Although she pushes for a better understanding and appreciation of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural heritage, its mass traditions and culture and all, female soca artist Lil Bitts says change is the only constant.
She released new music recently and appeared on RED 96.7FM in Trinidad on Wednesday morning. Her latest release is called ‘Sweetest Mas’ and Bitts told listeners that the experience of bringing her vision of the ‘sweetest mas’ experience to the screen, via the song’s video, was a spiritual experience.
She recalled wearing blue paint to portray the carnival character Jambolasse, telling listeners that prayer was part of the surrender, as the character, which resembled that of a devil, would eventually consume her, something she did not had never experienced before. “People don’t realize how spiritual our carnival really is,” she commented, explaining that after the prayer ritual and becoming one with the character she was able to touch the fire without burning herself.
These elements of the traditional Trinidad and Tobago carnival experience, while still seen in some areas, have diminished in others. This, Bitts says he wants to preserve and pass on to future generations. “J’ouvert for a long time had old clothes and characters, and whatever the current issue of the time was, people would play it. Carnivals are much more. It would be great if we can teach our kids these things,” she said. Bitts said her 7-year-old granddaughter, who was part of her video for ‘Sweetest Mas,’ didn’t know half of the characters carnival appeared, so it became a teachable moment for him.
The artist, who also works in theater, explained that it’s all about finding a balance between preserving culture and embracing evolution. “I have nothing against ‘BBF’ – bikinis, beads and feathers,” she said, noting that she plays mas like everyone else in modern carnival outfits. “I understand that everything evolves, so we cannot close the BBF because everything evolves. Does the soca sound the same from 10-15 years ago? No. The only constant is change,” she repeated.
On the issue of Soca music and the local fraternity’s desire to see international audiences gravitate towards it even more, Bitts said: “It will come. I just feel like people should do them. What I think needs to happen is that we need to come together more. This is what African artists are doing. It’s not just one African artist – it’s multiple, completely and then everything became ‘Afro’, she pointed out.
