| Browne asserts that "Calypso music is no longer just for the older generation, it is now something which young people really enjoy. When I went to Trinidad to see the calypso, I enjoyed watching the kids perform with such confidence and thought it was great. The response from people was good, as it is not just for the likes of Sparrow. This music has definitely grown over the years. " Brown Sugar began competing in 2001 at Trinidad Central Bank, where she gradually rose from the position of second runner up to capturing the bank´s monarch title. However, it wasn´t until 2003, after moving to the UK, that she entered AJ´s Calypso Tent in Reading and discovered the London Calypso Tent at Yaa Asantewaa Arts Centre. "I´m from Trinidad, which is the home of calypso, and as a child I started singing gospel. I am heavily involved in the church and still sing, but calypso is something which I have grown to love, " said Browne. This May, Brown Sugar won the first Calypso Monarch competition in Reading, which recognised the emancipation of slaves and Photo: Jeff Hinds Words: Cassandra Peters Brown Sugar Profile the abolition of slavery. She also performed at Oxford Carnival 2007 - the first time that calypso was introduced to the stage there. And her ambitions now? In her words: "My future plans involve producing an album over here and working to ensure that calypso is more accessible to people in the UK, as well as working to see more calypso-inspired nights throughout the year." |
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