Abigail James, the reigning junior calypso monarch, had her song to do battle and was even fired up about defending a crown she worked years to win, but this will not happen this year.
With some degree of gloom, just a tiny bit, Abigail revealed last week that she is pregnant. There are no rules barring an expectant young mother from competing; she just decided on her own that she would stay away.
“I am not comfortable,” Abigail said with a little sigh and she explained during a recent interview with The Scene that it is not the kind of message she would like to send to young women. She is no longer a teenager having just crossed over, but she feels the competition is better off without her presence this year.
Abigail, a perky young woman with an infectious smile, never spoke of regrets during the interview except for the comment about not performing this year. However, she commented that people “sometimes make mistakes”.
A background check would reveal that the young woman, who is training to be a teacher, had pretty much done all that was expected of her. She was raised in a home where calypso was the second language. Abigail’s father, the Mighty Intruder, was a seasoned campaigner and he performed up until he bowed out with an illness. He passed away in 2002 and left his daughter blazing a trail he once walked many years ago.
Her mother Lurlene James (Singing Lurlene), also a calypsonian, fought her way through a largely male-dominated art form and was crowned junior calypso monarch five times. Abigail said she was never pressured into singing, stressing that it came naturally. She started a few years ago while her father was still alive and according to her, “he was there for me”.
Abigail recalled writing songs with her mother and “missing him”; she said her father was a real source of strength. She first competed in the junior calypso competition in 2007 at age 17 years and finished fourth behind several strong competitors. The fire and solid social commentary that is sometimes seen in the adult competition is what Abigail was up against. At that time she had penned a piece called, “Society Gone”.
It was in 2008 when she stormed into the competition with “Forget dis Colour Question” that people started to sit up and take serious notice. She used the piece to decry race and how it continues to “rear its head” in the country. Abigail said her message was basically one of unity. She came second that year behind Ernesta Nelson. She recalled that Nelson’s older brother, Mark Batson had taken the crown in 2007 and that two were gunning to keep the competition within the family.
In 2009 she sat down with her mother and wrote a song called, “Talking About Education”. She pitched the message that education is critical to the development of young people and it resonated. She walked away with the junior title and recalled “I was so happy, jumping around and…”
Abigail dethroned Nelson who sings under the name, Queen Ernesta and emerged as a serious young performer with tremendous potential. The win was memorable and according to her, her father was there in spirit. “I felt him there with me,” she said saying that her dad had long dreamed of her someday winning the title.
Abigail intends to complete her studies at training college and develop a career in education, but she will continue to compete on stage. “I will always be singing,” she said. She also revealed that of her siblings she is the only one who followed in her parent’s footsteps.
Abigail’s plan now is to return as an amateur in the adult competition in 2011. “I don’t want to compete as a junior anymore,” she said laughing before saying that by then she would be 21 years old and no longer a junior.
The final of the junior calypso competition is tonight at the National Cultural Centre and monies raised at the event are being donated to the children of Haiti. Tickets cost $300 for adults and $100 for children. (ianaseales@yahoo.com)
