Features
Melissa Doughty
It’s called Loco for Coco, but don’t let the name fool you. When US-based TT artist Keba “Keba” Williams sings that song, it’s a powerful song about an immigrant woman’s right to say no.
The song is about consent and the current political climate in the US, all dramatized in the recently released music video using TT’s popular persona, la diablesse.
It opens with a midnight robber-type voice saying, “You see those men who can’t keep their hands to themselves. Those who only want to put women in hell; They are the ones who have to take care of the disability.
“It’s revenge she wants and revenge she’s going to get.”
Over the mixed reggae strain, she sings, “Walk in the room, all the necks start breaking. Something like a little brown shot, I’m the one they’re following…”
Keba said the song was inspired by her experiences performing in certain venues in the US.
She has two degrees: one in music and one in chemistry. She began to pursue music when opportunities for chemistry did not return. She left TT at 16.
“I was sending my resume. I was sending out job applications and I just wasn’t making it and I was the kind of person who had good grades.
“If I had an interview, I would accept the interview. I just wasn’t successful in post-college advancement into the workforce through chemistry. As through music I had professors come and ask me to do shows, I did a jingle in a music studio and that started to become a way to earn an income.
“But I also met a producer there — I just had like these little business cards and I left them these cards saying I was a singer songwriter — and he said, ‘Hey, do you do original music?’
He told her he was looking for a singer/songwriter and this was the start of “a whole different journey.”
She did an internship at a music studio where she learned more about production and writing and then opened her own recording studio in Miami, which she ran for several years. While she enjoyed working with emerging talent, she sold the studio and decided to pursue her own music career.
Over the years, it has seen major political and social changes in the US. The events of 2020 – the pandemic and Black Lives Matter – raised serious questions about the kind of society that lives in the US.
“What happened to people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 were huge steps forward for black lives and human rights for black people.
“Seeing those archaic ideas of how people should be treated seep into women’s rights, the Roe v. Wade amendment, really made me question how I’m perceived as a black woman in America.
“It really raised some concerns and questions about what my future would be as a black woman in America, especially coming from a place like TT.”
In TT, she didn’t deal with many identity issues and never thought she would have to worry about it for herself or her children.
These changes were a culture shock for him. These concerns arose more after some experiences she had while performing.
Sometimes she’s the only person of color entertaining in a space, she said.
At some of her “high-end, luxury concerts” her audience is predominantly Caucasian.
On a certain night she was performing in a lounge where she had a space reserved for her investors.
“There’s just an energy in the way people think they can communicate with you, where they think they can throw a few extra bucks your way and expect you to react a certain way or they think they’re taking you out of darkness giving you some kind of attention.
“There was this older white gentleman who came up to me and tried to kiss me during one of my songs.
“It was so inappropriate. At the time, it was also like, “What do I do?” As a professional, the show must go on, I’m here to do my job.”
She then asked if the restaurant would have protected her, as an investor, or him?
While this was an impetus for her to write the song, it was only when another man had acted inappropriately towards her that Loco for the Coco was born.
The chorus was written during a car ride after the concert in 2018. She recorded part of it on a voice note and left it for a while. She came back to it a year later and still liked how it looked and so decided to develop it.
Keba worked on the song’s production, and when she got the vibe — which she described as a mix of Caribbean beats with a retro-style guitar, hip-hop and R&B elements — she worked further with Jamaican producer Kris Karz to make the radio the song is ready. .
The song was released in 2020 and the music video was released in June.
Keba wondered, after being hit on by these men, if, after making advances to a black woman, they would go home and vote for policies for black women.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
She wanted Loco for Coco to be empowering for black women and not just focus on the transgressions of these types of men.
“But more about the fact that, no matter how these men choose to appear in the world and how they choose to treat women of color, we walk with our heads held high and we get to love who we are and we get to feel confident in our bodies,” she said. .
Williams said for the listener who has experienced such situations, the song makes them feel seen and heard.
“I was surprised by the number of women who shared with me – some of them in fun, some of them not – how they felt in certain situations. Or how some men made them feel at certain times in their lives.”
Helping provide a space for women to share their experiences has given Keba validation for the song’s importance.
It has also fueled him to write more songs.
She said there are people who appreciate artists who express something they’ve experienced or never shared.
“Some of these experiences come with a weird kind of shame that we as women feel like we can’t talk about, or people see us as trying to be victims or we perceive it in a way that we don’t feel comfortable with. we share
“So for anyone who’s ever shared with me after hearing the song, it’s been a huge eye-opener.”
Keba hopes to release an EP or album next year and will continue according to Loco because Coco is a “Caribbean sound that speaks to the issues faced by black women.”
She wants to continue to give an empowering voice to women by representing and identifying the Caribbean more in her music.
“My journey has been long to understand which lane I want to take musically. R&B has been my love, but I’d even say, I’ve even taken it for granted, those things that come second nature to me as a Trinidadian and a Caribbean person.
The more she shares her new songs that tap into her Caribbean roots, the more she realizes what a unique voice and perspective she offers.
