culture, and sustainable artistry — straight from someone who’s lived it.
🎙️ Click the link in my bio for the full episode#coriesheppardpodcast

Transcript

Warm Welcome And Setting The Tone

Corie 0:01

Welcome to the Curry Shopper Podcast. Welcome back to everybody who's been listening. Today I have somebody else telling before we start how much alcohol they caused me to consume over the years. You know what I mean? And then they say they're drinking non-alcoholic beverages. Nadi. Are you pretty good? I am great.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

How are you?

Corie 0:18

I am good. I am good. Yeah, I complained as well. It's a pleasure to have you here.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Yes, thank you.

Corie 0:22

Like people who listen to this podcast for a long time know that you're one of my favorite soccer artists of all time. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

Corie 0:29

So we have some time to get to the bottom of why, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Yes, of course.

Corie 0:32

But let me start now. Every every time, and I see many people telling this in interviews before well. Every time I feel I have a favorite.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Uh-huh. Yes.

Corie 0:41

I see many interviews of people telling that.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Yes, yes. Every year, people always say, every time I think you can't top what you do last year, yeah, this come and top it. Oh gosh, girl.

Corie 0:52

So we didn't do it, right? It's only two million life, and you're just bringing them in and sending all the time.

Topping Yourself Vs Creative Freedom

SPEAKER_01 0:57

You know what? You know what it is for me? I actually don't compete. Um, and I don't put that pressure on myself at all. Because anytime you try saying, Oh gosh, I need to have a song that could top the one I do last year. Listen, that will restrict me so much creatively. So I tend to not do that. All I base a good song on is if I like it. If I like it, because I know my audience very well. Okay. If I like it, they're gonna like it.

Corie 1:22

Also, no pressure is a real thing, then.

Writing “Pieces” And Viral Liftoff

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah, yeah, you can't put a pressure on yourself. You can't, you can't. So pieces. Uh-huh. How are we going? Listen, listen. I, well, it's so funny with pieces, right? Because I mean, I always have this kind of witty way I like to write. Um, because like I said, I know my audience, so I know the style of pen that they love the most. Um, but with pieces, I was chuckling while I was writing it. When I got the line, what is only what I have. I started to laugh, right? And of course I knew I knew that would have been the line that they pick up and and they ran with. But honestly, I know I say this all the time, but I I knew they would like pieces, but I didn't think that they would like love pieces like this, like to the point where it's like a takeover TikTok and not just Trini TikTok, it's all over the Caribbean now. Yeah, um, I see people um using the audio from from Barbados and Vincent, Guyana everywhere, you know. Um, and these things really make me feel really good too, right? So is the they're talking about thousands, yeah, thousands of videos. Um, so I knew, like I said, I knew they would like it, but I didn't think they would like to.

First Performances And Crowd Reactions

Corie 2:39

Yeah, response online is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

It's insane.

Corie 2:41

What's it like when you're doing it the first time, when you're performing the first time, the response immediate?

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Because it's such a fun song and I could have fun with it on stage, it translates every single time. Yeah, yeah. So all of the events that I've done so far for um the carnival season, most times I say in the other day, I say I always get on course, especially if I and if I end, depending on what song I end with, they always start to say pieces, give me what more pieces, pieces. So um it's it's fun performing it live. Um, so I enjoy it.

Corie 3:15

So it's standing out in the catalogue around it. Absolutely, yeah. One of my favorites are real problems with it as I write up. I don't want to go through line by line by line because it is only one and half, only one and a half thing. It was one of my first problems. It's not good, eh? And in the little few facts I went already, uh-huh, the response is amazing. From the time they start to announce you, and people know you're coming, it's pieces, like if you ain't sing nothing else before. But this kind of thing where you say you have something to give me, right? You give is what you said, right? So if you're giving me something now, where you're gonna need it back for?

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Well, let me tell you I was going to give you, yeah, but then I realize you want to have a line here. So I give it here. I want to give you something, baby, but I gotta get something.

Corie 4:13

And they say, don't bring it back in pieces. But let me tell you my little bit of experience in this life. The few things I take from people are married now, they're long, long, long, long time.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

Right, right.

Corie 4:23

When me rough it up, somebody else can pick back up the pieces and you see this pieces thing. Somebody picking up the pieces when you leave no pieces.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

No, they can rough up a little bit, but don't overdo it, don't overdo it, don't overdo it, don't overdo it. Up and I'm done and I's side and I twist on a left and a right, don't overdo it. That's about it. Yeah, don't don't overdo it.

Corie 4:41

All right, the thoughts, views, and opinions and that yeah, but not necessarily now, but bad, bad, bad, bad. So I was telling free tongue early last year that I feel like their song was gonna be one of the songs of the year. I feel like this piece is it, but I didn't see people respond to it. And it's a good year for music too.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Absolutely. The music bubble is everybody pencil sharpening. Ooh. Wow, you know, and I always I'm like you, because I am a fan of such a fan of the music and such a fan of songwriting, so that the moment I hear a song, that's the first thing I run to just dissect like all of the lyrics, and you see, like how you mentioned there just now, saying, I want to give you something, that's something that I thought of when I was so I know that you're alright. Yeah, because that would go over a lot of people's heads. So for me, while we were recording, I was telling George, I say, I want to give you something, and then I say, I don't bring it back. So I could get but I gotta get back is what I have, you know. But everybody pencil sharpened this.

Bookings, Catalog, And Building Art Form

Corie 5:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a beautiful year overall. But congrats on it, congrats on all these successes with the continued success as well. Thank you. So, you in all the fets, your bookings. I was looking at uh uh interview with yourself and Joel Villafana. Salute to Joel. Great, great interview from back in the day. Yeah, right. And you were talking about early days of being nervous to go on stage and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Still the case, you're still but you know what? I um I tend to just channel news. Like, I don't even understand how an artist could not get nervous before they go on stage because you're so naked. Um, because this is your work, this is your art, and you know, you're you're you're vulnerable. It is like you're literally standing naked in front of thousands of people. So I could never understand how people just be like, yeah, you guys, you know, for me. Now, the moment I hit the stage, there's a whole different scene.

Corie 6:32

All right, well, you just call this stage. The stage is when you reach with the people seeing you. Because I see you walking at Mike backstage in some of your Instagram clips. You don't look concerned.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

No, you can't let people know you're nervous, but you know what I mean? But I still definitely get. But the good thing is, like I said, I just know how to channel that nervousness. Um, so that when I get out on stage now, you know, I could turn that into dominance.

Corie 6:54

Dominance is a good way, yeah. Dominance is a good way. I was taking in Treasure Show. Uh-huh. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dominance, right? Uh some of those other songs I want to get back to, but they have one question I'm waiting to ask you for a long time, right? Because last year, when I really started this podcast and doing interviews, right? I keep telling people, I'm missing Nadia.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Uh-huh.

Corie 7:16

Nadia missing out of the carnival. Because I found that I was going to a lot of the fets that I would go to, I would typically see in and I wasn't seeing it.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

Right.

Corie 7:25

And like I say, it's favorite upon favorite upon favorite, right? But you're always put me in a position, right? I'd tell you a long story.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

Yeah, sure.

Corie 7:31

You know dancehall music, right? You come in your dancehole, people and them guys into, you know what I mean? So Jamaican dancehole music and rhythms is a thing you had to be careful with as a man.

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Right.

Corie 7:40

Because you might be singing vitamin S, right? So you say, girl, I call up the phone and the to-day. And then all of a sudden you sort of say, no, no, it's some gala study.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Yeah, right.

Corie 7:49

Dynamite part to sing. Right. Your songs just do that to people all the time, right? Because you are a man singing. Oh, my bad, look, I sketch myself all the time. I shouldn't put that out. No, it's not fine. It's not fine. It's not fine. And it's Dr. Villa fan, I say you'd be balling fat and things too. But you spoke in them positions all the time. But somebody, again, writing, the the the when you're talking about your cooler, your descriptive writing in that cooler song. I retire from only big fets now. Where cooler fits is my thing. At my big age, I only go in cooler fit. And that writing sum up exactly what it's like to be doing a cooler fit. And so is I'd be excited to come and see you perform them songs in them spaces. But last year I was one of them. I said, But where are you going? And my question really is with a catalogue like yours and everything that you've done, and I always wonder how come so music is like this. Why is it that if you do have pieces, you're not in OnlyFit?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

The thing about it is I have that's not even that's not even an issue for me anymore because I have literally built my own table. That's one of the reasons why we started doing art form. Um, because I know I have a really, really strong catalogue of music. So for me, I couldn't deal with I have to have a big tune every year, or else I'm not gonna be in the event. Yeah, the pressure will come. So for me, we started doing art form, and it started off really, really small. The first two two that we did a few years ago, they were at Estate 101. Um, and it's just been growing and growing, and and with that type of stage now, I'm able to do all of the favorites that people love so much. Like that uh cool laffet was one of my favorite songs, right? That song is 11 years old now. Is it 11 years old? 20, 15.

Corie 9:31

We cut that old. We can't be reaching though.

Nerves, Vulnerability, And Stage Dominance

SPEAKER_01 9:34

Yeah, seriously, and that's a brand new forever music, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um, I'm able now to really dig in and do all of the various because even when you're in the fets too, you literally just had to do whatever you're running and running. Everybody's just girl, 20 minutes, you're running and running. Most times I come off stage. By the time I get home and I check in socials, people say, Nadie, oh gosh, you was too short on stage. But um that's just how it is with with soca events, it's a kind of quick fix type of situation. And you know, we run in, we run out. But that's why having our own concerts so that we could present your full body of work is so important.

Corie 10:18

So deliberate, how you went about doing that? I guess the name art form and everything too.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Absolutely, yeah, absolutely.

Corie 10:22

Uh, you're conscious about giving other art. It's the same space in your in art form, or you we try to.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

So art form is primarily um about showcasing my art.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Um, and I do have the support of a lot of my favorite people in in the industry. I personally I understand because I understand how carnival is too, and the artists understand that as well. So it's not a situation where people expect that in someone else's concert they're gonna see another artist performing for half an hour and 45 minutes. They know they come in on to basically say. You know what I mean? Um, and that's just that that's that's just how it is. What I tend to do though with art form, um, a really important factor in the show that we introduced a few years ago is having um like a pre-show where we feature a lot of emerging acts too, and people always come out for it. It's not like they say, Oh god, who went on there first and then they wait for Nadia show? No, they come, they cut they're there, they're they're early, and they support like upcoming artists, you know, emerging artists as well. So I make sure and give them their space. That's very important to me.

Corie 11:36

Gotcha. So you say it's not not putting any pressure on yourself as an artist. I always wonder from a business standpoint now, doing the show, how much pressure that is. Because I remember seeing you in Tobago, he was emotional after the show. You're really dedicated to what your fans um experience.

Where Was Nadia Last Carnival

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Honestly, I am really, really true to this. You know, this is not like I always say my personality and the way that I approach my work is not an accessory that I take on and off when I leave the house. Nadi is Nadi all the time. I don't have no intention of on lying to my fan base at all. And I feel as though they see that because they could feel it. So when I am happy, I express it. Um, and people could feel that. When I am sad, I just cry. Everybody, well, God, Naddy could cry. But I'm just so this thing is be so like right under the skin for me. And I and I'm very, very passionate about what I do. Um, because I have had a long journey and it was not like a regular, you know. So I know how much I worked to do, you know, and get where I have to get and do what I have to do. So those things are really, really important.

Corie 12:46

Yeah, Zafan, I appreciate it. Like, I want to get back to how the origins or where that came from and some of that journey.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah.

Corie 12:52

But I had to tell you about the emotions and where we connect because I started during COVID, you know. Uh-huh. And about a few weeks into my podcast must be about episode five. I bunged up something called Yellow Call TV. It is one of my favorite things and never miss an episode. It's your love, yeah? Every week, we show.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yes, yes. And people listen to be vexed with Lisha and I say, come now, man, or they had to break it up. Yes, Lutalana and Miss Alicia. Absolutely. You know what? We we recognized how huge Yellow Cow was when we stopped it doing yellow cow. I knew how big it was because it was during the pandemic, and of course, it um it allowed people to not only see a different side of me, of us, um, but we also just kept the audience entertained while people were home and whatever. So they really, really appreciated it. When I started back touring, I remember the first show, one one of the first shows that I did outside of Trinidad when we were able to start back performing outside. And we did the show in um in DC. The people came to that event in Yellow Cow. Oh, nice merch. Beautiful, no shit jam. Listen, no shit jam, yellow cow TV. I am do I did this, um, I did like a meet and greet afterwards. There were people crying and asking her, please take yellow cow. Oh my gosh, we enjoy yellow cow so much. And I'm telling Alicia, I say, yo, people really like we understand, we don't set our shit talk. We always and let me tell you, that thing started, it just was so organic with us because that's how Alicia and Lana and I all the time. Alicia's one of the funniest people on the planet. Like, Alicia's have my belly in stitches all the time, right? And I was like, I used to joke around and tell her we need to film this as a girl. We had to film people that don't know you really like Chicano. And we just started it, you know, and um, and and people just really, really fell in love with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I fall in love with it.

Corie 14:45

Like, if they go back, no, why you make comments every week? I think it's the first time for us, like as fans, right, to get to see artists interact.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Right.

Corie 14:53

Because there were a few of them episodes where I can't imagine what happened before the all the press plays.

Why Curate Your Own Show

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Listen to me. One of the reasons why, and I always tell, because I said this many times before, one of the reasons why we can't do or it's a little challenging to do yellow colour now, is because of the fact that I used to insist on editing it. Because love is. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. During the pandemic was really good to me. I was able to, because people is be like they were home. I was home, home for a year and a half. Like I did not even add no outside, nothing. And I remember I just taught myself just basic stuff in like final cut, and I was like, hmm, all right. I remember basic stuff, nice on to the point where it started looking that. But because the couch, that yellow cow couch, was so comfortable. People talking okay. I swear we had one or two instances where artists would call us the next day and be like, not you know, the part where I talk about, sorry, you could take it at all. I say, yeah, no, we're not alone. And I'm like, I was always cool because I always respected everybody and you know what they want us discuss. So so that was one of the reasons why, like now, because I'm kind of full-fledged back into and everybody only moved to the moment, yes, so it's kind of difficult for us to really do yellow cows, yeah.

Corie 16:23

It was a moment, you know what's funny like 2026 here. The clip of ding dong going viral again, still every single time, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Still, still, that was one of the funniest episodes.

Corie 16:34

It was, it was, it was, it was, it was.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Um, um, um, Ake Man Salty, that was hilarious. Um, Aki moment um Farmer.

Corie 16:41

Listen, you and Farmer together should do a sit cup.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

It's so funny.

Corie 16:47

We get a little bit of a backstory last weekend, David from Yellow Cow TV. A little bit. We hear about our before and after. Wonder who you go get them yet. You go get a little bit of a backstory. No, but thanks for doing that. I mean, it's again a little bit of a glimpse into what artists really live like. And yes, I agree with you that Mr. Lisha, you know, I used to look forward to when it starts, when we'll listen.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie 17:11

I can't do that for what at all.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

We keep saying that we just need to do like just some random pop-up one, just you know, and just send us. I guess that might be the best thing to do.

Corie 17:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll be looking forward to that. Yeah, so your name came up here even before this last one about yellow call a long, long time ago when Casey Phillips was here talking about Antilles Riddle and MT. So that was some of your earliest days. But I want to go even before then because I'm a son is helping do research, right? He's 30. Nadi fan too. He said autograph, anything you could get, he take it. Could you go and sell it? Yeah, the hustler, you know. That young upcoming hustler. Yeah, you know. But when anything you say, he said, but that who is Nadia Batson's silhouette?

Emerging Artists And The Pre-Show Platform

SPEAKER_01 17:51

So, silhouette, I um I was part of um a group um when I was a teenager, and um we entered party time and we won party time in um 1995. And that's actually how we became recognized as vocalists, and then so artists started calling us to do background vocals. So it was after it was actually off of um that party time run. So again, come from KMC and I won, Marshall, and now we were like, um, but that's actually where um my career really started because I was always part of the very well-oiled machine behind the scenes, doing background vocals. Um, and then in my friend group, I used to write songs. Michelle Sylvester's a very good friend of mine. She was like, Naz, I need a song. All right, I'll try the writing, whatever. Um, but that's that's kind of where it started. Kes and I knew each other as well from bouncing around in studios. Like I said, we were so young that we were in studios here, there, everywhere. And um after after that background vocals run when I was approached by Kess to join Kest the Band, um, that was at the end of 2005, and I officially became a member like in late 2005, beginning of 2007.

Corie 19:11

But that was really a song 20 years ago. So when you talk about writing song and stuff, where that started for you in the school days you're writing on it?

SPEAKER_01 19:18

For my mom. My mom is a writer. My mom is a writer, um she would write uh like short stories and poems, children's stories. Um, and she's a drama tutor as well. So uh, and she would always tell people that I could read from like the age of three. So I would sit next to her, pick up her papers, and I'm reading full articles, and then I started just sitting next to her and writing, kind of just emulating whatever it is she was doing. Um but the singing part of it came I wanna say before the writing, but I'm professionally um because I went to St. Joseph T M L. I started off singing casitas, by the way. So I don't know if people know it. TML is the Muslim school on the main road there. Yeah. So my first exposure to singing was singing casitas. She likes Muslim ballads. So I started off singing now, right? That was my first exposure to singing. And then when I went to St. George's College, of course, we started developing that craft and whatever. But that kind of taking that professionally became came before the songwriting.

Corie 20:28

I see. So at that time, when you're coming out of that, you're starting to sing what? Just covers and that kind of thing?

Emotion, Authenticity, And Fan Trust

SPEAKER_01 20:33

Just covers. I don't think I had the confidence as a songwriter just yet. Like I said, I used to just write if my friends want something. Right, if my friends want something. But I think when uh Michelle started um uh being successful as a soca artist, too. I was like, because people started, I was like, who writing this, who writing Naddy? Yeah. Now you're right. And then um I started getting calls from not just art artists in Trinidad, through the Caribbean as well. I wrote um a song called Flames for Shabi, they're out of Barbados. They won Road March in what year was that? I don't want to lie, so I don't want to say it was from like 2006, I want to think. Um Tizzy Expose. Um you know, uh I saw I just uh started getting calls to to work with artists throughout the Caribbean um as a songwriter. But I still really wasn't on the forefront. Like I was always kind of like behind the seats. You need background vocals or you need a tune? Paul Nadi. You know? Um and I I became consistent with being on the forefront when I joined KESS.

Corie 22:00

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

I that's when I was like frontline. Yeah, you know?

Corie 22:04

I hear you tell a story saying when you join KES, you still want to sing any back in the back.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

I was still, I was, I took a while to get used to that. Um, and if I'm being all the way honest, I think I am, I want to say this may sound funny, but like I think I'm now comfortable in that space. I, if you look at the way that I perform now, the songs that I sing, the way I deliver, is like a completely different artist from 10 years ago. Um because it came with time, because I was so used to always just being in the background. And then I didn't really have the confidence needed to really be in the front. Um, so it took a while. Yeah, it took a while for me to really understand. Hey, Miss Lady, if you're in the front, you gotta be in the front. You know what I mean? So, and I developed that skill over time.

Yellow Cow TV: Origin And Impact

Corie 22:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah. As with most things, right? Yeah, yeah. So those early days when you're starting to write, and you're answering a lot of questions from me here because I always wondered how you're able to write. Like, I feel like a lot of your songs are jumping in midway in a story. If I could put it like that.

SPEAKER_04 23:12

Right?

Corie 23:12

Like when you say the mistake all you make is we could bring you a drink. So it looks like we were talking already.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

So, so, so that I I try to be as relatable as possible, and I feel like that's what makes my songwriting successful because I find we should song like we all the time. I find like this is we thing. I just want, hey, look who I thought you went foreign. That's how that's us. Um, so people could relate to it, they could understand that. So it's like that's one of the reasons why I tend to write like that. Because I feel as though it just represents us and it is very, very relatable. Got you.

Corie 23:54

So when Casey was one of the favorite things people have coming out of the spot, guys is the Antilles Rhythm. They like to talk about it all the time. They let you know that that was the best ever. Ever. And Shiver was his song then? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

So you're Shiver was his song.

Corie 24:06

Well, how it came about.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

So Casey and I are really, really good friends. We call each other brother and sister, actually, because um he put me on that rhythm, and um Casey was very young when that rhythm came out as well. And there's Marshall um Cowen.

Corie 24:25

Yeah, um.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Casey was like, nah. Opinion is like, all right. And I was like, all right, alright. With Marshall and Cohen, I think.

Corie 24:37

Alright, all right, all right, all right, cool. So before that, as your first entrance uh uh kind of mainstream with them like that.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Um I want to say yes. Um you have to understand something about me. I am very, I still get really excited for things that people is brush off. So like I look at things as such an opportunity, um, and I still do that up to this day, even though people look at me as like Nadia Batson. I am still very, if I have an opportunity to do something um with or work with somebody or have my name alongside someone who I respect a lot, is a big deal for me. Um so at that time I was like, because I used to do at that time a lot of background vocals. So just being on on that rhythm, which to me is still one of the greatest rhythms, if not the greatest rhythm. Oh, you find so simple, but absolutely 100%. Listen, earth and owls became a household name over that believing in your in your eyes, too long. So long, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Um, and um, I remember a few years after that rhythm came out, too. So many rhythms started sounding and all this sonically, we started sounding, and that's a good thing. That's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Sounding like that, like the Antonies. It was it was like a huge moment.

Corie 26:03

Yeah, you remember first, like even up and up to know. Up to now.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Fun fact so that what we say that I do, I attribute that to Casey. That's that's uh that's something I did as an ad lib somewhere down in the song in um in um Shiver, and Casey was like, I put this in the front, huh? He but he took the ad lib and he put it in front. And up to this day, I still can't sing no song without hearing what we sing. We're looking for it. The other day, here I went on um TikTok and I said, Oh, yeah, I really said saying what we say, you know. You have to say what we say, all we're gonna know is you. What do you mean you can hear me? Nah, they want that what we say.

Corie 26:45

I done tell him, David, to ask for that for the drop to promote the episode already, in it.

unknown 26:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie 26:51

So that was the origin of it. So you hear the rhythm first and you come up with shiva, or what you had it written on that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

No, no, no. I heard the rhythm and then I I came up with shiva.

Corie 26:59

But I said they say as well that you could come up with this song before absolutely, out of thin air.

Early Days: Silhouette To KES

SPEAKER_01 27:04

There are many musicians who um often ask me if I play some form of instrument because they're always like, Nadie, how do you sit down and get these melodies? Like a lot of writers tend to need to have music. Me, I will just sit down home. One of one of my favorite songs that I wrote that I didn't write with a lick of music was Technically for Farmer and Desh. I wrote that with no, no music at all. Nothing. That was me getting up in the morning, sitting down in my living room, and got this, that idea, and that was that. Um, and I could still very I and I still practice doing that because now it has changed so much that now every beeping of people always send um rhythm still. But just in order to keep that part of my songwriting sharp, I would tend to still try to write songs without any music. Oh, usually absolutely for sure.

Corie 28:00

That's a hell of a song to come up with from zero.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

That's why they they they ask if I play. And I'm like, no, I don't play at all. So we used to do just hear melodies and yeah, my friends will call me Melody Queen. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love her melody, boy. What? Yeah, I love her sweet melody. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

Corie 28:19

Uh so sure, when's the first time you're audience hearing yourself bubbling on rhythms, playing and fets on that?

SPEAKER_01 28:23

I don't want to say I've I'll be lying if I say I remember, but I think it was one of the biggest at that time. Right, right. Because before Shiva, I had big songs before. I had Caribbean Girl. Caribbean Girl is before Shiver. Yes. Caribbean Girl, let me give you another fun fact. Caribbean Girl was um one of the those, well, the song that practically launched my career, and it wasn't written for me. I wrote that song for Alison Hines. That song was written for Alison Hines. And Alison knows about it?

Corie 28:53

She knows about it.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She knows. We talk about it all the time. We talk about it all the time. That's my girl. Um, but the business side of it, we just couldn't work it, work out the business side of it. And I remember I went home that night after we had the meeting. I was like, you know what? I really like this song, you know. I feel I just gonna sing this on myself, yes? And that's the song that ended up launching my career. Yes, a hundred percent.

Corie 29:18

Well, I guess nobody hears it. I mean, I can understand how you're writing that for Alice.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Yeah, it was written. It was written. It didn't used to start with you bring out the training. The first line was you bring out the bee John in bed. That was the first line of the song.

Corie 29:31

That was the first song we had missing like a woman's words. Until I could talk my mind. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I guess I can understand. So I had songs before Shiver, but in terms of like rhythms, like big rhythms, I did one or two rhythms, but absolutely at that time, that Antilly's rhythm was the biggest rhythm that I had been on.

Corie 29:52

Yeah, I guess it was early days for the rhythm thing too. Sure. You know what I mean? It was a big beats. But um, so that response when you're hearing songs on radio, you have that moment when you hear your song on the radio for the first time.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

Yeah, I don't take anything for granted, right? That's something about me. I don't take anything for granted. Like to the point where I always say I am now feeling comfortable in knowing and accepting that I am Nadia Battery.

Corie 30:21

Yeah, that's a surprise.

Learning To Frontline And Find Voice

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Um, and I'm not sure exactly why. I don't know if it's because my journey, I've always I took such a long time to get here. Um, and so I have a different appreciation for everything. I understand what it's like to put a song out and not have it be played. I understand what it's like to have a song on a rhythm and all the other songs on the rhythm playing. And eh, you know, I I understand what it's like to not be called for fets. I understand, I understand these things. So you'll find that the appreciation that I have for every single thing that happens to and for me in my career now, I never, ever, ever, ever take it for granted. And like I said, when I on um on stage in in art form, sometimes when I stand up and I look at look out at how many people in the audience that and all could get me teary-eyed because I start thinking about when we first did the show and we had like 200 people in the audience, and you know, so things like that. I just I am really um uh appreciative of things like that. That's 100%.

Corie 31:33

That shows 100%. I hear you say that is so long that it was completely I think it's so long, but because I guess in a fan mind used on a bigger decade, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:45

No, I had I had I've had many hits along the way, um, sporadic things here and there. So, like sometimes I would have a manager and then next year or two years, yeah, nothing major. But I feel like it's only within the last I want to say since catching feelings in 2018 that I have been so um considered like like a huge name. And even even a situation like this, right? Like for me, like George and I were discussing this the other day, I am still so in awe and somewhat disbelief sometimes. Like when I think of the my name calling in certain conversations, like now when I see people discussing best performers in Trinidad and Naddy name calling, or best dressed, or best songs, or like these things they still be for me, they still be like, what I listen, Corey. I don't take anything at all for granted, yeah like nothing, nothing, nothing at all. And I always say it's big people we do, you know, people who have bills and training to kind of do feel people so for people to take the time and show appreciation to it, that's a big deal. Yeah, it is. I mean, this is a big deal, yeah. You know, for people to turn on their camera and say, Oh, yeah, all they had to do. This is people who have who life life in while while all of the so I take those things seriously.

Corie 33:26

You see why you can't write no song, David? Because if I write on some of them thing when you put on paper, I gotta be the most arrogant man.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Nah, that's not me at all. You know what? And it's so crazy. Like, I um I always used to think that in order to be an artist um or to be in a position of leadership too, because I'm a band leader as well, and you know, I wear so many different caps. I always used to feel like, yeah, like I had to be a little more arrogant. And I honestly, it's just not in me. Um, and people, and I'm especially my team, they know and respect me so much that I don't have to be like that. They understand, like, because I could be very, very fair. People know when I joke and I joking, but when I'm working, I'm working. Um, but I've never been like bitchy or like feel as though I need to, you know, I na you for me. I'm not, I am not that girl at all. Not at all. And my father tells me sometimes here, you is the most non-celebrity celebrity I ever see, ever in life.

SPEAKER_04 34:36

I like it.

Corie 34:37

In life, I like it, I like it.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

But it's just me, you know, and I I really, really can't change that about you.

Corie 34:41

Yeah, being true to yourself just more comfortable. I'm always true to myself, yeah, just more comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

The thing with but it has its um, it has its cons, yeah, because some people feel as though because of that they can try, you know.

Corie 34:53

Until I just want to let people know that I see in the face a little expression change here and all getting nervous when they say until you move forward. Let me advise that. But I remember hearing you say that your team here was unprepared for that year when you do so long an NCO.

Antilles Riddim, “Shiver,” And The “What We Say” Tag

SPEAKER_01 35:08

In terms of the bookings, the how much work that was you know you talk about each pinpoint, that was such a pivotal moment in my career. So I'll tell you in retrospect, I wasn't ready for that as yet. That happened exactly when it was supposed to happen, and I'll tell you why. I had um, I remember for years I had fibroids, this is personal issues here now, and I was so frightened to do this surgery. I was like, Lord have mercy, me. I know if I want a thing, and I bite pain so on stage for so long, but when it became problematic and I couldn't go any further, I was like, nah, I have to I have to do this surgery now, and we planned ahead, so I filmed the video for so long because I knew that I would have to be in recovery. I remember when when the video came out, I think I go home, my mother and aunt have been coming up and helping me around and all kind of thing because I am watching people going crazy all over the song, but I would not have been able to handle how enormous that song was and what was expected of me physically if I didn't do that surgery, I would not have been able to do it. So that year when I did when I did the surgery in um 2018, 2019, I was ready by the time I heal up on time go time, go time, it was go time, and I was like, I was ready to go. I was not in pain anymore. I could uh do everything that I had to do, whatever was expected of me physically to do because I had never experienced because I had hit songs before, but nothing on that level, nothing, I didn't even know it had so much money. I didn't even know it had shows in in China Advocate. Well, like, listen to me. I was like, all this thing coming out. Um, but I was ready and I was prepared for it, you know, and I was able, I was able to do it because of the fact that you know, how give the way in which that that's a divine time. I guess it is it just happened that way, you know.

Corie 37:52

Two things I want to ask you about that. One but you know, he has a line, man now, right? He was been studying here, right? And because you see that little line you say, look how things that happen now. Because yeah, out of everything else. Wait, Georgie.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Yeah, Georgie didn't like that line, no. Oh, you didn't like it? No, no, he didn't like it. I wanted Georgie, where you he didn't like it, he didn't like it. He was like, Look how thing that's happened. I said, Boy, that's how we just talk, boy. Him, look how things happen. Uh I ain't sure about that line, you know. But when I show about something, you can't really, you can't really um throw me off, you know. I was sure about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie 38:28

Like I listened to it and I was like, I wonder if she's just along with like slangs and things, you know, things people say and just piece it together.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

It just flow. It's just based on the on the topic, you know, and it it just flows. It just flows. But um, but I I tend to like if I rarely believe in something, had to swim it. I heard when um when my one was on on the show, when he was speaking about every time, and um he didn't like it and he spoke about it. He was like, I wasn't.

Corie 39:00

You see, when he likes something is the best.

Writing Melodies Without Music

SPEAKER_01 39:02

He was like, Yeah, I was I'm not sure about it. You know, George came on, he was like, my one say he's not sure about this every time, core, so no. But you see, when I show us up, then I say here what to do. Tell bevone I say that change, you know, because why sure about is that is a hit. I sure I was sure, I was sure, I was sure. I was like, I know, I know this, this, this, this have something in it. I tend to always have ears to it because these are people who you know the things, of course you do, you know. So I would bounce things off of a few people whose ears I respect. Um, and um most times they're like, yeah, this is good to go. If they don't like something, I would tend to at least have pause. It would give me pause to at least let me go into this again. But if I show about something, if I show only you. You know how that song too? Another song from the good thing is um my one had actually liked that one, but I remember I'd bounced that off of a few ears to artists that I that I respect their ears to um with sugar daddy. And they were like, You sure boy with sugar daddy?

SPEAKER_04 40:13

And I was like, Oh, yeah, I'm I sure I sure singing like woman in the drunk in a sugar, sugar daddy now.

Corie 40:24

Once I show, I show but this one of the things about writing and stop all the time is like writing is I guess what you see on paper, but it's how you say it. Yeah, and that's what I meant with my one because number one, that's how I feel. Every time I take a drink, I feel like wine. I don't know how you capture that so well, but it's yeah, how you say it every time, and it's all your stress on the every time, every time, you know what I mean? So deliberate, you're going through that process every time.

SPEAKER_01 40:49

Every time, yeah, this could be a problem, problem, problem.

SPEAKER_04 40:54

If this was the prelude to pieces, you can see our story and put together a little book. I know it's a story you're telling.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

I know, it's a story you tell it, bro.

Corie 41:02

Stories, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure. So I'd I'd ask you going back to so long, right? Because I mean, that is the perfection in writing that it captured a very much trinidad. Caribbean people, yeah, that's who he is. All of them. The only thing you input in it, which I feel is deliberate, too is look how your pun size. That's what I'm gonna put it in. Everything else was honest.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

Caribbean people just be gosh, boy. Hey, Lord Father, nah nah.

Corie 41:33

But I'd ask you, even in writing something like that, writing before the rhythm or you had the rhythm first? How was that one come over?

SPEAKER_01 41:38

I heard the rhythm first. So I actually that wasn't supposed to be a rhythm. Farmer had sent um sent that rhythm to me. He was working with Red Boys, and um he liked his song so much because I'd sent hooking with him. He went nuts. And then he was like, Nadie, you had to come on it. I see what Red Boys doing in Rhythm. Oh, so that was first. His song was first, yeah. And I was thinking, all right, look it for a long, bye-bye. And he was like, Nadie, nah, you had to come on this rhythm. I tellin you. And um I wasn't even taking on from if I've been all the way honest. And then I was like, this rhythm is really bad, you know. And so um, we came up with with so long in still in studio. But his song, his song was written first, yeah.

Corie 42:28

Yeah, I heard Casey talk about it as well in terms of like composing a rhythm, like making sure one of our girls' song, one of our this, one of our that. When you write something because you have a fuse where you write the whole rhythm.

“Caribbean Girl” And Career Breakthrough

SPEAKER_01 42:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So your contrast to that in terms of it's not something that it's not like a um like a must. It's not something to say, well, if I just don't like coming up with very similar concepts on the same rhythm. So if if I could have any control over that, now most times if I don't write all these songs on a rhythm, I don't know what somebody else might have. Um, so at that point it's up to the producer, because they're hearing everything, to be like, can we go in another direction? Because so once already have uh this song. I would do that if I'm a producer. Um, but it's not necessary, it's not something that's mandatory. Um, but I just feel that it just once you have uh a rhythm with different songs, with different concepts on the rhythm, it just spreads more too, you know, can kind of cover all bases, type of things. Yeah, it's up for everybody.

SPEAKER_03 43:33

Yeah, I with you.

SPEAKER_01 43:34

Yeah, these days I'm not 100% into rhythms too much, if I'm being all the way honest. I really had a real like a rhythm. Um I had to really, really, really like it. Um, because I feel as though I always like not only being in control of my own music, but I also like to be able to um to manipulate the music how I want to. So sometimes if I feel like something deserves a phrase in here in the music, uh when it's a rhythm, you're just going down the road as a rhythm. Um, but I could now, you know, kind of mold it the way that I would want it. You know what I mean? If I feel like, oh gosh, now boy, I feel like I could hear some brass in this part here, or I could do some, you know, some extra guitars here, or I feel like we need a dropout in this part, or so I would go on rhythm still. I I still like rhythm, but it's not I had to really, really like a rhythm. Oh, would you?

Corie 44:36

Yeah. Even where you described it, something I don't thank you for because you just give you some music as a whole quatre money, it's give you things we could play, you know. It's had it had a whole decade of music in this country, it barely have anything. Yeah, no one chord songs, but I had to ask you from in terms of process, because writing for yourself, I suppose you know where you want to say, you know your audience well as you say. So how is it to put yourself in people like farmer shoes? I have some of them who some of their biggest tunes is tunes that you I mean, many artists, but some of the biggest tunes is tunes that you pen. So how you how you adjust to writing for people?

Gratitude, Patience, And Perspective

SPEAKER_01 45:07

So I try to channel the artist. So I, first of all, I am not the type of writer who would just sit at home and write a million songs and say, Look, David, you sing this, Corey, you sing this. I, if you come and say, Naz, I need a song, I need a tailor make this song for you because I like the song to sound as though it comes from you. So I would go on YouTube, listen to your music over and over and over. Sometimes, if it's not an artist, I'm 100% familiar with. I remember when I wrote years ago for um Rita Jones, I'd never heard of Rita Jones before. I remember I went quietly at a show they were doing in um on the road in St. James, and I stood in the audience to the back because I wanted to see her vibe, like what how you perform, like what kind of energy you have. So I try my best to channel the artists to so that it sounds like they're coming from them. And in that way, it makes things a lot easier for me to be able to secure my style for me. Not saying that you may not hear a song and say I feel natty, right? This, you know, because I do have a particular style with my pen, but I don't want everything to just sound like a generic something from Nadi. I try to my I try my best to really hone in and channel an artist.

Corie 46:33

Yeah, because when it's a crib and do as well, it's no end like you could hear it. Yeah, you can hear it now.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

Yeah, yeah. When I wrote um the song for I remember um Black's Rest in Peace, I wrote out look at my pants, got it, look at me. That song's like that. So just feeling like something that came from him, and I like that. I like I like the the song to sound as though it comes from the artist.

Corie 46:56

But you're okay them days with falling back because I've never heard you talk a whole lot about well, I write this for this one, and I because I yeah, if I write something. I they'll never hear the end of me on that every day in my stories. That's it. You know what I mean? This is me here, all of these things. But you I've never heard you like, you know.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

So I know how to compartmentalize well, and I understand that I wear a lot of lucrative caps. So for me, it's never about being, yeah, well, I write them. Never. That's a completely different cap that I wear. So it's not even about falling back, it's about things that I know that I could deliver as opposed to another artist. If I give the there are many, many songs that people would come and say, Nadie, but why you didn't keep that for yourself? I didn't write it for me. I didn't write it for me. And I am I am very, very capable of letting it go. I'm not like gonna be jealous of my own work or somebody else singing it. Absolutely not.

Corie 47:58

Because you would have had years where you write songs for people that's top of the carnaval, and your songs in no booking.

SPEAKER_01 48:04

100%.

Corie 48:04

And you are right, you won't.

SPEAKER_01 48:06

100%, 100%. It's a different cap. You're just wearing a different cap. You know what I mean? So I don't, I'm, I'm used to that now. The thing is, like now, I don't write as as much for many artists now because literally just a time is you, because my career is in a completely different space. So I don't have that kind of time anymore to write a lot of material for a lot of other other artists. But I have never had a song where I was like, oh my god, why I didn't keep up for myself? Not never, no, never.

Corie 48:38

Yeah, I I I guess as it's in bodies when you mention Farmer for instance, it just sung like some pack of clothes in the garage. It just sung like, and it's such an odd thing to hear in a song. I don't know if I have any other song we could think of in any era, so-called calypso, where dice such a prominent line, and it's and I think it's happening, is that very true? I didn't think I get my clothes back in a few.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Pack of my clothes in our garbage bag.

Corie 49:00

From time to time, if you're lucky, you guys in our garbage back.

SPEAKER_01 49:10

Yeah, but yeah.

Leadership Without Ego

Corie 49:11

But some of the artists, you know, like I have to talk about you some of the songs you write for lyrical. This year's another Judgmental is your right.

SPEAKER_01 49:17

I didn't write Judgmental, he wrote Judgmental, but that rhythm, um, so that rhythm was produced by Swigby out of R St. Vincent. And again, uh with rhythms, I had a really like a rhythm. So from the moment he sent it to me, I was like, Swick, I could get this for myself. And he was like, Nat, I really want this to be a rhythm. I said, well, if it if that's the case, I'd I'd probably want to earn RD rhythm. So let me be in charge of who is who goes on it, and I would send it out, you know. And of course, you know, I'm really close with with Lero, but Adam, and I sent it to them. Because I also don't like a rhythm that have eight and ten songs on it. Like I just don't see the sense in that. I don't like it. Um I would do three, four max, and as if we have four real bad tune, you know. Um, and I sent it to them, and and Lero came up with um judgmental. But he's he's such a good writer, too. Um but we bounce things off of each other a lot. So let me tell you, if I start to really tell a little all the little line and verse and thing I have in so many songs, yeah. We should book a time where you could just do that, yeah, just like across the board. Um, and I do that I'm really good with structure, so and and my peers know that, so they'll be like, Nads, you like this verse? Or and I'll be like, no, changes here, move that here. This second verse should actually be the first verse, this sounding stronger, or you know, things like that. But I've had my hand in a lot of songs, a lot, a lot, a lot, just across the board. Um, you know, artists would send stuff to me before it comes to the show.

Corie 51:01

Yeah, I guess if you end melodies in your head like that, yeah, and I'll go be one of them as easily.

SPEAKER_01 51:05

Yeah, 100%. 100%, 100%.

Corie 51:08

So let me give you a backstory about one of them random songs I hear just here last week, David. When we hear this, I hear a story from a lady who was here, uh-huh who I consider to be one of her biggest songs, one of her strongest offerings. And she tells us a story about being my Nadia and recording late in the night, uh-huh. Having a complete emotional breakdown.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

Right?

Corie 51:27

Okay, okay again somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Yes. The thing about it is I don't know what it is about me, but but um that tends to happen. But I feel like it's probably Terry you're talking about.

Corie 51:37

Maybe possibly Terry.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

Is it Terry?

Corie 51:39

Terry remember, you know, me drinking sparkling water, you know. Yeah, so Terry was telling us you're I'm lying.

SPEAKER_01 51:44

I did.

SPEAKER_03 51:44

Really?

The “So Long” Surge And Timing

SPEAKER_01 51:45

I did. Um I remember Terry came up there, and she was going through a lot of things in her life at that time, and I had a really, really good talk with her. And you know, I was just talking to her about her strength and you know how great she is as an artist. And um I remember when I came up with that whole I am like listen, I think everybody was emotional that night in studio because it just spoke to her story so much, and again, I like to channel the artists. I was like, this is it, just felt uh right, like you know, whatever it is she was facing at the time, and I just wanted to be there for her as well, um, as part of her support system, and and we did I am lying, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie 52:34

She spoke about it here as a hell of a story, yeah. Hell of a yellow cow episode, too. She told me why she was laughing so much. Tell me what had she laughed. One of the funnier episodes we saw.

SPEAKER_01 52:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Corie 52:48

I'd ask you about some performance things, right? Because we come from a time. Let me talk for myself, right? I come from a time where fat was banned.

SPEAKER_03 52:54

Right.

Corie 52:55

The word fat meant it had banned. And now fet means like a DJ, fat was nothing. When I start fetting things, and um, one of the things I talk about now a lot is artists who are the front line of the leaders in the soccer, the the top of the top yourself, right? I say so. And one of the you hear a lot now, I remember going to see a very big artist song checking Jean Bear Complex. And when I hear the song check, I say, What? I run to see the artists and no artists at all. Nobody does. The band I think playing, but I said the first time I heard the word Ableton. And I say, But so wait, we don't nobody does sing again. Got Eddie Charles here. Eddie's talking about, I mean, he just it's just the front time.

SPEAKER_03 53:36

Right.

Corie 53:37

And I do, I mean, watching your performances, you you strike a balance with it, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on it.

SPEAKER_01 53:43

I do strike a balance with it. But let me tell you something. What we do is not normal. And I I remember I was having uh this discussion with some of my um Jamaican artist friends in um New York once in a studio, and I was telling them, I said, on average, I could do like over a hundred shows from January 1st until until Ash Wednesday. We do we work a lot. If we have to actually depend on a hundred percent vocals every night, listen, ain't no way. That's one of the things about our genre that I think at first it was shunned upon. Um, but I completely understand what the purpose is, and like you said, it's about striking a balance with it because I do have a voice and it's there to be used. However, you're exhausted, first of all, you're jumping at the air and we singing. We running up and down is our thing, it's our wave, is our this side, that side, right? As I split is our spin, and you had a sing, right? And while I am a purist in many, many aspects, I do believe that using um modern technology can help us a lot. So I don't have a problem with Evilton at all, at all, at all, at all. Only because, like I said, of how much demand is placed on us physically in like in a carnival season. Um some artists, like I know, and there are things too that could help like with the balancing where you know you're wearing a's or some artists just use it to run their background vocals and still try to do their leads or you know, things like that. So there's it you could do, but it absolutely I don't have a problem with that because this is no walk in the park.

Corie 55:38

I reason funny you bring up Jamaica. A time I come back from Jamaica, right? I'm the airport, and it's I'm coming back for Carnival, so it must be Carnival Friday, maybe. And I see Maka Diamond in the airport. Like she now comes back from Triple and she voice corner.

SPEAKER_02 55:52

She said, I'm mad. I'm mad at trigger.

Corie 55:55

Too much shows. She complains, and she said she said by the time she thinks she'll leave and she went back, she says too many shows one night. It's a lot, so I get it. I get it.

SPEAKER_01 56:02

It's a lot, it can be a lot. Like now we've now we tend to not take too many shows in one night. I like I don't like like now I tend to do three or four events in a night, but we've had situations.

SPEAKER_02 56:14

Three or four is a lot, I suppose.

Lines, Slang, And Trusting Your Ear

SPEAKER_01 56:15

It is. Um, especially for female artists too, because you're talking about we think we had to change clothes, is this your hair started to fall apart, you know, your makeup running, yeah. It's a lot. Um, but um, so now I I I kind of cap off at like three or four shows for the night, but we've had situations where I have done up to like 18 shows in a day. You're talking about from a breakfast party from any morning, look George Ryder, axe and we've done and it's hard to you see, especially when you're in demand when you have big drunken thing and people want to see you, they need you here, they need your day, and it's like but now honestly, we are like it really, really is too much. And and I and I do I do think that um every artist should experience that because as tiring as it is, it could be a lot of fun too. Um but they also would have an appreciation for you know less work, of course, of course, of course. Um so now we just do like three or four events for the night, and I am I'm I'm good with that because it it it really can be a lot. I'll imagine it can be a lot, and I I remember in that same 2019 year of so long, I lost my voice about two weeks before carnival. There's nothing that could feel worse, yeah. It's horrible. I remember we did the show, we did the show in um in South Trinidad. George had to talk and real hype up the ground thing because I have when I tell you no voice, I can't sing a word, and people they understood, they were like, How do we sing this on? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look who they're singing it, yeah. I remember going back into the car because I had another event and it was a band gig, so it's a long talking about a whole hour, and I had that after that show. And from Sandal straight up to Porter Spain, I was in tears. I couldn't speak, like I didn't even know, I didn't know what it nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. And um, I remember was it Ravi? Somebody told me about putting cayenne pepper on um, and you say all these fun remedies. I was like, oh god, we try all kind of thing, and it actually worked. Um, put cayenne pepper on oranges, and that helped. Bring it back a little bit because I don't like to tell all yeah, that feeling is horrible.

Corie 58:54

Really? It is. You know, as fans, we used to look forward to that kind of all week. I remember selling them stuff.

SPEAKER_01 59:00

What?

Corie 59:00

When sold them so sing river, uh-huh. Or is that wicked act? They don't sell them to every every fet she goes. Them days are no wet fet something like this, I don't think. But boy, when she's coming down river, come on, boy is splash. Every time she says splash, every carib.

Rhythms, Concepts, And Control

SPEAKER_01 59:14

Yeah, I don't understand too. An audience member. Why so fans tend to understand? Not everybody will understand. And you could go on a stage, and I hate coming off a stage and feeling as though I gave a subpar performance. I feel like when people pay me to do a show, I find like I must come off the stage and I must feel good, and I must feel as though the audience was really satisfied with Nadia's performance. So when you don't have voice, it's your instrument, it's like you're just feeling like so defeated, and I don't want that to happen to me at all. So, because remember, along along with all of these. Performances, we still doing plenty other things, to you know, is we have a podcast to do, and we have yeah, not thinking that nobody can go say that they lost your voice here, yeah. We go to go on the radio in the morning, or you know, and then life going on, life is going on, okay. Um, so it is not a nice feeling to not have voice. So that's why I said we're gonna use the apple turn, yeah. No problem with it. But turn it on and turn it on loud. I have no problem with that at all, at all, at all. Help me. Help me.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:32

That's what you technology there for no.

Corie 1:00:37

You say, for instance, but as a woman in business, it's more expensive, it's more effort on someone to come out. Something we appreciate for women who come here as well, is is it's different. I just roll out. I know sleeping in any kind of. It is so what make you decide then to form a band? Because our band is our expenses, not it's not the cheapest way to move around a kind of season.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:57

Um, at that time, I wanted to showcase female musician musicianship because it was really like a myth in through people, well, where are you getting female musicians from? Um, people didn't even realize that we had so many female musicians in Trinidad. And it was also something that we really never really saw. Yeah, I don't think it's um I heard, I had, I had never seen it before, but I I heard that there was another female band in Trinidad before. Um, but uh that was one of the main reasons why I I wanted to do, you know, an experience that.

Corie 1:01:36

Yeah, how was that? Getting that together, going on the road of the bike. You know what?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:39

It was it was great. I it was a really, really nice experience because we we did a lot of groundbreaking things in in Soka. I remember one the first year of performing and I ain't sure we all had it all the way together, but but we did it. You know what I mean? And I'm very, very proud of it, and I'm proud of because even to this day, like when people speak about that and female musicians, my name is synonymous with that, and I feel proud of that. Um, so yeah, but it it is a lot of work. When you have ban, oh gosh, you think run around solo is it is when you have ban, oh my gosh, it's a whole different kettle of fish.

Corie 1:02:22

And with Sass, after kind of a broader tour and do the whole search, yeah. Yeah, we did.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:27

We did some touring too, yeah, for sure.

Corie 1:02:29

I do remember hearing you saying almost like it's a relief when uh in the early days when you're with Kess, you kind of made the decision to go out on your own. So I wondered if you had a preference between performing with a band or performing on your own.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:40

Oh, I love that. You can't beat band with so car. Oh my gosh. Like, I honestly I feel like we have too many events as track events. Like, I just I love ban. I find like, and you can do so much more.

Corie 1:02:51

As well, there's your band or another band.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:53

Yes, give me a ban, ban, ban, because I could listen. You think I was my shall be placed with a track? Put me with a band where I could like do what I had to do and think and break down. Hold on, hold on, hold on, thank, no, then that side, this side, oh my gosh, band, not to mention that's exciting element too, with with with band and how it feels. Tracks is always feel too small for me. I feel like soca is such a huge, just the sound of it, it's so big, you know. You know, certain music just you can think and it could be contained. We could sit in a nice little place and listen to some jazz and the soca is a big sound. It sounds big, it sounds like you know, like we're supposed to be here and tiranga tango and dong you. That's how it feels to me. So I love I love performing.

Writing For Others And Tailor-Made Songs

Corie 1:03:44

As a fan, I miss it too because you know there's a certain um I think this happened between artists and musicians on stage. You know, when when actual music plays, not saying the DJ of the place and all that, but when you have a guitarist though, you have a baseman that's watching Roikey Bassman, I think baseman and guitarist, I think, retire this year. Salute to them. But they men have moments and fits. Yeah, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:07

100%, 100%. You could create your own little show, of course. BC from Roike. It was a whole show.

Corie 1:04:15

And you know, the nice thing is we are youths know who is a whole show. They're selling my little show.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:20

It's a whole show. I love just when I could watch, like if I am a if I'm an audience, if I'm in the audience and I look in as a band, I look in to see, oh god, I can just want to get out of thing. Like my drummer, Alana. People listen.

Corie 1:04:34

I can't wait to get Alana. Yeah, just ask you how long I drum this last year. I feel the dough last year.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:38

Listen. I, Lana, is so talented. But she's so quiet too, right? Um, nobody will think Atlanta is like because the way she's handled them drums, nobody will think Atlanta is so quiet. Um, but people is being awe of Lana. Like, especially when we travel and like we're doing sound check, the whole sound system, everybody just be signed up.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:05

So she's fantastic. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:09

Fantastic. That's what I certainly I just love to see musicians and it's such a different vibe. It's just such a different vibe.

Corie 1:05:14

Yeah, I suppose so. That's why art form goes the way it goes. Making sure that you have that experience.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:19

Yes, of course. Of course.

Corie 1:05:21

We appreciate you for it. I have a list here song, yeah. I think we get through about four. Let me make sure I ain't missing nothing, David. We're missing you. We talk about every time. I was just easily one of my favorites. Sugar daddy up there. Uh I'd go back to um to Joel Villafana children. I'd call her that, right? Fat. I was glad to hear next man say he was in front of the stage ball, not fat. I think what was the origin then? Just ideas made.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:49

So I'll tell you, um with fat, that was quick backstory. When I sang um One Island and Caribbean Girl and I all of the music that started coming to me was something like that. And it almost started putting me almost in a box, whereas like people want to hear that particular style from me, and it started really stifling me creatively. I started feeling like I have to write like this fast forward to 2019 when I sang so long, I didn't want to end up in that situation again. Fat was 2020. I was like, I'm going on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Corie 1:06:41

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:42

So it was done on purpose. I I did um so long, and it was a moment, but oh yeah, I have way more range than this, so let us not do this again. And I decided to go polar opposite. I was like, we're going so, and it was a chance that that we took because even George and all was like, but we sure girl. We sure um but I really, really liked it, and I was like, nah, this is good. I remember Leroy and I were driving around in New York, and I I heard that rhythm through him. And um he was like, I guess some rhythms there, you know. When that caution rhythm play, he me, why do you just sit in on, yeah? You write something on this already? No, not yet. I said, Solia. So yeah. My ears good, eh? Cory, my ears good. Oh, no, we were literally just. You know what I mean?

Corie 1:07:48

Like back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:52

I feel as because I know my audience. I just I feel like I just know my fans and I know what they were like. And when I heard it, it was so different to the sound and that particular bunks. Oh man. And I was like, this, I feel like this could do some damage. And he went on it. Um, and we came up with that whole fat vibe. I fit I started it in New York, we finished it in in Trinidad. Um, but it was it was done on purpose. I really didn't want to have to do songs that sounded as though you try trying to rival so long I ain't seen her. I didn't want to do that.

Corie 1:08:31

It's interesting because, like, again, from a fan perspective, I've heard that a lot with our some of my favorite artists, where they catch such a big length with this tune. Yeah. That for the next three tunes, yeah, next three years, yes, you're gonna hear that.

Structure, Edits, And Quiet Credits

SPEAKER_01 1:08:45

A lot of you know, producers would send me stuff, and it's like they would be like, have something here, this song in just like Naddy, and I'm like, oh my god. Because I don't know already, this is gonna be like something kitty kitty, some kind of guitar, something. And I was like, and while I appreciate it, I just didn't want that again because I have so much to offer, like with writing, and I always believe that with um with soccer, we the whole house ever, we think that we can write about all kinds of different things. We think so. Um, but we can. We can. Um, it's just about how we write it. In nothing new under the sun, we could come up with different markets is our whole wine and tune. I just didn't say ruback a bomb and wine, but it's a whole you know what I mean?

Corie 1:09:30

We could find ways to so your market was like deliberate departure from what you was doing here before because that come out market.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:36

Um most of my songs have story, you know, God holy. We can hear that wine, you know. Godfather. But market, um, I got to Papu. Um he had sent uh a whole folder with a lot of music, right? And when I heard that particular rhythm, I had really liked it. Um, and again, I tell George reach out to him, man, ask me if I could get this. And he was like, actually, this has a song on it already, you know. This was from last year. I was like, what song is that for Trini Carnival? Yeah, and he told me, no, this there's a there's a song from Skinny Bant on on it um out of um Grenada, Carakou. Right, right. And I went online and I was like, oh shoot, yes, this is already out. But I had so like the rhythm. I was like, you know what? Cool, we'll do we will we'll you could do our one to. And I came up with Market, and we went, you know, he was like, all right, cool. I just decided I wanted to do uh make a few changes in the music, so I can the pre-chorus. I had him just add a few chords there, or you know, but um it's it's it's the same rhythm, yeah. Um and yeah, and that's that's that's really how that that was.

Corie 1:10:52

Is one of them that your fans hold on to as one of your that didn't even touch the girl?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:57

No, that didn't touch the girl. I that one was a shocker. Seriously, market whoa, when market dropped, market didn't even touch the ground, market just came out and just didn't just shoot one time, yeah. You know, and people I repressed.

Corie 1:11:18

All right, tell me what song you ever write where no, it had to be so long every time. Oh, yeah.

Live Vocals, Ableton, And Survival

SPEAKER_01 1:11:27

Bring my phone back here this year, so I knew every time I tell you that's why I tell Jordan I say, tell my one. I say eh, that is a hit, that is a hit. That is a hit. You know what it is too? I try not to have expectations, I try to, because with expectations, you're leaving room to be disappointed if people don't really like something. And I don't want to feel that way about expression because I feel like there's no right or wrong. And if if the audience doesn't necessarily hold on to a particular song, I don't want to feel bad about that. I um so I I so that's one of the reasons why when things shoot off like that, I kind of be like, oh, all right, cool. Because I I had no expectation tied to it to say, well, oh gosh, if they don't like this, I will really no. Um and I and I and and with market, they're real, hold on. Even Papa was he's always be like, yo, what the heck? That was crazy.

Corie 1:12:36

That was crazy. I don't know. A part of it is because like you say there's nothing new under the sun, but it's a way it's doing it because I'm a way it's a way of a comparison point. Like when they say if like I always compare when rather say girl from Bahia, it's just so different to anything else that we're just hearing anyway, anytime. Yeah. So when they say looking for singles in markets, it's like what are we doing? What?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:00

You know what's crazy too? Um I did this. Um, I was speaking to some really, really nice um writers at um um recently, and they were basically asking me, you know, how you came up with this line and how you came up with I would be lying if I tell people that I have like a formula. I don't. This is literally just a natural talent, it's just a gift because things that people just be spinning out over for me, that's so normal. I just be like, Disney lying, only losing all your buying over my right. I don't know, I don't know, like things that people just really find so amazing for me is just and and but what it allows me to do is feel comfortable in being assured that me being myself while writing will always work, and I don't have to try to, you know, I feel they go like this. I just have to because that is me. Like that's just that's that's just me. That is just me, you understand? So so I feel like I will just I will just always just represent myself with with my pen. Um, like I said, to the point where they have certain things that people be spinning out off of, and I have no if they ask me, Nan, how you came up with I don't know, it just came, you know, it just came, and I just say thank you, Lord, and go, you know, keep it pushing. But I don't really have a formula like that. Sometimes melodies come first, sometimes lyrics come first, sometimes the hardest I am on myself is concept, like conceptually, because like I said before, I always feel as though with soccer, I don't I want us to sing about different things and not go in and say, Boy, I want to push back my bumper. No, we yeah, we could find a different way to push back that same bumper and we could do it in a different way. You we are you and I are watching the same cup here, but what you see in here and what I see in here is two different things, but we're talking about the same cup. We could find, we could find different ways to sing uh, you know, on different topic, topics and concepts. You just had to think, you know, just think about it now. You know what I mean? And I feel like that's sometimes too. You see, when people hear things that they're not accustomed to hearing all the time, like in songs like you rightly suggest now. When you when you hear this girl from Bahia, yeah, what going on?

Corie 1:15:40

Oh, the gates and the first line.

Overbooked Nights And Voice Loss

SPEAKER_01 1:15:42

You're like, I remember, um, lyrics is exciting me so much. I remember the first time I heard um um I like girls and I've in a fact, like a coconut snack, I remember um um Shafie wrote that for for a farmer. And I remember at first, but you're laughing at it, right? But you're like, a coconut snack. What I remember I almost ran off the road the first time I heard um when um uh full blown wrote um like a boss for for Marshall, and they said um they use the word magical. Oh gosh, I want to remember the line because for years we see we rhyme in carnival and bahana. But something we pelt and we're not rhyme. When I heard them sticking that magical, I listen, that excites me so much. I just get so excited with these things. I was like, oh god, why are they thinking that? Like, oh my gosh, you know what I mean? Just find different ways so that and then you know you're captivating your audience too when they when you're using words, yeah. Yeah, one of these things too that bungees catch people with too. When his vocabulary and song, because you're gonna warp people in vestiges in a song for what reason, but even and the thing about it is even if you don't know what the word means, it's kill catch your ear now. You're like, what did he just say? It's like all right, and if you know what it means, you're going to know what does he really mean by so and so. But those are the things that to me there's really to separate like choke and cheese. That's what is really separate the sheep from the goat with with writers. You know what I mean? When you could really make your audience say, What was that? You know what I mean? I like that. I just so that's why I just always encourage writers to anything that's rolling off your tongue too easy, go back in. Go back in. If I can say it have songs I will hear, I could know what the next line, what your rhyme pattern is before the line comes. And you know what that means? That means that you're just comfortable just singing something that people hear a million times, and if they hear it a million times before, then they're not you're not gonna capture your audience. So try to come up with things that you know, with the stuff that nobody and really mind you, like I said, we sing about the same cup, but we're just finding a different way to to capture it. I like that.

Corie 1:18:07

Yeah, it explains a lot. It explains a lot.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:09

Absolutely, absolutely.

Corie 1:18:11

This is a pretty sheep from the goats, one of one of my goats for sure. Here, finally, you know what I mean. When I see this data same, it don't matter, it don't matter. I appreciate I appreciate the thoughts. I appreciate you sharing some of this too because uh I am one of them people who's here, all those lines, and sometimes it's a little like you know. Sorry, David, but then you begin a sugar, you know, jeez, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:18:33

For what you I don't give Georgie credit for that one.

Corie 1:18:36

Why are you doing that? It's like what are they doing? You know what ticket is sell immediately from the time I heard that's a geez. I said I learned tickets immediately. I'm going to hear that. That's what's like every time it's just one of them things just embody it. And and and again, uh the the the from very, very um, and I wasn't good at any of this in school, like the poems and the metaphors, and I could have never understand them kind of things, but you're right, in a way, is like market, which is that we guess the whole song, it never stopped being a metaphor, right? And then the cooler for it is as literal as it gets, honestly. Like anywhere in between us, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:12

I appreciate that.

Corie 1:19:13

We appreciate it. Thank you very much. Without anything we need to cover still, David? Are we good? Check booth. Let me make sure because people leave it here. We gotta make sure it's good. I think I think we're gonna know we do a fairly good job.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:28

Yes, we did a great job, we did a great job, and congrats again on this season.

Corie 1:19:32

We're looking forward to the yellow code TV review. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:35

Yes, and make sure everybody art form is on the uh February the 7th. It is at um Queen's Hall Um Garden.

Corie 1:19:43

And um Fettian, no, there's a fetti. I'll be there, David. We're inside.

unknown 1:19:47

Well, you're good.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:48

So you're good check.

Corie 1:19:49

Yes, Amando leave my house so you know, but um we had to come out for art form, you mean? Well, all right, with the with the with the with the with the we blame in injuries most easily blaming injuries now. But thanks very much. I appreciate it. It's a great great bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:03

Very well done.