Episode 249 | Stacey Sobers

We sit down with Stacey Sobers — calypsonian, actor, and entrepreneur — for an inspiring conversation on music, resilience, and community. Stacey shares her journey from growing up in Chaguanas to starring in Queen of the Road - Calypso Rose: The Musical, the untold story behind “Let Me Know When You’re Coming,” and the moment that shifted her from soca to calypso.

We talk about women in kaiso, mentorship, and the realities of competition at Skinner Park and the Savannah, her 2018 Calypso Queen win, and how she’s building her own sold-out concert brand Crackers & Cheese.

This episode is about more than music — it’s about gratitude, perseverance, and creating space for the next generation.

Click the link in my bio for the full episode.

#coriesheppardpodcast

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – Queen of the Road Calypso Rose musical

03:00 – Butterflies & nerves

04:20 – Exhaustion & rest

06:30 – Cast & band dynamics

07:12 – Learning lyrics

11:02 – “Let Me Know When You’re Coming”

13:20 – From soca to kaiso

20:00 – Party Time & early shows

21:05 – Family & Marlon Asher

23:00 – Competitions begin

24:30 – Voice training at COSTAATT

28:12 – Turning point after tragedy

31:20 – Winning Calypso Queen

36:10 – Challenges for women

43:00 – Skinner Park vs. Savannah

49:20 – Competing until 50

56:08 – “Respect the Tribe”

1:06:25 – Mentors & spiritual support

1:09:16 – Husband as manager

1:14:10 – Crackers & Cheese brand

1:18:14 – Pan at the centre

1:19:56 – Building sustainable shows

1:22:16 – Café Blue as hub

1:25:20 – Advice to young women

1:27:10 – Kaiso call & response

1:28:59 – Closing & Crackers & Cheese plug

Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting Stacey Sobers
• 16:10 Portraying Calypso Rose on Stage
• 43:41 From Dub to Soka to Calypso
• 1:07:17 Winning the National Calypso Queen Competition
• 1:25:15 Respect the Tribe: Creating Powerful Music
• 1:28:52 Crackers and Cheese: Building a Brand

Transcript

Corie Sheppard: 0:00

Hi, my name is Corey. David Wears once again insists that I introduce myself on this podcast, and today we have the great Stacey Sobers.

Stacey Sobers: 0:07

The great he said.

Corie Sheppard: 0:08

The great, the great, the great. People don't understand how long we're looking forward to this.

Stacey Sobers: 0:12

We've been looking forward to this for a while, I run for a while, I run for a while.

Corie Sheppard: 0:16

You run. Maybe it's David, we get your corner. Do we have you today?

Stacey Sobers: 0:19

I guess it's too early.

Corie Sheppard: 0:21

That's the idea. That's why we put you far from the door, so in case you try to run again, you can stop it.

Stacey Sobers: 0:24

You have me, I have it All right, beautiful, beautiful.

Corie Sheppard: 0:27

I tell my listeners for some time now that I came and I saw you in a play. Funny place to start. Right, we're supposed to be talking Kaizo and things.

Stacey Sobers: 0:33

It's Kaizo. It's Kaizo Rose musical.

Corie Sheppard: 0:41

Yeah. So my mother, my wife and I, we decided we're coming to Calypso Rose, we had to come and see this thing. And I seen big, big names on the bill. You know Names in Calypso, names in theater, names in music and things. When I see the band playing I say, nah boy, I had to see this and, of course, roma Spencer.

Corie Sheppard: 0:56

Right, you can't miss that. And I don't know if I could have bargained for what I was getting there that night. So how did I ask you about it? How did I ask you about preparation for that play?

Stacey Sobers: 1:08

Preparation for the play. But I've never really acted before Really. I did something in secondary school interracial marriage kind of thing. I was the lead female and I got Best Actress. That was the only time I ever acted in anything in that secondary school Between 91, 92, somewhere and Roma Spencer seemed to think that I look like and sound like Calypso Rose a little bit. So she said I don't know if you ever acted in here, but you is where I want to play Calypso Rose and I really jumped at the opportunity because it's Calypso Rose and I was. I really jumped at the opportunity because it's Calypso Rose. Of course it is Calypso Rose To live her life through her words Phenomenal.

Corie Sheppard: 1:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're handpicked to do this thing, yeah yeah, yeah. I think for people on the outside of it, like just the average consumer, it made sense immediately. When they advertise it and assist it, someone says yes, you're right.

Stacey Sobers: 2:05

I wanted to do such a great job at portraying the role. I studied the dance, the move, the voice, the nuances. I just wanted to get it perfect. I don't know if I did it perfect, but I think I was good.

Corie Sheppard: 2:19

You did it perfect. You did it perfect, if I could say so.

Stacey Sobers: 2:23

It was really nice learning her history, and from her mouth as well, because the research was done, the interviews were done, nice, yeah. So Roma really dug into the life and learning it off the script. Was it opened you up to know what that time was like and what this, how different it is now for female calypsonians? Um, I mean, there's still some struggles, but we've come a long way yeah thanks to calypso rose and people like singing francine and yeah, big, big sacrifices they were made.

Corie Sheppard: 2:57

So before we start I was telling you about nerves right on my end. I always will. When I see people who are seeing stage all my life and I get to sit down and talk to them, it could be intimidating. Are you intimidated at all going into that room?

Stacey Sobers: 3:08

The best will tell you if you don't get butterflies you're making no sense Serious. And I think if you're not getting butterflies, it's overconfident, and overconfidence has little mistakes For me. That's my theory, my thought. So I always get butterflies, I say no, I have a little butterfly as well, yeah. I mean, yeah, we do anything because we have to do the thing, you know.

Corie Sheppard: 3:29

They say do it scared. You know that's right. Yeah, you have to execute.

Stacey Sobers: 3:32

But at the end of the day, once it is done and people accept and appreciate it, I'm good.

Corie Sheppard: 3:39

Oh yeah, I'm good. Well, I think, well, well, I think the feedback again was great right, I'm not the only person telling you this.

Stacey Sobers: 3:51

And it humbles you. Yeah, it humbles you. I don't know how much more humble I could get. But yeah, it really humbles you to know that people appreciate the job that you did and the preparation that went into it, so let me talk preparation again because, again in a talking job myself I understand how tired you feel when you finish finished Like lecturing, for instance.

Corie Sheppard: 4:06

When you're done lecturing, you're tired, I can't move. So I left that central back auditorium with knowing that you had to do this two more nights. I said how's she going to make? What are you doing in terms of the time? Because you had to be exhausted after the full show.

Stacey Sobers: 4:19

I'm going to share something with you Like closing night or the night, the rehearsal before the closing night, because we had the dress rehearsal and stuff that rehearsal. I got into an accident going home because I was so tired, yeah, so tired. A little bouncy then, but it drains you. It drains you and rest is important. Rest is important. People Sleep, sleep, important people Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep.

Stacey Sobers: 4:48

If it's five, ten minutes, take a nap, but it's a lot of work. It is a lot of work and you need to mentally be prepared. You need to physically be prepared, you need to be emotionally prepared and once you're prepared, I guess everything will roll into place.

Corie Sheppard: 5:04

It will fall into place. Yeah, and I think it's such an important story that was being told, you know, Rose story, especially because they started at the origin. They started with young Rose. What was the actress' name? Again, Tara Howe. Yeah, she was Tara's phenomenon, something else, right?

Stacey Sobers: 5:19

Yeah, she just fell, fall into the role and the thing about her tara was doing everybody's part, like if she was in the role. So if somebody didn't come, tara would fall in the role and just do the person's part.

Corie Sheppard: 5:31

And the child is phenomenal hey, david, we had to get her, he is phenomenal and I I see great things in her future. Yeah, she was amazing and she said the tone for it, because again some things are stood out right. Is that tobago twang the? The accent, you know what I mean.

Stacey Sobers: 5:46

Or the feel the cadence yeah, I could agree.

Corie Sheppard: 5:49

Oh man, yeah, shit, shit. So I think, as the thing opened it started to, I think it's one of the things that we look for in movies, plays or series. You want to forget that you're watching actors. Yeah, yeah so it happened, and then you came out, and then when, by the time you come out, I don't think you leave the stage at all. It's like you.

Stacey Sobers: 6:05

Oh my god, it's in every scene, in every scene, in every scene. And, um, you see, the people that we had on the cast helpful, they push you, they push you, they push you. Yeah lines, you forget lines. Somebody know your lines. Come and tell you quick, yeah. So, um, I'm going to tell you quick. So it was a great cast. It was an awesome time working with these people. I mean, without them, I don't know where I'd be.

Corie Sheppard: 6:31

Yeah, and my eyesight done bad. When I look I say wait, no, they know. Alicia Drakus yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 6:36

Oh, Alicia was so double as the musical director.

Corie Sheppard: 6:39

I saw that, yeah, and she had a band with Michelle Henry.

Stacey Sobers: 6:42

Band is aces.

Corie Sheppard: 6:42

Yeah, yeah, and she had a band with Michelle Henry and they did a band is aces. So for a band right who played in a pit in a show, I would imagine that they have music scored, because one of these things I found to be very impressive as somebody who loved Kaizo an old time Kaizo at that, and Rose specifically the things were scored out precisely, precisely so they were playing original pieces, all them things, original key too.

Stacey Sobers: 7:02

No, majority of them would have been original keys and scored by Michelle, so yeah, so what?

Corie Sheppard: 7:10

But they watching scores right.

Stacey Sobers: 7:12

You are no people.

Corie Sheppard: 7:13

How you remember all them lyrics for all them sets of shoes.

Stacey Sobers: 7:16

I mean long time. I used to sit down and write out rap. It's kind of like the same thing, but my process is and it's been so since I started doing calypso read the lines, internalize the line, run a verse, learn a verse, add another verse and and the process, that's the process for me internalize, understand what it's saying so that I put it across the way it's supposed to be. And um yeah, um yeah, it's just just to make it your own, yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 7:46

I understood, understood, understood. So you ain't got no worries trying to remember like cause it had to be about 35 rules I heard Some children may know at all.

Stacey Sobers: 7:54

And a lot came out there. She cut out a lot of songs.

Corie Sheppard: 7:57

Serious.

Stacey Sobers: 7:58

Yeah, the the is ridiculously vast.

Corie Sheppard: 8:02

It is, and I feel I know her a little bit. But then I hear all your gone bellies and I was like what is this?

Stacey Sobers: 8:08

There were songs that I've never heard, never, never heard, like there was a song called Back to Africa.

Corie Sheppard: 8:14

That.

Stacey Sobers: 8:14

I never heard it and I ended up doing it in my jazz In one of my jazz shows, got it. So many songs come out from Rose and all beautiful, all, all, all beautiful.

Corie Sheppard: 8:24

Yeah, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that people caught a little glimpse into the early days. As you say, what women would have struggled with, Because I would assume we were talking before we start about getting things done right. You know you had to do it. However you feel. I feel the work important, you had to get it done, Correct. But thought, but when somebody likes Sparrow, I'm telling you hey, you know, a giant at the time telling you hey, and it was played perfectly that interaction between two of you.

Stacey Sobers: 8:51

And that was my favorite scene. I mean, I got most emotional for that scene because, hey, you're telling me dude, you know, let me stand up for myself, you from Grenada, you can't tell me nothing, but hey, I got really emotional for that part. So I think that was my best scene yeah yeah, I think that's my best scene. But the interaction between Sparrow and Rose I would have really liked to see that in person between them how they interacted if he was a fly on the wall because, remember, at two she would have emulated him man a lot of her moves her dance style.

Stacey Sobers: 9:24

She would have emulated him man. A lot of her moves, her dance, her style and stuff would have come from him, from watching him and learning from him. So their relationship. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall.

Corie Sheppard: 9:34

It's something else to see, especially when you reach the point where now you close in 10 times.

Stacey Sobers: 9:38

Hello, you feel it boss.

Corie Sheppard: 9:44

Yeah, that's exactly right. So you talk about writing rap something long time right. Where's your origin? How you start with artistry?

Stacey Sobers: 9:58

If I tell you, I started singing dancehall. We used to call it long time dub yeah, dub music. These were commonly local patria Around the time. My patria, yeah, because I was around the time. My patria was out when I started doing that entered party time in 1994, right singing with Michelle Mendoza and that group Black by Nature right so I started doing that.

Stacey Sobers: 10:18

But I I grew up in a pan yard. My father is pan and calypso, so it was always embedded in me I would do background vocals for my father. I did background vocals for Mr Mark's son, cleaver McDonnell, so I started in dub singing in dub. But that wasn't it. I did some rap so for some time with Shallon as well, under Karriga Mandela. They would have invited us to shows and stuff like that. So we would have done that kind of thing. But Calypso and Soka was the calling.

Stacey Sobers: 10:50

I would have been doing Soka, writing for myself, managing myself, doing the work until let me know when you're coming, came along.

Corie Sheppard: 11:02

Well, you carried me there. You carried me there early. I know you want to talk about it one time.

Stacey Sobers: 11:06

We can talk about it.

Corie Sheppard: 11:08

So it's one of them things where, since we spoke and you say a comment, I've been asking people who sing this song. You know what people get right? Zero, none. And I'm talking about people who know music, people who like kaiso, people who like soka, everybody get wrong girl.

Stacey Sobers: 11:23

A lot of people thought it was TC from. Tc is what.

Stacey Sobers: 11:27

Babidas a lot of people thought it was TC and I am not the frontish girl. I am not. I sing this song. I sing this song, this song. It's a good song. Everybody's enjoying this song. But I'm not putting myself on it to say I sing that. People just more say you know how much videos and whatsapp messages I get with the song when I play. Now that people know that I'm the singer of the song, but I I don't rate up myself some people finding out more now isn't?

Stacey Sobers: 11:55

it. No, because two have performed it. After Dirty Soulfish right come out and people realise that a song is like this, I started getting shows To perform this song. I see. So, yeah, so a lot of people Now know Gotcha. Oh that's the singer.

Corie Sheppard: 12:12

Oh, it's funny because my son A day. I come out In the living room A couple of years ago and I hear this man Singing a Paul Anka song and I say, but what? He's 12 now, eh, so that must be when he's eight, nine. I said, but you know the song and it's TikTok, because they get in the game. I heard him singing.

Stacey Sobers: 12:29

They're a pretty little baby. A lot of old music, a lot of old music.

Corie Sheppard: 12:33

Tiktok is you use them things and bring them back to life. So I feel like, if I wonder we have been in that kaiso TikTok Because I would not track is the same. So what was the origin of the song?

Stacey Sobers: 12:51

It was written by Gerald James and the song wasn't supposed to be for me. Somebody else was supposed to sing the song, but people who knew me in Enterprise. I'm from Enterprise. Enterprise home People who knew me in Enterprise. I know that I sing directly to the person who was managing or was looking for somebody to sing a song to me. And I mean he came and he asked me if I wanted to do the song and I listened to the song.

Stacey Sobers: 13:20

I was like not my kind of thing, but I'll do it and I do the song because I wasn't the. Wear the short pants.

Corie Sheppard: 13:28

Wind down kind of artist.

Stacey Sobers: 13:30

And the song needed that kind of vibe.

Corie Sheppard: 13:33

But you like it when it hits, you like the vibe, the song was nice.

Stacey Sobers: 13:36

The song was a good song and I ended up doing a duet with Snakey's brother, ashford Jazz, because it just needed that kind of extra boost to the song. Duet with Snakey's brother, ashford Jazz, right, because it just needed that kind of extra boost to the song, right. And we did the song. And the song didn't release in Trinidad, it was released in New York, I see, and yeah, so when it came back to Trinidad then people started to gravitate to the song. It was a good song.

Corie Sheppard: 14:07

They might have just song. It was a good song then, but it just it played, but no big recognition until yeah, no, that makes sense because if it released in new york, that's why I don't feel like I imported so much people, because I never and I've never said tc till you said. So I say, but I know it just feel beige, I feel up the islands, I feel like it come from somewhere. Yeah, you know, but your voice I don't know yeah what that voice?

Corie Sheppard: 14:24

that voice is something else, so so who it was supposed to be for you remember, kitty?

Stacey Sobers: 14:28

oh seriously, kitty, my good friend adana, that she was supposed to do that song yeah, but uh for some reason. I'm not sure why it fell true right, but she's from enterprise too so oh, nice, nice, nice I wasn't sure what was the reason for it falling through, but it fell into my lap when it fell.

Corie Sheppard: 14:47

Yeah, and it seemed to be that kind of song that it just keep bubbling, bubbling, bubbling. But now it's a classic right, it is In our culture.

Stacey Sobers: 14:53

It is. I mean, people send videos from beach lines. It's ridiculous the amount of videos and stuff that I get with this one because it plays everywhere at any given time. On a weekend I could turn on the radio any radio station not the gospel ones though. Yeah, yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 15:11

I might not, I might not fit, I might not fit the format right and here let me know when you're coming yeah any radio station yeah, or any fet because Carnival. There's no chance of Carnival Saturday coming and it's have them big fetters, be like brainwash or pink neck, or them boat rides and thing, or Carnival.

Stacey Sobers: 15:28

Sunday morning breakfast parties, the youths now them listening to that like if it now come out, like it now come out and it sounds fresh, it sounds fresh.

Corie Sheppard: 15:36

It's the opening, though. Yeah, boy, I mean you attack the opening.

Stacey Sobers: 15:40

It is. It's almost like you must stop and listen to it but I am, I do, I do dub plates with it. So a lot of people, oh, you do yeah, yeah, yeah, I had to make it work, man, david, gotta make it work, gotta make it work, yeah it's perfection.

Corie Sheppard: 15:57

It's perfection, one of them, classics, and it's something that you perform and things still.

Stacey Sobers: 16:00

I do it. I do it. I do it um. Depending on the nature of the show, I will do it right, what's your yeah, the nature of the show.

Corie Sheppard: 16:07

I feel you should abandon that to you like somebody was talking to about a song. Oh, it was um mevon. He was talking about producing his song pone annie for rope. And I said boy, this smarty, 10 christmas time and he said here you see it right.

Corie Sheppard: 16:21

Yeah, he was right because when I see the comments when I post this song, many, many people in comments saying well, I never even know it was that, so I would. I would be surprised if people could we just ask around lemon, when you're coming. People singing that not really thinking I don't yeah, the double answer is not um recognized.

Stacey Sobers: 16:38

Well, a lot of people don't really take it on them, just saying what they hear.

Corie Sheppard: 16:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, classic, classic, classic, so early enterprise. You say you're born in a pannier, you live that, so that's pretty much in you.

Stacey Sobers: 16:50

Yeah, absolutely.

Corie Sheppard: 16:51

Stage is comfortable by that time.

Stacey Sobers: 16:53

By that time absolutely.

Corie Sheppard: 16:54

And what kind of ages are you talking about? When you're uncomfortable on stage already.

Stacey Sobers: 17:05

Nine ten, any artist in Trinidad. If they ain't start in church, if they ain't play this thing on the concert stage in church, there's something wrong. So that's your start, that's my start, that's my absolute start in church. And then in secondary school, like I went to Shigonaz Junior Second at the time, that was the name of it, so secondary school my friends decided that they want to write a calypso for me to sing because I was a singer, and they write a song called Tell them no. It was a song about drugs.

Stacey Sobers: 17:28

And this is me on the stage singing Tell them no. Tell them no. Tell them a big fat no. Tell them no. Tell them no. Take your cocaine and go. Since then, I saw Since then, and the amazing thing is that these people that I went to school with still follow me, come to my shows, all that kind of thing. So, yeah, yeah, it's them four. So they had a.

Corie Sheppard: 17:54

I hope they don't come to this show clapping faces and tell them no so people don't let it go.

Stacey Sobers: 17:58

I will tell them no. I will tell them no, but yeah, so primary school, secondary school, yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 18:08

In it by then.

Stacey Sobers: 18:09

Yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 18:09

And when you're starting to take it as something you're going to do.

Stacey Sobers: 18:14

I guess In, not Swaka particularly, but Not Calypso or Swaka, particularly when I started doing the Dub.

Corie Sheppard: 18:23

Right.

Stacey Sobers: 18:23

And entered Party Time, I said yeah, music is it, music is it? When I started doing the dub and entered party time, I said yeah, music is it, music is it. Forget the listen and the air hostess thing. What you wanted to do yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 18:35

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 18:36

So Caribbean.

Corie Sheppard: 18:36

Airlines and the missiles and you boy imagined that. Yeah, absolutely.

Stacey Sobers: 18:39

I could be doing the ads and all kind of thing, Life could have been different. Yeah, but from party time, because you get a sense of self and know that this is something that could make you.

Corie Sheppard: 18:55

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 18:55

Yeah, and I've since then pursued the music wholeheartedly, I mean managing yourself trying to get in this door, that door, this door, that door, and I mean, yeah, not easy, this door, that door.

Corie Sheppard: 19:05

And I mean yeah, not easy right.

Stacey Sobers: 19:06

Yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 19:07

Yeah, Ozzy Merrick was here and was talking about Party Time For younger people. Now I wonder if you could talk about what importance Party Time was in that generation.

Stacey Sobers: 19:15

Listen. For us, then, party Time was the biggest show. I mean not just for the artists but for people at home, people running inside to watch pastime Saturday morning. But it was a release for most. It was a stepping stone for a lot and it was that platform that gave you a voice, that platform that showed case the talent and not just showcase the talent. But where the support came from? Because the people on our show they supported you they pushed you Brian Haynes, linus Pitt behind the camera.

Stacey Sobers: 19:55

You got the support and it was. I think it was a stepping stone for a lot of performers from that era and a lot of.

Corie Sheppard: 20:02

We're still in the music now, so that just tells you the grounding that we got from that that particular series yeah, it was that era, you know, because even and I'm not sure what is I always look for like what is there now, like what is the equivalent when you watch Party Time 12 and under, what was Teen Talent?

Stacey Sobers: 20:20

Teen Talent, mastana Bahar. I don't even know where they are now.

Corie Sheppard: 20:24

I mean they did.

Stacey Sobers: 20:25

They did the Rising Star and that's gonna be B-Mobile something.

Corie Sheppard: 20:30

B-Mobile had sponsored Synergy's Soca Star, I believe. Soca Star, yeah, and even now, when you talk to the youth, you know who in Soca, like so much of them, passionate. I wonder if they're still.

Stacey Sobers: 20:39

I remember doing background vocals for Second Star.

Corie Sheppard: 20:42

Seriously yeah, yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 20:44

Yeah, yeah, how'd that connection come about?

Corie Sheppard: 20:47

His mother, Ah, I see, I see, I got you His mother, she calling me pros, she knows she had a plan Come from good stuff.

Stacey Sobers: 20:54

His mother, his mother.

Corie Sheppard: 20:56

So going through? You're not going through the usual Trinbago thing where parents telling you go and do a counting and thing they're glad to see you in the arts.

Stacey Sobers: 21:05

My father is self-taught. He's had what three, four pan sides. He's co-founder of Tropical Angel Apps. My late brother, kevin Glenford Sobers Pan. My other brother, marlon Asher oh, you know Marlon Asher the reggae singer.

Corie Sheppard: 21:24

David, we're not researching this. We're figuring out this as we go along.

Stacey Sobers: 21:27

Malan Asha, that's my pick up. He's two years older than me.

Corie Sheppard: 21:32

Listen. I just want to say that this is not pretend. Now, right, you guys pretend to be surprised. This is not nowhere here.

Stacey Sobers: 21:38

People know this, a lot of people know, but it's not something that, like I said, not the bossy type, not the that's why we're here. Yeah, humble is the word. I don't know no other way. I don't know no other way. This is the only way people know about Stacey and things like that Good Interviews and stuff like that because as a homebody I have home, but the others tell people I always home. I like to be in my place, Love to be in my place.

Corie Sheppard: 22:08

That's a good sign. Can I any same?

Stacey Sobers: 22:09

boat and if I, if I have shows, I, if I, I would do the show and leave Right, yeah, cause I, I just want to head home. No, but back to back to the to. Back to the question. Yeah, so I grew up in the panyard. My father did calypso. He sang in the south end Jokul under Subike Jokul, so it's always been embedded in me. So my parents had no issues with me wanting to pursue music and my other brother. He used to play with Chantal Esdell and Moyen.

Corie Sheppard: 22:40

He's co-founder of Moyen Got it.

Stacey Sobers: 22:42

Yeah, they must be proud yeah, so the music has always, it's always been it yeah, no issue there.

Corie Sheppard: 22:50

Yeah, so you're going from that, you're going from those stages, you're going from church, you're going to school and so on. When, what do you say, is the first time you see yourself as a professional musician? Now you're getting paid to play or you're entering competitions.

Stacey Sobers: 23:02

Yeah. So competition. I started entering the NMAC National Calypso Queen competition. I did some soccer competitions. I did part soccer monarch. I made semifinals twice.

Corie Sheppard: 23:20

Soccer monarch is soccer monarch, right? Oh it was. It was, I don't know more.

Stacey Sobers: 23:25

I made sem mistakes twice, but it wasn't doing the calypso tent. That solidified it for me and that came about with let me know when you're coming, dr Rudolph Utley. Yeah, so me. And he told my agents at that time to bring me to the audition. We went to the audition and we were successful and started performing in the tents and from that year I knew that was it this year so dub and thing you go.

Corie Sheppard: 23:55

Dub to soaker. Your intention is to stay in a genre at that time. Have you a genre lesser one of them? Have you a genre less Obvious?

Stacey Sobers: 24:01

genre-less, boundary-less Music has been my life, and music is the one thing that moves me from a down place to an up place. It doesn't matter what type of music, what genre of music, there's always something that speaks to me in a moment, in a particular moment I could be going through something, some particular kind of music. So you're fine, I gravitate to any kind of music, but singing the different genres. I went to Custat and I was a voice major and I had to do the different genres.

Corie Sheppard: 24:33

It explains a lot.

Stacey Sobers: 24:34

Yes, so you're fine with that. Now I had a better appreciation for the different genres. I mean, I like music, but after that course I like music like what he, but after that, um, that course I really um fell into my own little liking the different genres or performing the different genres.

Corie Sheppard: 24:53

Got you. I don't know I'll come back to that right but when you do, when you're a voice major, what are the classes you're listening all day? What were you working on?

Stacey Sobers: 25:01

Um working on everything, everything vocal. Um, working on a technique, working on everything, everything vocal. You're working on a technique. You're working on Different registers, Working on keys, working on harmonies, working on Different Genres of music Classical yeah, classical was the most challenging, but I love classical. Classical is the most challenging To death, love it to death, yeah, but yeah, I mean Everything, performance, all that falls into the, into the, into the amics.

Corie Sheppard: 25:30

I understand Now. I understand why you could go on stage for three, four hours, with a play, three nights a week, and you could survive this thing. It's starting to make some sense.

Stacey Sobers: 25:37

And the training, the training really helped. It really, it really helped.

Corie Sheppard: 25:40

I can imagine Avi Adonga is one of the most unique voices in Calypso. I can imagine Avi Adonga is one of the most unique voices in Calypso, really yeah. So when again, just listening to the song, and I was saying, because I do any research before I contact people, I start to look up, right, yeah, and it's let me know when they come and keep coming up, and I was like, nah, not that Stacey's so buzzed, you know what I'm saying. But when you, it took me back immediately to that Calypso Rose play.

Stacey Sobers: 26:03

Hear the voice, the tone, it really can't hide and I think a lot of people commented that if you close your eye you won't know the difference. But I don't know yeah, no, because. I'm not really hearing it, hearing myself in the, but I mean I did my best with it.

Corie Sheppard: 26:20

I did my best with it yeah, before we move forward from that right One of the things I find unique saying don't any audiences and I wonder if I'm making it up in my head or not. I felt like if your voice was changing from her earliest years to when she started getting established as queen.

Stacey Sobers: 26:38

So I think what happened with that is the first center of the play that was done in Canada, the premiere that was done in Canada. I played Young Rules, I see, so you find I had to.

Corie Sheppard: 26:53

I had to grow up I understand.

Stacey Sobers: 26:55

I had to grow up, change your voice from age nine to 16 to 20. So I think I think that process kind of um made me aware of the different voice tones and that kind of thing.

Corie Sheppard: 27:10

So it's deliberate.

Stacey Sobers: 27:11

Yeah, okay, it has to be.

Corie Sheppard: 27:13

I was already making it up in my mind it has to be deliberate dude. It has to be deliberate. It's your intention.

Stacey Sobers: 27:20

Yeah, I mean to make it believable, you have to put that effort. I guess that's my thing. I think so. I mean to make it believable, you have to put that effort. I guess that's my thing I think so I'm with you.

Corie Sheppard: 27:28

So you're in the tent now, but you're doing what would be. I'm too little generalist. So kaisa and soka, all the things are the same thing to me, but let me know when you're coming, people already see that as a soka. So what are you doing? What tent are you at?

Stacey Sobers: 27:40

at. I was at Classic Russo.

Corie Sheppard: 27:42

Classic Russo.

Stacey Sobers: 27:43

Classic Russo. I did Classic Russo for two seasons singing Sokka, and then Dr Hattie opened Divas Calypso Cabaret International in 2004. And when I went over there still doing Sokka.

Corie Sheppard: 27:58

Yeah, really.

Stacey Sobers: 27:59

Still doing Sokka. I started doing Calypso probably in 2014. Oh, really. Like official calypso.

Corie Sheppard: 28:12

So what's?

Stacey Sobers: 28:12

doing soccer all the time.

Corie Sheppard: 28:13

Something making you make that switch or what caused you to head to that direction.

Stacey Sobers: 28:20

I just gravitated. It was a natural switch. I just gravitated. It was a natural switch. In 2014, there was an incident at my house in Enterprise where my sister, my nephew, two nephews and my father were shot. Yeah, and I stopped writing. I would have been writing soca. I stopped writing. I had a block, a stupid block that just wasn't going out. And in 2015, my girlfriend, tamiko Inesha Moore, spicy, she said I told her. I said I don't have anything to sing, you know. And she said I have a song. And she gave me a song and I entered Queen's competition with the song and placed fourth and I decided that Calypso had to be it. This had to be it because, one, I'm not writing for myself. Two, I'm not going around nobody to write no song that everybody will. I want to sing Calypso.

Corie Sheppard: 29:21

Okay.

Stacey Sobers: 29:25

I want to sing Calypso. I want to sing Calypso. Okay, I want to sing.

Corie Sheppard: 29:30

Calypso. So I decided then that Calypso was the genre that I'm going to make most important Mm-hmm.

Stacey Sobers: 29:36

Yeah, so from then you're going to the center Calypso. That's all Mm-hmm, apart from doing the jazz shows and the other. It got me into a space after the incident, got me into a space of self-searching.

Corie Sheppard: 30:09

And I think a lot of people are searching for self and Calypso has so much messages to put across and put out that I felt that I could use this platform to touch. Soca might be a little limited Well, I don't know if it's limited, necessarily but Calypso, whatever kind of message you want to send.

Stacey Sobers: 30:19

Calypso can do it, and I tend to gravitate more to female stuff. I don't know if it's because of the incident, but I feel that sharing information with women about self and awareness and that kind of thing is important. It's important especially in these times.

Corie Sheppard: 30:41

Of course, of course, of course. The time's changing right In these times. It's not the Trinidad and Tobago we once knew and we had a change. We're the grown-ups now. Somebody said we're the big people now. We're the big people now, yeah, imagine that I was. No, noah Turin. No, noah Turin, it's a lot of adults.

Stacey Sobers: 30:56

Yeah, in Calypso is more forceful. I mean, I can tell you, hey, you're doing real shippiness without telling you you're doing real shippiness. You will understand that you're doing shippiness when I don't tell you what I'm telling you.

Corie Sheppard: 31:12

Yeah, especially with a voice like yours, it's cut through the noise when you say things it's rich places. So you went on to win that NWA competition.

Stacey Sobers: 31:20

Yes, in 2018. Also won the Calypso Queen of Queens of the Caribbean in St Kitts Nevis in that same year.

Corie Sheppard: 31:29

Gotcha, what was the song?

Stacey Sobers: 31:30

Queens and Kings, queens and Kings. That song was written by Kurt Allen.

Corie Sheppard: 31:38

Good, good good Produced by what's the man's name?

Stacey Sobers: 31:45

What's his name named? What's his name? What's his name? Kenny? Oh this Kenny, oh that fellow that dude oh man if you, if you ever watch this interview.

Corie Sheppard: 31:56

You will call me. You will call. I should send it to him first.

Stacey Sobers: 32:00

Yeah, hey, kenny, kenny, kenny, like nothing better.

Corie Sheppard: 32:04

But yeah, what's your feeling then, when you same person yeah, hey, kenny, kenny, kenny like nothing better, yeah, but yeah, what's your feeling then when you actually win?

Stacey Sobers: 32:11

I've been knocking for a while. I've been knocking for a while, entering the competition. Sometimes I make the semis, sometimes I make it to the final.

Corie Sheppard: 32:20

Right.

Stacey Sobers: 32:22

It was time and I remember the night of the competition too. So many things went wrong. Our wardrobe malfunctioned, my husband had to put me in a corner and pep talk me. He's pep talking me on one side and the makeup artist is pep talking me as she's doing the makeup. Because I want to cry, because my pants have a hole and my pants not fitting properly and my jacket is tight, I cannot raise my hand. If you ever look at our videos me raising my hand, I cannot Because of the clothes Funny kind of way because that night, too many things where I had to win yeah, man, I had to win.

Corie Sheppard: 33:01

Well, congrats, you catched up, yeah, man.

Stacey Sobers: 33:04

And then we was good about the night too. When I finished singing I went out to the back of Queen's Hall and singer Sandra came out of the back.

Corie Sheppard: 33:16

She said if, you win tonight, I'm going to lock some big stone in this place.

Stacey Sobers: 33:19

What she is? She in the competition or she just checking out? No, she just came to the end. She said I'm going to lock some big stones in this place. You remind me of myself on that stage tonight, daughter. If you win a pelting stone, I'll tell you.

Corie Sheppard: 33:32

Yeah that's heavy weight, heavy weight, heavy weight.

Stacey Sobers: 33:36

And when you get them kind of endorsements, what?

Corie Sheppard: 33:40

are you going to do boy?

Stacey Sobers: 33:40

Yeah, you have to hold on to that. What are you going to do? What are you going to do about it? Yeah, you have to hold on to that. What are you going to do? What are you going to do?

Corie Sheppard: 33:46

I think it says something for you, especially because of your your stance on advancing women. Yeah, you know. So who are some of those influences for you in women in Calypso?

Stacey Sobers: 33:54

Oh, Calypso Rose Singing Sandra Tig. I'm singing Francine Karen Eccles, Karen Eccles, Karen Eccles, I call her name. She's tiny, it's strange, but I like Destra. Yeah, yeah, I like Destra. I like Destra's style because she also does a different genre.

Corie Sheppard: 34:19

Yeah, I don't find it so strange. It's very similar.

Stacey Sobers: 34:22

Yeah, yeah, destra's my girl.

Corie Sheppard: 34:24

Destra's my real girl.

Stacey Sobers: 34:26

Yeah, that's why she used to go to my grandfather's church, her and her family More people grew up singing in church. Yeah, yeah, but a lot of Marva's Marva, a lot of those people would have influenced me and the type of music I wanted to do.

Corie Sheppard: 34:45

So I guess people would have influenced me and the type of music I wanted to do. So I guess you would have always gravitated to a diva's tent Whoever created that. You was always heading the kind of way.

Stacey Sobers: 34:50

Well, it pulled me.

Corie Sheppard: 34:51

I see, come on, let's hear it.

Stacey Sobers: 34:52

Yeah, it pulled me, but it has been a really good journey working with the women at the tent, because you get to see the growth and you get to be a part of that and they come for advice. They ask you for advice and it's so refreshing and humbling to be able to say hey, no, this isn't working, so try this way, or I feel I should do this and when it works for them, they come and they say thanks for this and thanks, it's beautiful.

Corie Sheppard: 35:21

It's a strange thing in life. See you talking about tigers and marvelous and all of them and you know when they see, people sort of watch you. So now is that weird that is the thing.

Stacey Sobers: 35:32

Because I am, I'm good with tigers. Tigers will call me, I could call tigers and talk to that kind of thing. Marvelous people like Marilyn Williams, people that you never thought you would have that kind of relationship, closeness with. And there's people you're watching and admire from afar, but like being in the calypso industry and knowing these people the word comes again. It is humbling.

Corie Sheppard: 35:57

I with you it is humbling is it as difficult a business as they say? Because what you portray on stage there so well, people watching it. Now we don't know what that era is. Or rose went through, but in your era now is it so difficult for women?

Stacey Sobers: 36:11

is the same issues you're facing, or um, there's a lot of the same thing, it's just done differently. For instance, I was talking to my husband this morning. I said, afi, let's go come up. And I'd come up. So I remember singing in a band and I thought I was doing a fabulous job. I mean my voice, good, body banging, because I wasn't 2 to 50 yet and I was told it's a black girl with a nose ring and a rash and no sex appeal.

Corie Sheppard: 36:49

As women, as a man, tell you that, of course.

Stacey Sobers: 36:53

It didn't break me. It broke me in the moment. I cry in the moment but I think that propelled me to push harder. That propelled me to push harder and I see the individual that made the comment and I was like I perform on stage but you know I share stages with all of you and. I am doing well, I'm doing this thing my way. So, wherever that was, then thank you very much, because dude that breaking anybody but this is the thing, huh, the words from certain.

Corie Sheppard: 37:30

Like you bring up kenny, right, kenny, when he was here, tell me he said you're going to build a studio home and less than paul say you're going mad. Then once people like that say words like that, I mean it might be meant to hurt, but in your case it's something like it meant to hurt but it might be meant to hurt you. Just people doubts. Yeah it, it's not meant to hurt you. It might not be meant to hurt you, it's just people's doubts yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 37:46

It's like that could break you as you say Of course. So what do you think is happening to you that's making that turn you into who you are? Me?

Stacey Sobers: 37:53

I am. I'm kind of hard-headed, I kind of I like to leave things up to God. My husband asked me the other day nothing, no matter you, he should be glad. I was like he shouldn't bring that up. I wish I was like I said why happen it? Why happen it? If it had a change, it will change. Whatever is to be will be. I mean, you do what you can if you can to change the situation, but if water more than flour, they get Jesus. Yeah, this is yours.

Corie Sheppard: 38:32

You're no longer yours to carry.

Stacey Sobers: 38:36

Yeah, I am. I deal with that kind of thing quickly.

Corie Sheppard: 38:42

It has to be a quick turnaround for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you got to move on to it.

Stacey Sobers: 38:45

Yeah, I have to. I put a lot of things in the back of my mind, a lot of things of course because these things I fight yeah yeah. I know I'm not doing that kind of fight gotcha, I'm not doing that kind of fight. So yeah, hold on to that, jesus.

Corie Sheppard: 39:02

Let me know when I'm done with it when, let me know and I'll take it back then and I'll show you how many many stories like that.

Stacey Sobers: 39:09

So I guess the divas stands important to you from that standpoint as well and it's good to see the women thriving and doing the best and reaching the semi-finals and reaching the finals and following their dreams and achieving we're talking about this in the midst of two very popular soccer artists Calypso, whatever you want to call them now fighting.

Corie Sheppard: 39:28

What I don't understand is the greatest fight I ever see. I see out of the blue J Angel and J Dale Stato.

Stacey Sobers: 39:36

I don't follow. I do not follow. Oh, you stay out of the whole thing. I do not follow, I just hear.

Corie Sheppard: 39:40

By the way, yeah, we had to get into the details of it. I have a little social media spat between two of them. I wonder sometimes, because the average person who see a tent or a business or anything where they say it's only women, the first thing people go ask is hey, where's this scene backstage, everybody getting along? Is that a nice space?

Stacey Sobers: 39:59

I mean, I mean the Everybody different. You have to learn people One. Sometimes you could be having a bad day and you act a certain way, but that's not really how you intend to act. Things just bother you. All you need is somebody to come and say, whatever it is, it'll pass. Okay, and over the years, divas has been a support system for each woman. Okay, okay, and I've. Over the years, divas has been a support system for each woman. Mm-hmm, every woman that come into Divas could tell you that it's a family unit. You don't have to back and all that thing here. Okay, where woman is that back?

Corie Sheppard: 40:43

Mm-hmm.

Stacey Sobers: 40:44

You don't have that.

Corie Sheppard: 40:45

Yeah, that's by design too. You don't have that. Yeah, that's by design too.

Stacey Sobers: 40:48

It don't have that. It don't have that. But when you're falling and you get the kind of support from management and the ladies who have been in the tent over the years, you don't want to go nowhere. You don't want to go nowhere because I mean you could go other places, you might even sing, you could get benched, but divorce is a family. It's a family and I think that is one of the things that Dr Utley meant it to be A safe space for women to hone their craft, and that's what they have.

Corie Sheppard: 41:21

Yeah, the stories from women in the tent era, when the tent was in the heyday, when it's um, it's kaisa house and hideaway and spectacular, and the stories from women in that era right here, with some of the names we know now, you know, I mean some of the biggest names in calypso and things.

Stacey Sobers: 41:37

now, when you hear it, it shocked, only being in the circuit now, that after doing the Calypso Roadshow you hear so much different things.

Corie Sheppard: 41:48

Oh, I would imagine it would be very good to tell stories.

Stacey Sobers: 41:51

Oh yeah, so I don't have any stories to tell. I don't want to ask someone. Okay, good, good, okay, but I'm just saying you learn so much. Of course you learn so much.

Corie Sheppard: 42:00

So there people should document them. I mean, we just hide and talk and turn that out.

Stacey Sobers: 42:05

And we don't do that, and that's one of our downfalls. We need to talk to the people who have the information, archive it so that we have generations coming up.

Corie Sheppard: 42:14

Like you like now.

Stacey Sobers: 42:15

Yeah, yeah, that's the idea.

Corie Sheppard: 42:16

That's the general idea. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're coming out as competition winner, home and abroad because that was and you at that time, you already in eucalyptus on our competition.

Stacey Sobers: 42:29

Yeah, I've been entering. Yeah, yeah, I've been entering.

Corie Sheppard: 42:30

I would have made my first semi-final in 2016 to an attribute to um black stallion yeah, yeah, we already on one song.

Stacey Sobers: 42:39

Uh, finals by that, yeah yeah, so I do attribute to black stallion called one Love. It was written by GB and produced by Wayne Bruno. Oh, nice, nice. Later in, that was my first semifinals. It was as good as getting to the finals. I didn't make the finals, it was as good as you just want to touch that semifinals.

Corie Sheppard: 43:03

You say Skinner Park is a benchmark. Absolutely it is Special place it is. I mean getting to the finals, to touch that semifinals. You say Skinner Park is a benchmark, so semifinals.

Stacey Sobers: 43:08

It is special place, it is, I mean, getting to the finals. You're done there, you're done in the top 12 or wherever. But to make it out of 100 and how much ever? People and get that testing going in San Fernando there and be accepted crowd make noise. So you, you ain't got no toilet paper. Yeah, did you escape that? Oh yeah, I've been escaping it. No, jinx it. Oh, you ain't got none yet.

Corie Sheppard: 43:31

No, jinx it alright, let me no jinx it here, no let me.

Stacey Sobers: 43:35

No jinx it, but it's. The Skinner Park stage has been good to me. I mean, I made the final three times, but I love the Skinner Park what was your experience that first time?

Corie Sheppard: 43:43

How were you holding it together to go out of them time? Because you went Skinner Park, skinner Park nothing new built Skinner Park.

Stacey Sobers: 43:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah, skinner Park, Skinner Park, skinner Park, skinner Park. It was nerve wracking and I just wanted to go out there and leave everything on the stage and the song. The song meant a lot. It meant a lot because Dr Kelly should have been sick at that time. So, and he had been a support system when I was, when I started with divorce, we were at mass camp, the house at mass camp, and he would be there night or ten, only night or ten, on the night or ten, when he had nothing else. I guess to do.

Stacey Sobers: 44:31

Come down and he's standing by that back door in Mass Camp I don't know if you're familiar and you're going out and he taps you on the shoulder and says get him. And when you come out he says great job. And then in between, you know he would have little tips, little things to tell you and I appreciated them so much. I appreciated him especially and doing that song, doing that song, I felt like, yeah, he felt, he felt it as well, you know.

Corie Sheppard: 44:58

And imagine I hear many people talk about that because people don't know he live in one block from Skinner Park. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, that's the thing on your mind when you go in there. For me, the thing that you hear when that breeze blows.

Stacey Sobers: 45:08

You may be listening and then too, in front of the stage was Aunty Patsy in front of the stage, eh well, and Joni, but yeah and yeah, once you get ahead now, you're good, yeah, yeah he would.

Corie Sheppard: 45:23

He seemed to be. All these stories about him tend to be along those lines yeah, you hear a lot of people talk about.

Corie Sheppard: 45:28

You know he called them for the first time. I had one experience with him. We were following about the band we play all the time, kaiso, and we get started to perform for something, for press boys. So now I had a pickup start. Everything went wrong like what you're talking about. Right, I picked this man up. Am I frightened because this is bun them and think this man my car now I am worried and boy with me driving across Superior Street. Now a lady like she lose control of her car, reverse and hit somebody. It's just chaos.

Corie Sheppard: 45:52

I told you yeah, yeah, and he in the car there and I think, can I cause all this? I was like what the hell is going on here and I always remember being, you know, shaken up by the incident, perform and thing, and I don't know if you see it in my young anything. He said boy, just hold it. He said, you know what you're doing. You hold it. He let me play it in life. He said just hold it, you know no rush, no rush in that message cool as ever.

Corie Sheppard: 46:13

Cool as ever and what's right, as important to us, that, um, you know the bowl could be dark, young stage, you can't see the crowd, you can't see backstage. So we kind of between little curtain and he sang his part and he come off and the choir had a long thing to play to sing after, and then they came off and he was standing up right there waiting to shake everybody's heart.

Stacey Sobers: 46:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he was just that kind of support in the contenting. That was the man.

Corie Sheppard: 46:36

Yeah, so it feels as though some of the things that you're conscious of, some of them for women and divas now, Absolutely, and it is important Not just for me but for them to do the same, going forward, right, you know?

Stacey Sobers: 46:52

that kind of way. So you want them to have a good experience, you want them to do good, you want them to succeed. You know it's important.

Corie Sheppard: 47:02

It's important, it's important, it's important. So when is the first time on the final stage now?

Stacey Sobers: 47:08

It's important the support.

Corie Sheppard: 47:10

The support is important. I with you. So when is the first?

Stacey Sobers: 47:11

time on the final stage now, um whoo, it's so custom. I can't remember. I can't remember Too good.

Corie Sheppard: 47:15

That is when life going good.

Stacey Sobers: 47:18

Listen.

Corie Sheppard: 47:18

According to him, you're doing the thing.

Stacey Sobers: 47:21

Calypso Capital.

Corie Sheppard: 47:22

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 47:24

Calypso Capital.

Corie Sheppard: 47:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Calypso Capital, yeah, yeah you're in there. Yeah, you remember my experience on the big stage. You feel the same. Listen for final.

Stacey Sobers: 47:32

I was crying through the song and the song is not no song is not no is not no social comment. She's like what it's Calypso Capital it's gonna and you're singing and tears. It was a beautiful experience.

Corie Sheppard: 47:47

That was Skinner Park or Savannah. Savannah Also your tears yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 47:51

I cried through this song. I cried through this song. I cried through this song. I cried through this song. It's surreal, at that moment I hear you make it. I know I say just now Skinner Park is it? But that accomplishment is an is an accomplishment. I mean, you want to, you want to to have that under your belt, you know.

Corie Sheppard: 48:12

so yeah, yeah how big is the difference between the two for people to do the two stages? Because Skinner Park seems to me to be. I find Skinner Park to be difficult and intimidating.

Stacey Sobers: 48:21

Skinner Park is intimidating. I mean you're closer to the people.

Corie Sheppard: 48:26

one oh yeah, I suppose.

Stacey Sobers: 48:27

And it's not. It's not people sitting on the front of the car in the stands, it's people who drink all day and eat, and their opinions will come out on toilet paper or a plaque.

Corie Sheppard: 48:43

And it happens slow enough.

Stacey Sobers: 48:45

It is Listen.

Corie Sheppard: 48:46

It happens slow and then all at once see people get it it is.

Stacey Sobers: 48:49

It is nerve wracking, it is intimidating, but, like I said, you're closer to the crowd, so you have that kind of because the adrenaline is. But on the other stage, you know, I mean you have the opportunity to come out calm and people far from you you ain't really seeing no body face, you ain't know who drinking stag, who drinking kai, who drinking who have an orange peel in their hand. It's more relaxing. I mean, it's the same stress because you have to perform and you're competing or whatever, but it's a different stage.

Corie Sheppard: 49:21

It's a different stage. Yeah, and it's something you intend to keep doing. You like the competition. It's important to you.

Stacey Sobers: 49:26

So I've been saying like I tell you it's 2 to 50. And I've decided that at age 50, I'm not going to enter no competition.

Corie Sheppard: 49:33

You're going to 2 to 50?. Every time you say it, my mind thinking what's 2 to 50?

Stacey Sobers: 49:40

I am not. I don't want to be in competition after age 50 at age 50, that is my last year.

Corie Sheppard: 49:48

God willing, god bless me to do it.

Stacey Sobers: 49:51

That will be my last year singing competition. Right, I will continue to do the tent, I will continue to make music.

Corie Sheppard: 49:58

But yeah, serious yeah oh man, I want to see everyone win, you know well, I mean win you win, yeah you're done. Yeah, I mean win you win, yeah you're done.

Stacey Sobers: 50:06

Yeah, I mean I accomplished a lot. It's good to to have the monarch under you. Like to win the monarch? I think my year, I think my year to win the monarch was was over here.

Corie Sheppard: 50:21

Let me see if we are lying.

Stacey Sobers: 50:22

No, no no, I'm done. I'm done. Yeah, but I'm, I'm given it. You didn't tell me it was the year 2021, 2024?

Corie Sheppard: 50:31

You didn't tell me.

Stacey Sobers: 50:31

What did?

Corie Sheppard: 50:31

you say I can't remember, I can't ask him. So whatever happened, that is that. But you're entering from now until the. You said 2 to 50. Are you sure it's 6 or 7 to 50, just in case no, 7 to 55 nah oh man. So why is it to just make space for you? What is it? What is it?

Stacey Sobers: 50:52

and that has been it mmhmm yeah mmhmm leave it for the yeah and that age I relax oh man, I'm disappointed as a fan.

Corie Sheppard: 51:04

Why disappointed as?

Stacey Sobers: 51:05

a fan, why I don't understand. But yeah, I understand because I like.

Corie Sheppard: 51:10

I hear the arguments about all music and the competition thing and does it hurt or does it help, or what will you take? Let me ask your thoughts for me is not.

Stacey Sobers: 51:19

It's not a matter of not winning or not. I mean, for a lot of people who have been doing the competition for years and never even make a semi-final, I'm assuming that it will hurt more than anything. But for me it's not about winning or losing. It's about doing good music and putting all the good music and positive music to uplift people and sharing a message. So you're fine, I can do that without the competition. I can do it without the competition no doubt about that.

Corie Sheppard: 51:53

That is true, and I wonder sometimes, you know, when you look at one of my things with the competition, I tell people is just as a fan. I see I was saying this to Maximus when they won the road match with Fulix Street and he was out of the competition a long time ago Because, like you, I think he had a year where he couldn't loss but he lost. You know what I mean. Kick it away, right? I see that oval. I guess you can understand what judges want, right, who does? And the thing is, I felt good to see him win the road match, not because the pressure him into joining he didn't want to enter, but the song was so big. But I think a part of it for me is always the documentation.

Corie Sheppard: 52:35

We're not good at documentation and we said that in the earlys so one of my things right is I have 2024 as one of the greatest calypso mona competitions they had since 86. It was was bad. When you look at 86 and what it was, 86 is monumental. But when you're talking about 1986 or 87, I think Stalin win 85. If you want to do the research now, right, they go tell you who win, maybe second and third. You cannot tell who come where else. You can't tell who else was in the competition, like you you.

Stacey Sobers: 53:07

You can't tell who else was in the competition.

Corie Sheppard: 53:09

You talk about the competition.

Stacey Sobers: 53:10

Who went last year this year Hell on earth.

Corie Sheppard: 53:11

Who's last year? Who are we in 2025? Who went last year? I don't know. I can't remember who went the year before. Tati Okono.

Stacey Sobers: 53:20

What is he asking?

Corie Sheppard: 53:21

Jesus Christ, I can't remember. I'm supposed to know that then who? Went the year before, what was the year before? We didn't talk about bad memory before we started no, I remember because yeah you're in it, but a lot of people a lot of people don't know people wouldn't know they don't know, they don't, they can't say, they're lying from apocalypse.

Stacey Sobers: 53:45

Look at this one, google it. Oh yeah, how about this? No, they don't.

Corie Sheppard: 53:47

They're casting a line from Apocalypse. Look at this one, google it. Oh yeah, how about this? How about this Also? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's 2024. Oh yeah, yeah, I remember. No, no, no, I see you trying to. Yes, this is very trappy. I asked any questions. I didn't commit to be interviewed.

Stacey Sobers: 54:01

Yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 54:05

I fall into this trap.

Stacey Sobers: 54:06

It's you it's you, I fall into the trap completely. It's you, it's Nami.

Corie Sheppard: 54:13

I hear you loud and clear. Yeah, but I think.

Stacey Sobers: 54:15

I honestly think that was it. Yeah, and what place.

Corie Sheppard: 54:22

What place?

Stacey Sobers: 54:23

Place Five, six, sixth or fifth.

Corie Sheppard: 54:26

Yeah sixth. Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 54:29

If I place fifth, then I gain the big money.

Corie Sheppard: 54:31

Oh, you fall just short. Yeah, you ain't gonna forget that Five is when the money stops.

Stacey Sobers: 54:38

Yeah, I come sixth, I come sixth.

Corie Sheppard: 54:40

Well, let me tell you something about that year, right, again, going back to 86, when you look at who was there in 86 86 I mean they were rather brothers, rather right, and them two songs was real hard to beat. Stalin had two songs that come second, it was was was bad to have it here, you know. Let me, let me tell you right, let me refresh the memory of people. Yeah, yeah, 86 was rather, of course it's two songs. Stalin had no but no part-time lover, and more come right, more come gypsy. Third action, high and Salil song by the name of Sinking Ship. Remember that I love Sinking.

Stacey Sobers: 55:08

Ship.

Corie Sheppard: 55:08

Stalin say, stalin say too much quacks Big song again.

Stacey Sobers: 55:12

Too much quacks and invalid.

Corie Sheppard: 55:13

You see, she know all the songs that is it.

Stacey Sobers: 55:15

That is all I can't remember.

Corie Sheppard: 55:16

That is all I don't know. Put this thing on and say it and Loyal Fall. I love my country. I'm too young to soak up. Duke, treat women nice. You remember that song. Treat women nice. You know how Duke used to sing right. And how many more must die right? Johnny King have pan over that and we had to try and try and try. He dead almost last right, but only if Scranton wasn't there, because he dead last with cooperation.

Stacey Sobers: 55:43

And I see you, you remember anytime with cooperation and I see you you know what I mean Anytime you pass.

Corie Sheppard: 55:47

So I have a theory about Calypso finals where everybody done win. Yeah, once you reach there, everybody done win, because when you hear somebody's plenty song in that thing is classic. So let me talk about 2024 now, because when we see the 2024 lineup, I have some people there who care a lot. Yeah up, I have some people there who care also?

Stacey Sobers: 56:08

yeah, I don't feel you could loss. I don't feel kurt could loss.

Corie Sheppard: 56:10

I still have that song, first investigation as one of the greatest calypso. It's too important for our country now for that song. I mean, where have I come and come right? Well, all it was this. All you know who was best on the night and thing I can't remember. I watch. Watch it on TV.

Stacey Sobers: 56:24

You know what I mean. That day was a tough day.

Corie Sheppard: 56:29

You're going in thinking you're competing, or you're going in thinking somebody win and you're fighting for whatever else it is.

Stacey Sobers: 56:35

Going in, thinking I'm going to do my best. It is what it is. Everybody coming to do the best on the night. Yeah, my voice cannot croak. I cannot croak through the song. You never know. So you're going to do your best.

Corie Sheppard: 56:49

Yeah, I guess your focus was, and I tell her.

Stacey Sobers: 56:50

I talk about the overconfidence. I think, mm-mm. Yeah, I'm going to perform to the best of my ability. The rest is up to the judges. Because it is up to the judges, yeah, the judges.

Corie Sheppard: 57:03

Tricky.

Stacey Sobers: 57:04

Correct.

Corie Sheppard: 57:04

I'm trying to get judges to come on the show. You think I'll get through? I don't know. Boy, yeah, they tell me Ask them more boy, I want to ask them more Ho ho, ho, ho, ho. I've heard some particular songs over the years. I want to just ask them all right, Well, explain to me what or how much difference it have in points.

Stacey Sobers: 57:21

Just you something I was looking at the Barbados Monarch the other night and this gentleman doing the Dr Something I don't know his name, dr Something I can't remember doing the commentary and for some particular reason. Well, he's a judge, he's doing the judging as well. For some particular reason, one of the contestants he don't like this song. Okay, why he don't like this song? We're asking the judges what they want. You can ask the judges. The song can be whatever it is. If my song is what you want, only want me to sing this, only want me to, that is the song. That song ain't good. He ain't gonna make nothing here. Somebody else come after he and sing a song and boss in the end. And this man that does judge people telling the other commentator that the person who boss couldn't do better than the next person because his song didn't make no sense. That reminds me of the year when I sang Kaiso Capital, people trying to convince me that because I was singing about Skinner Park in the Savannah. That is why I didn't come up high.

Corie Sheppard: 58:31

That is logic for your money.

Stacey Sobers: 58:32

Listen. I could sing about this nice silver cup and it's sitting in a gold thing. It doesn't matter where the cup is. I sing about the cup. The cup is a nice cup. I need to talk about the cup. Listen to what I tell you about the cup. The cup is a nice cup. I need to talk about the cup. Listen to what I tell you about the cup. Don't study the environment around the cup because it's the only silver cup amongst cool things.

Stacey Sobers: 58:52

I am telling you about this cup. Listen to me tell you about that cup. Do not tell me anything about that. It's ridiculous and I did not understand the logic.

Corie Sheppard: 59:02

I understand the logic I did not understand. By that logic, girl from Bahia care, when then that guy's not interested in that at all? Come?

Stacey Sobers: 59:09

on.

Corie Sheppard: 59:11

Make, it make sense.

Stacey Sobers: 59:12

Make it make sense. People trying to tell me I sing the wrong song, how I sing the wrong song.

Corie Sheppard: 59:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. How to spell it.

Stacey Sobers: 59:21

That girl is a humble girl, so okay, I sing the wrong song.

Corie Sheppard: 59:26

So 2024.

Stacey Sobers: 59:27

Let me see.

Corie Sheppard: 59:28

She sent me for archive.

Stacey Sobers: 59:29

I can't remember.

Corie Sheppard: 59:30

Google and chat, gpt and them thing is memory. Now, first song Solar, calypso, marshall, montana, Karina, I shouldn't know. Excuse, I've Karina's not lost in that year too. That no excuse for crime is a big, big song. And you know one of the things that I find different I don't know what is judge and calypso right. So, as I really am chair judge, I like that judge you're talking about. I like who I like and I like the song. That's wrong, yeah, but it's hard for me to determine. I don't know how to assess a performance. You went to school and you do this for a long time, so you know what you're good, I like it.

Stacey Sobers: 1:00:06

Once you do that and you see if you make a little dip when you do it, yeah, but sometimes some people just hold their belly, but they didn't have nothing to do with the song you're holding.

Corie Sheppard: 1:00:12

No, because the judges was rewarding wailing and lamentation. No man, but you cry. You're supposed to win.

Stacey Sobers: 1:00:20

Once you cry, you're crying the wrong time I cry singing half of this song.

Corie Sheppard: 1:00:24

You're crying the wrong time, so let me keep going. Who else here? Chucky Charlesy good song to have. Chucky has a great song. Mikael Teja DNA Comment. Moving further.

Stacey Sobers: 1:00:40

What did you say?

Corie Sheppard: 1:00:40

Helen Francis representing. We Can't remember this song, but Helen always good 60-year-old boy right outside in money. I thought that was 15. Respect the tribe respect the tribe again. Bad, bad, bad, bad song. I'm obsessed with the opening of songs, right, because I think the first thing people hear is a especially when songs very powerful like the message in that song. It sets the tone that you're going to hear something serious. And the opening horns and that thing are talking about Pada. Let me talk about the music first. Now who?

Stacey Sobers: 1:01:13

do you know, junior Ibo Joseph, the dancing dress? The magician, of course. Magician, of course, yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 1:01:21

So from time to time it's your norm.

Stacey Sobers: 1:01:22

Yeah, I have to know. How can you not know?

Corie Sheppard: 1:01:25

It's crazy what that song was doing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:01:29

And the thing is, when you're in a room with a producer, he know he think he do anything, but he say you hearing that? I said that's exactly why I hear it. You hearing this, that's exactly why I hear it. You hearing this, that's exactly why I hear it Once. Listen, the magic this man is making in our studio is ridiculous. And he asks are you comfortable with this? How do you feel about this? Listen and tell me what you think. This man is a genius, he is.

Corie Sheppard: 1:02:17

And he brought that song to life. He brought it to life.

Stacey Sobers: 1:02:20

Yeah, one of them songs where before you hear a word, you know something, come in, say the tone for it. So, in terms, bola Serious, rhea Bola, now the, the, the the theme of the song is brainchild of my husband. Mm-hmm, it's cannibal done.

Corie Sheppard: 1:02:35

Right.

Stacey Sobers: 1:02:36

He done, ready to write. He know where he want me to sing yeah, yeah, mm-hmm. So he would map out his thing and who write in it. He decide who writes in it. You decide who writes in it, who produce in it. You decide who produces in it, and he will give you a line by line. This is what I want, this is what I want to experience. This is what I want. You call it the field, this is it. And when we gave this, the, the, that information to maria, we didn't expect what she came back with. Didn't expect that, but it was perfection. I didn't have much work to do in the studio, I just had to make it my own, but the lyrics spoke for itself. The music took it where it had to go. I didn't have a lot of work to do.

Corie Sheppard: 1:03:23

Yeah, no, the humility is a hell of a thing. You say the music and the lyrics, but you are.

Stacey Sobers: 1:03:29

I mean, yeah, I do my thing, but Mm-hmm. Without them things, I mean, I could have sang the song in G and the band playing in. F and, but the foundation set the tone for my performance.

Corie Sheppard: 1:03:45

Yeah, so people don't know the song really is about. And I was wondering. When I listened to this song, I was wondering, okay, is this a issue at all? You know and but you're in this space and you know the world because it's really uh, some of the same things we're talking about today the youth versus people. Who was here before your tribe? Or respecting the fact that you're not alone yeah, yeah, and and, and.

Stacey Sobers: 1:04:03

I think what the youth don't get is that you don't do nothing by yourself. You feel you're doing it on your own. But what about the woman who prays for your grandmother, who prays for you to make it, or your mother who sacrifices, sitting down in the night waiting for you to finish your homework? What about the teacher who roots in for you to finish your homework? What about the teacher who's rooting for you? You have people in the background that just pushes you and prays for you and hope that everything goes well for you. That really wants you to succeed, of course, and if you don't recognize and understand that these people are in your space, you're making no sense. That's selfishness.

Corie Sheppard: 1:04:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's something that in work right In my other work business world I always watch. I started work the first day somebody paid me to do something. Thank God it was a good thing, you know, because if they had paid me to do the wrong thing, all hell break loose and I couldn't believe somebody paid. I had a lady at a shop. I go in the shop and sell I'm just glad to sell them and she gave me $10. I don't think I ever stopped working from that day. I said what I was shocked when she gave me the money. I had to do that for free.

Corie Sheppard: 1:05:13

So I feel like our time was a time where and I ain't talking for everybody, it's just our experience at a time where you had a certain respect for the tribe, a certain respect for work and he had a certain you know, delayed gratification. He could have put any effort now and with the trust that the results will come yeah, you know he wasn't alone. Whereas youths now people use the word entitlement a lot with young people now because they feel they should be. You talking about thing and you say two more years and you're out regardless because you're making space for youth. I wonder sometimes with youths. Now they expect to get paid top dollar like no graduate from school, as like boy you're not gonna learn and no experience you know.

Corie Sheppard: 1:05:50

So I wonder sometimes when you, when you sing a song like that, is that real issue but you map it out? You'll say, map it out from before, it's something you want to touch it too.

Stacey Sobers: 1:05:58

Um, for me. I think it was a time for me to express my gratitude to a lot of people who's been in my space. One late thing in Sandra. I remember my first, my first, the second year in Scalapa. Some strange reason, I always tell the story. I'm uneasy and I'm crying for some reason and I do not know what is going on with me.

Stacey Sobers: 1:06:25

That year, cara Nichols was in the not know what is going on with me. That year, um, kara Nichols was in the competition and she's usually by my side. She don't make sammies, she's by my side. She's in my, in my dressing room we pray with whatever and she's in the competition. So I don't have that support. It's me and the husband alone this year. Right, and um, something tell me, call mother. And I pick up the phone and I call her and this time I am weeping for what I do not know, and she answers the phone. She wasn't in competition, she was ill earlier and she's like Stacy.

Stacey Sobers: 1:07:04

So was you interfering with my spirit? Why are you doing that? I said, if you ask me, well, me even know what's going on with me, you know. So, whoever your spirit telling you, I calling you to fix it and she said give your husband the phone. And he deformed me don't know where them talk Because I busy crying and I don't know what's going on with me. And then she take, she give, he gave me back the phone and she say I am there with you, she said what I am there with you she said what?

Stacey Sobers: 1:07:33

I am there with you. Go out and do what you're supposed to do. You're there already.

Stacey Sobers: 1:07:39

How was that, yeah, there are people that stand in the gap for you. For me, those people are my parents, my siblings, my nieces. Karen Eccles, I call this name, john Wayne Benoit. There's so much people that just wants to see you succeed and they're in your corner and they genuinely pray for you and they genuinely call and check up on you and they genuinely want to know that everything is alright with you. And if genuinely call and check up on you and they genuinely want to know that everything is alright with you, and if you don't acknowledge these people, I mean it make it like I said before it make it no sense in your existence, really, because it's never you alone. But I do this and I this and I that and I and I and I and I like it's wrong, says yeah, and I like it so much, yeah. But if you went on an interview and the man didn't like you or like where you're serious, let me give this person a chance and see what they can really do.

Stacey Sobers: 1:08:40

If you don't get a chance. We're going to say, I feel and I, but as you have a little bit of success, it's I and I and I.

Corie Sheppard: 1:08:49

Yeah, no, it is powerful, especially because of the way I feel about youths and the way I feel about things now, because the song captured that perfectly perfect this idea that everybody is to blame somebody fighting, they don't somebody doing this. When things go wrong, it's like this one and that one and that one, but when things go right it's I and I and I. I'm sorry, I guess somebody didn't write that song for me yet, like I said, I and two.

Stacey Sobers: 1:09:13

Let me just plug this in this moment. You see my husband.

Corie Sheppard: 1:09:16

Mm-hmm.

Stacey Sobers: 1:09:18

He's a king, mm-hmm. Yeah, it has no support. Like his support.

Corie Sheppard: 1:09:25

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 1:09:27

It has no support like his support, and I want him to know in this moment that I appreciate everything he has been doing, because he was supposed to stop managing me in 2020. I think, and he's like I gave you five more years only like deadlines in the household yeah, meticulous like that, but he's everything From the song type to the dress code. He does. He has a gift and I appreciate, appreciate it that he, he wants, he wants the best for me in this music industry.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:18

Yeah, that's something to work with.

Stacey Sobers: 1:10:19

My support, my husband.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:22

Yeah, your husband.

Stacey Sobers: 1:10:23

Husband.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:24

Husband. There's a place for me. It's called name and thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:10:27

Names don't be left out there, mr Javon Abraham.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:29

Mr Javon Abraham. I want to tell him I appreciate him. Where's my camera? I appreciate him. Until I talked to him, I couldn't get Stacey here. I was talking to the wrong person. I was trying to talk to Stacey Talk to my manager.

Stacey Sobers: 1:10:40

Call my manager Critical critical.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:44

Like.

Stacey Sobers: 1:10:44

Corey, you just called me at the wrong time. I tried to make it happen Nothing before it's time, like my mother used to say, of course, of course, god's timing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:10:53

So let me talk about that a little bit. Nazia, it's all about manager, right? You start off saying that you're managing yourself and that kind of thing? What made you go that route? You were just not looking to.

Stacey Sobers: 1:11:04

So when I started singing, it was me and Shelly Mendoza, like I say, and we would write these songs and we would go to a little party and sing. And then that came to an end and I started doing my own thing and writing for myself and finding this producer and, you know, making little deals to get. I had to do background vocals for the studio and produce my songs, them kind of thing, because I mean spending money as a young person and making a big spending money as a young person and making up extra money right so I batter my way through the majority of my things right.

Stacey Sobers: 1:11:40

When I did Lemon you know when you're coming I had an agent, julia Primus. I was on her wife's team, julia Primus and Desmond Primus and they weren't fresh in the game. Today they they get trained, just so you know. So they weren't, they weren't really occur with everything that was supposed to happen and and and and stuff like that. And you find that maybe, um, things that were supposed to propel me with that song. Let me know when you're coming didn't happen.

Corie Sheppard: 1:12:12

I see, Right Um was supposed to propel me with that song. Let me know when you're coming didn't happen.

Stacey Sobers: 1:12:14

I see right, um, so after let me know when you're coming, I started doing my own stuff again writing for myself, again doing going to the studios battering um, I pay half and I do background vocals, them kind of thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:12:29

It was the way until I met everything changed, yeah and he wasn't managing me, but he in the, in the, in the little spaces, he would advise you know you should do this, you know you should do that. He was the one that told me to go to costa to do my. So since then he has been pushing and, yeah, because I wouldn't think to do that, I started to make the music and then and fall short here and fall short there again. So come on up. Somebody had to sing and perform in a next show.

Stacey Sobers: 1:13:04

I was supposed to sing 13th, I end up singing to two people in the car.

Corie Sheppard: 1:13:07

I would imagine, of course, you just move it brutal and I wanted to give up many times.

Stacey Sobers: 1:13:14

I wanted to give up many times, but since he started managing me, I guess Well, you see the success.

Corie Sheppard: 1:13:21

Of course.

Stacey Sobers: 1:13:22

And I'm appreciative of it.

Corie Sheppard: 1:13:23

Of course, David. We had a guy husband, another guy husband. We're going to do a volunteer for the role?

Stacey Sobers: 1:13:32

No, but yeah, he has done a lot. He continues to do a lot.

Corie Sheppard: 1:13:37

Of course. So let me talk about our business side now, as you talk about management and that kind of thing. Crackers and Cheese.

Stacey Sobers: 1:13:42

Crackers and Cheese. Again born out of Custard. Yeah, out of Custard, yeah, so I was doing my associate degree in performing arts as a voice major, as I said, and for my final recital I had to do every genre and in talking to him I needed to come up with a name for the event, and Crackers and Cheese or Cricks and Cheese was what came up.

Corie Sheppard: 1:14:10

Right.

Stacey Sobers: 1:14:11

Because, richard Poe, everybody's the Cricks and Cheese. Cheese or crocks and cheese was what came up, fair enough, um, because Richard Paul, everybody's the crocks and cheese. I don't know. You know, good times, party wine and cheese, it's true, it's true, right. So so we went to it crackers and cheese and, um, the first event was it was it was a beautiful event and passed my exam and all that kind of thing. And then, yeah, we wanted to start doing shows and we just kept the name. We kept the name and steeped in Calypso. So what we would do, we made it a 21st century Calypso experience, calypso tent experience, and what we would do every year is change the theme. Last year we did the Audacity, this year we are doing Rhythm of Our People. So I mean, it has been working. The brand has been going. The support is tremendous because all the shows we've done have been sold out. Nice, the support, and you see the same people supporting over and over.

Stacey Sobers: 1:15:19

And if I start to call names now, it's just but the amount of people that when is the next show? When is the next show, when is the next show? That that that's why I could come up with a competition, because people want to hear what they want to hear. I don't need to be in the competition. So, crackers and cheese, it is this brand, and I want to thank everyone who has been supporting the brand. It's been growing, it's been thriving and, yeah, let me talk about audacity now.

Corie Sheppard: 1:15:49

Like I like the theme, the audacity, and, just to be clear, there's an in-person show. People come in and see you perform, yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 1:15:56

I mean, we have guest artists and the theme is built. The audacity theme was built around people who dare to say certain things in Calypso, not just the double lantern, but like the soul fish and them, that kind of music. People who, like Drupati, who was the East India woman she had that audacity. I don't care what they say it's taking a chance.

Stacey Sobers: 1:16:24

Denise Plummer, we did your final. We would have chosen songs from these people to represent the audacity of these people, right, yeah, so basically, yeah, and continuing to grow and people to do so. We represent the audacity of these people, right, yeah, so basically yeah, and continuing to grow.

Corie Sheppard: 1:16:36

And when you go to those shows, is you, among other people, are guest artists performing some of people's songs?

Stacey Sobers: 1:16:41

yeah, the guests will do their songs and depending on again the theme with acts like last year, we had Rashati, his son Isaac, and he did his father's song and he did his songs Because I mean the songs would have been lending to the theme right. But guest artists is important. I can't do the. I mean I'm not saying that I can't but, to make a good show, you had to have guests.

Corie Sheppard: 1:17:10

Right. Absolutely you have to have guests.

Stacey Sobers: 1:17:14

This year we have Free Tongue Collective Tazia O'Connor. Tazia is my darling. Tazia is my darling. I love to hear him sing. I love to see him perform.

Corie Sheppard: 1:17:25

We have.

Stacey Sobers: 1:17:25

Lady Adana, who has this unusual vocal ability.

Corie Sheppard: 1:17:29

She's unusual. A lot of times she's a mouse boy Upstage present wishes. It's different, it's different, it is different.

Stacey Sobers: 1:17:39

It is different. Yeah, this show should be a wonderful show. I hope people come out and really support it.

Corie Sheppard: 1:17:47

And it's only sold out, so people will come Tamba.

Stacey Sobers: 1:17:50

Gwendy Tamba. Gwendy, I mean sold out, so people will come you know, when they tamba when I mean like right, yeah, um, duvon stewart oh, duvon is my dude for a long time yeah he said he was abroad and he's going back here but I saw him perform at cafe blue a couple of weeks ago

Stacey Sobers: 1:18:14

trouble, trouble, bad, bad, bad man do you want us to play three songs? Bad, and he called us in our friends. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's not vocals, it's one national instrument and this, this, this, this, um, yes, theme too, is around the national instrument.

Corie Sheppard: 1:18:34

That's why I see, I got you, I got you, I got you. No, I was talking, I was talking business. Uh, more and more people is seeing doing that like I admire. Vonna just recently had a show, did well, she has shows, she's been doing it and, uh, I had you nearly here, the, and him as a young fellow, 20-something years old, talking about the importance of investing your own money, maybe a partner with people who have put out shows. So that's an important part of your journey now making sure you have your own brand and your own shows.

Stacey Sobers: 1:18:58

You have to. I mean, we need the sponsors, but I'm just saying if you could dip into your pocket and do something else. It doesn't have to be huge. Small scale, start small. Try a little karaoke here, think, think to the thing, to something else, just turn over, turn over, turn over, turn over.

Stacey Sobers: 1:19:17

But you have to be sustainable yeah you can't be just doing this thing for that 40 dollars I just seen 40 bucks on the people but 40 dollars here and by time tomorrow that done. Yeah, you have to build the brand, you have to build the business. So if partnering with somebody, is it partnering with somebody and do something, but you see, like two Calypso seasonal, which is not supposed to be of course this is our thing. I want to sing Calypso all year yeah, call me, let me sing in a show in July.

Stacey Sobers: 1:19:56

Call me, let me sing a show, and not just Calypso History Month. I want to sing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:20:01

Yeah, calypso History Month gets to be the only other time at one point, right, but I'm glad for Kaiso Blues places like those rockers doing a thing that is amazing bringing out some people who you're not going to get to see.

Stacey Sobers: 1:20:11

People are not realizing that this is the last opportunity to get some people to see, and the thing is that with that space it is always full.

Corie Sheppard: 1:20:20

It says something right.

Stacey Sobers: 1:20:22

People starve for this kind of thing. People are hungry for this kind of thing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:20:26

Yeah, I think so. One of the things I enjoyed talking to Omari about this very topic, because Omari was saying the very same thing Like, again, younger artists now where they fight down things. I started to listen to myself, right, and I always trying to see okay, if something not getting done or if something in the way or something I want to achieve, right, I don't want to move from here because what they're going to say is that the say see, see, sobers come, and I I don't see sobers and ding, you know.

Stacey Sobers: 1:20:51

I ain't not taking that.

Corie Sheppard: 1:20:53

I know, but David and them going to turn around.

Corie Sheppard: 1:20:58

Know that, the importance of going to you know, doing your own shows, doing your own events, investing in yourself. But I keep listening to myself to hear, I think your mind naturally says but this should be this, I should have done this, your parents should have done this. And when I hear that I just get very quiet, I just get still. I say, brother, if you blame somebody else, it could be harder for you to change that than if you just look internally and say okay, what can I do?

Stacey Sobers: 1:21:24

What can I do? What can I do? What can I?

Corie Sheppard: 1:21:28

do you have to change it yourself If you you know I feel like it's a more powerful place.

Stacey Sobers: 1:21:32

The thing, too, is you see people come from different backgrounds and wanting to get out of certain situations, but you have a choice. You always have a choice, so you need to choose what would make the space work for you. You have to, because you can't leave it up to somebody and there comes the blame. Leave it up to somebody to do it for you. You have to do it, you have to push, you have to fight, you have to want the thing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:22:04

And I also feel like you have to know that you can, like I tell to my son about that all the time If you blame somebody else, you're going to feel you can't do it and you'll get stuck in a position. So I admire the fact that you're putting on your own shows, doing your own thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:22:16

I think a lot more people should start doing it. And you know what is good to like with Cafe Blue the support of artists at Cafe Blue. You find a lot of artists piling up in Cafe Blue. You find a lot of here. She have a show in cafe blue. Yeah, come in a day, a day, a day, a supporting so that's something once I can make a supporting yeah, people will come.

Corie Sheppard: 1:22:43

People will come, as you said, full people partaking on the patronizing, and I do feel as if. So you say skinner park right, skinner park is so important. I remember, rather, here talking about green corner, which I didn't know at all. He said that was the center kind of island, you know. So you say Skinner Park right, skinner Park is so important. I remember a brother here talking about Green Corner, which I didn't know at all. He said that was the center of Cannavarland, you know. But I feel like Cafe Blue is that, even when you see the murals on the wall going in and things, it's a special place.

Stacey Sobers: 1:23:02

It is a special place. It's special because I'm on them walls too.

Corie Sheppard: 1:23:06

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 1:23:07

All right, I'm a first boss. I'm a first boss, it took me nearly two hours To get out of the boat.

Corie Sheppard: 1:23:12

I'm a first boss.

Stacey Sobers: 1:23:14

Yeah, but when I was younger, carl and Carol Jacob Was my people Serious. I want to hear that we go down the road and sit on my school and love up, love that song, love everything they ever put out, and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I could go on so long with Carl. Carl is my partner.

Corie Sheppard: 1:23:43

Yeah, he's seen you as a pair.

Stacey Sobers: 1:23:44

Carl is my partner. I perform at Cafe Blue more often than I ever show at Cafe Blue or the theater this month.

Corie Sheppard: 1:23:53

Yeah, let me take note of that too, right. Take note yeah, yeah, yeah, with that.

Stacey Sobers: 1:23:56

I sing with a. I sing with a was three-piece, now four-piece band for Music Connection, and we do shows at Cafe Blue. Yeah, that is our home.

Corie Sheppard: 1:24:05

So the entrepreneurial side important to you Absolutely. That's something you continue with. I love it Absolutely.

Stacey Sobers: 1:24:09

You have to. That's why I say competition is not, it's not it. It has other ways for me to get the music out, get the messages out and still please the fans.

Corie Sheppard: 1:24:20

Yeah, that's what Songbaba Mwari was saying. You know, in this era, especially even billing your own audience and curating your audience is why, hugo Porter, I see the response when you first post crackers and cheese for this year. What's the date for it this year?

Stacey Sobers: 1:24:33

It is the 13th of September at Central Bank Auditorium.

Corie Sheppard: 1:24:36

Yeah, when you start posting this on your fan page, the comments come out. They come out immediately. It's any minute of the thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:24:42

Yeah, and you start posting clips.

Corie Sheppard: 1:24:44

Same thing with Vornet.

Stacey Sobers: 1:24:45

I didn't even have tickets yet until. And people don't pay for tickets.

Corie Sheppard: 1:24:50

Of course, what better than having your own audience In this world where today, especially through social media, you could go direct to consumer. So this idea that a promoter fighting it down or other artists fighting it, down Now, in this time there's an excuse. Yeah, maybe it always was, Because you don't have to do your own thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:25:08

You don't have to. It don't have to be that way.

Corie Sheppard: 1:25:10

Gotcha, gotcha.

Stacey Sobers: 1:25:10

You don't have to wait for somebody to call you for a show. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, how important do you feel that is for a woman or a young?

Stacey Sobers: 1:25:21

woman coming into the industry, very One you'll find that shows are mostly male-dominated. Still, still, now you have the Lady lovers and the jade elves and the what? If you, as a woman, decide to put on a show, it doesn't matter the genre you're singing, social media and your immediate circle could fill a show. It's important for you. Media and your immediate circle could flash you. It's important for you, if you are passionate about what you're doing and this is what you really want to see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Make it happen. Make it happen. Open doors for yourself. You cannot wait on people to open doors for you. You have to do it for yourself. And I mean it's a little tougher for women, but with all the things that like social media, people gravitate to certain things and just put that out. You put your things, keep feeding it, feeding, feeding, feeding, feeding, and just put that out. You put your things, keep feeding it, feeding, feeding, feeding, feeding. Yeah, and you will see you will get to the audience.

Stacey Sobers: 1:26:37

You will see.

Corie Sheppard: 1:26:39

Mm-hmm Important work.

Stacey Sobers: 1:26:41

Yeah.

Corie Sheppard: 1:26:42

Are you ready to put Stacey on the spot now? Who?

Stacey Sobers: 1:26:43

is that? Hi, it have a segment or something. It have a segment.

Corie Sheppard: 1:26:47

Where's that David? Let me see that quadro, though, because people who could, when I sit down next to people who could randomly call back to Carl and Carl Jacobs and them kind of thing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:27:00

I can't play nothing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:27:01

You can't play nothing either? Well, go break loose here. This is where you have the power of editing. If it work. It work If it ain't work it go edit.

Corie Sheppard: 1:27:10

The simple reality, editing, let me find out. Let me find out Because I see something live and I want to see if it is work. So if I say something and you know lyrics like how you look, because I tell you how the theory I see when I go to a show in Central Bank, I say it's an earpiece. I say nobody can remember all them certain lyrics at one point in time. So if I say I heard her bawling like somebody crying, what do you say?

Stacey Sobers: 1:27:35

I just could imagine what was happening. So the soul lady wanted bawling out to she neighbor Ramsey, neighbor neighbor. Come on Lord, my house on fire.

Corie Sheppard: 1:27:46

And she bawling.

Stacey Sobers: 1:27:47

Fire, fire and she wire, wire, aye, aye, aye, aye. That she could do. It was a test. You know, it was a test, that's it.

Corie Sheppard: 1:28:07

That's it, but me no, no more.

Stacey Sobers: 1:28:08

You should have learned more.

Corie Sheppard: 1:28:26

You're researching a joke. I'm going to the store.

Stacey Sobers: 1:28:29

I can't take attention. It's too much to mention what I spent too small For this cannibal. I know what will happen. It wasn't this happen. It's people like random In front of Spain, alright.

Corie Sheppard: 1:28:44

She said alright, you know what the hell is going on here. I thought I said it was a piece. She happened to have a piece. Conrad, I'll make a piece Before she come on. It can't be that.

Stacey Sobers: 1:28:55

Thank you very much, ma'am.

Corie Sheppard: 1:28:58

I'm very, very grateful.

Stacey Sobers: 1:28:59

To have you here. I hope to see you At Crackers and Cheers.

Corie Sheppard: 1:29:01

Well, and you're Taking on the two.

Stacey Sobers: 1:29:03

Well, you had to come To the two. Where to come?

Corie Sheppard: 1:29:05

Kaizo Blues, david to go, yeah, come, we're coming to the two. I think it's important. I think it's important, as you say, to support we own shows.

Stacey Sobers: 1:29:12

Yeah, you have to Crucial, so we're there.

Corie Sheppard: 1:29:14

We're going to see you again then. Yes, sir, thank you very much, man. Continue doing everything you're doing.

Stacey Sobers: 1:29:19

Packers and cheese. I'm going to plug my thing.

Corie Sheppard: 1:29:21

Yeah.

Stacey Sobers: 1:29:21

September 13th, Central Bank Auditorium. Tickets are $.