When his debut single ‘Sumintra’ hit the airwaves in 1988, Rikki Jai found himself with an almost instant monster hit on his hands, propelling him into the limelight and laying the foundation for a long and illustrious career as a Soca and Chutney star.

The song, in which Jai tells the story of an Indian girl whom he tries to pursue with Indian music only to learn that she prefers Soca and Kaiso, is an apt representation of how the Indo-Trinbagonian entertainer has chosen to go where only a handful of those from his time have gone, merging genres and sub-cultures to encapsulate the melting pot that is Trinidad and Tobago.

Today, as he reflects on his 37 years in the industry which has included countless other hits and winning titles, the South born, nine-time Chutney Monarch winner is certain of one thing: his success over the past nearly four decades has had little to do with luck. Instead, it has been his ability to stand resilient in the face of trials where other men would perhaps easily crumble.

RIKKI JAI REFLECTS ON WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

“There were a lot of obstacles, but I have always found a way to go either around it, through it or over it,” the Jaimaster shares in a candid conversation with YCG.

Long before his name and talent were introduced to the public, Rikki Jai, born Samraj Jaimungal, developed a love and fascination for our music and culture. As a child growing up in the small, predominantly Hindu community of Friendship Village, he got his fix from programs like the Best Village Competition which would air on TTT.

Immersing himself in the works of our calypso greats, Jai would intently study veterans like The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Baron, Ras Shorty I and Explainer, learning and reciting their songs word for word.

By the time 1986 rolled around, it would be a mix of a divine opportunity and sheer bravery that would open a door for the then 24-year-old to leave his job in the public sector to pursue his true passion.

“I went to a bazaar in South Trinidad and I saw this Indian band playing on a stage,” Jai shares, turning the clock back to his formative years. “They were playing and the singers were singing chutney and Bollywood songs. When it came to Calypso and Soca, they were playing instrumentals and something hit me at that point in time to go and ask the band leader if he was looking for a singer because there was nobody singing. I went up to the guy and asked him if he was looking for a singer since I knew all the songs and I asked him to let me go on the stage right away but he didn’t. He said, come up for an audition on Tuesday of the following week.”

The band he’s referencing is Princes Town-based crossover band Naya Andaz Orchestra, known now as Andaz International. 

Accepting the invitation, he would perform the David Rudder’s winning Calypso Monarch offerings for that year, The Hammer and Bahia Girl, and  Crazy’s “Pussycat“.

“That was a turning point for me that the minute I started to sing in the band room, the guy was like, When can you start, Saturday?” he recalls.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Though experiencing the highest of highs early on in his career, Jai’s journey wasn’t without its challenges. After all, carving out space where little have traversed has a price attached to it.

JAI’S JOURNEY WAS NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES

“Being an Indo-Trinbagonian in an Afro-dominated field is not easy. You might be one of the first people I’m actually telling this because I never wanted to make that into something,” he confides, referencing his pursuing calypso and Soca.

“You get a lot of weird looks. You get a lot of attitudes, you get a lot of remarks, not pleasant. You do get some people who are very vocal about how they feel about me being in what they perceive to be ‘their’ thing. Over the years I’ve had my fair share of that ugly aspect of life rearing its head at me.”

“In 1998 I was invited to Soca Monarch finals. When I went on to sing I was treated to a barrage of orange peel, beer cans and everything for almost seven minutes. But I didn’t walk off the stage, I finished my song, I thanked the audience and I left. For me, I am a complete Trinbagonian. I am not going to allow anybody to use race or anything else to deter me from being who I am, what I am and what I want to portray as a Trinbagonian. I’ve said this on many occasions. The culture of Trinidad and Tobago belongs to all of us. So whether you are African, and you want to sing chutney, that’s fine. If you are Indian and you want to be a calypsonian, no one should try to stop you from it. I not allowing nobody to tell me I can’t sing Soca or I can’t sing calypso. No. That is for all of we. Yuh born in the twin-island Republic, everything is yours,” he posits.

At this point of his career, he’s got nothing to prove- not to himself or to others.

In a moment of vulnerability the entertainer admits, though, that this love affair with music that has stretched over the course of nearly four decades has also included a few sobering moments, forcing him to sit with the less than glamorous reality that comes with being a household name.

“I’ll be honest with you, every artist has fear. It doesn’t matter who you are. Machel Montano, Destra… everybody. I mean, Patrice (Roberts) just released a song about Anxiety, and you know, when I heard the song, it resonated with me as an artist because I can tell you that, you know, in my heyday, when I would go out with three cars of guys following me around to all events…all this attention around us and everything else. Then when they dropped me home and I go into the room by myself- I wasn’t married at the time. I had no kids and I’m not gonna lie to you… Sometimes, when you shower and you’re going to your bedroom you realize how alone in the world you are. All the high and the energy that was with you a few minutes ago, now it’s like you go into an all-time low. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of courage to come out of that… I probably didn’t understand it back in my time but I think I went through some of that anxiety and what I would call like a low depression.  Fortunately for me, I never got on the drugs or alcohol and all that sort of thing. I would you know, I would let the music raise me up and build me up, you know…”

THE JAI MASTER RETURNING TO HIS SOCA ROOTS

Jai’s 2024 offering, Soca Till I Die, sees him paying homage to the genre where he first started.

“From about 1996 to almost 2001 I did a lot of Soca songs, but it all flopped. I was actually trying to write my own soca songs and that proved to be very disastrous… What I’m trying to do now is to reconnect with my Soca music by using the writers like (KVG) Bjorn Graham, Jason ‘Shaft’ Bishop… using producers like Trini Baby (Vernice Herreira) to get that modern sound. The sound of soca has changed a lot… even the way even the way the songs are crafted and presented. It’s constantly changing to suit a younger generation, a generation that feels things differently, listens to stuff differently.”

While a hit single has its obvious benefits, Jai is learning that the new landscape also offers new opportunities and growth metrics for artistes.

“Last year, I had two songs, Socavivor and 868. It didn’t get a whole lot of airplay but for me, it was satisfying because it got acceptance. When I looked at the views on Julian promos and I looked on other places where people posted my songs, even on Spotify. For the first time in my life, I actually got money back from streams. You know, so it told me that what I was doing, while it wasn’t a major success, I was making the little strides that everybody wants to make in life because, you know, success is based on strides on steps. Right. So for me, Rikki Jai at this stage of my career I think that I’m making good strides with the new music, the new sound.

And while he remains teachable even at this juncture, the veteran has words of advice, too, for newer talents coming up.

“You jump into music, you better love this thing. This better not be a fad for you. It can’t be a thing where you perceive to see a man making money or famous and you want to be famous too. This is a bottomless pit. This is going to take your life’s earnings, all of your energy, all your willpower, it’s going to take everything from you to succeed. Only when you know that you have everything to give to this monster are you going to make it. Other than that, you might get a passing hit and we’ll never hear from you again. If you not passionate about this thing called Soca or Chutney or Kaiso then it doesn’t make sense. It’s not a part time love affair,” he ends.