Tu Lox Chides Female Performers With Poor Stagecraft

The inability of some popular upcoming Jamaican artists to properly perform on stage, has again come up for discussion, as the island braces to resume the staging of some of its largest iconic music festivals, following the reopening of the entertainment sector.

The subject of poor stagecraft was broached last week by entertainer Tu Lox, who forms one-half of Twins of Twins.

He took issue, particularly with new female artists whom he says are not only over-rated, but have failed to master the art of performing, and so, at stage shows, were having their recorded songs played while they sang along, instead of reciting them from memory.

“Most a di female artiste dem, look wha dem do when dem a perform: nuff a oonu nuh notice it enuh.  Dem play dem song an guh pon di stage guh sing dem song weh a play; while it a play!” he said incredulously during one of his recent podcasts.

“Because you know why?  When dem do dem 45, most a dem caan perform it, because a di internet prop dem up fi look bigga dan dem is.  All a dem dweet.   Especially di female dem.   Check it out.  Next time yuh check out dem performance on YouTube, check an si weh dem a do.  Dem play dem song – di 45 dem.  Play.  Because if you a sing one song an yuh point di mike to di crowd, an yuh still hear di song a play, a di song yuh play,” he added.

Noting that some of the male artists were also involved in the practice, Tu Lox said that the sing-along tracks are not to be conflated with harmony tracks.

“One time it was a ting weh name harmony track weh di harmony track woulda inna yuh riddim.   A nuh nuttn like dat dem gyal yah a do, an some a dem yute yah.  Dem completely a scam oonu.  Chappa dem. Dem nuh good. Is a scam.  Most a dem nuh good an dem nuh waan do di work weh meck dem reach pon a certain level.  Dem prefer tell lie bout di work,” he said.

A few weeks ago, Big Belly Man deejay Admiral Bailey had lamented the fact that many new artists performances are sub-par, and they are unable to sing on key during live performances, as they and the producers of their music do not know the basic tenets of music, including the seven-letter Musical Alphabet.

The issue of lacklustre performances by new artists had picked up steam in September 2019 after the conclusion of a slew of summer stage shows across the island, among the subjects Jahvillani, Squash and Chronic Law, who were criticized heavily by Dancehall fans for their lack of stage presence.

The problem had not escaped the attention of some of the country’s seasoned artists, among them the Fireman Capleton, known globally for his fiery and energetic performances.

“The problem is that when it comes to delivery, di yute dem haffi go work pon dat. Da part of di craft deh, dem haffi go get it together,” Capleton had said during an interview with Onstage.

“Becaw di people listen di song, and dem hear it pon di tape, or dem hear it pon di video or whatever. And when dem come at a dance or at a stage show, dem yute deh pon di stage an dem naw get da effect deh and dem naw hear di same ting, because through Mellodyne or Autotune put yuh pon key or whateva,” Capleton said.

Onstage host Winford Williams, during the interview, had also pointed out that there “is a deficit in stage craft” amongst the youngsters dating back to 2016 and many are still unable to deliver “on a stage before a live audience.”

At the time, music selector Boom Boom too, had recommended that the new artists watch and learn from videos of past performances by the island’s top acts.

“Dem fi do dem homework. Dem fi go watch some clippings with Capleton and Beenieman and IOctane – di man dem weh can perform,” the Grants Pen native had said.

Another veteran artist Mr. Vegas had scorched the newer artists for being unable to hold notes, running out of breath on stage and failing to hone their skills by taking time to rehearse with a band.

He had also heaped much of the blame on the current batch of young producers, many of whom he said do not even know how to play any musical instrument or the difference between being on-key or off-key, adding that they rely totally on computer software such as Keyfinder, Autotune, and Mellodyne to produce music.

“Dem use di Keyfinder, but the artiste, when him go pon stage, him can’t find back the key. Keyfinder and call yourself a producer? Producer wha man?” he had said.

“Di man dem not even know when di artiste dem deh pon key… So when di artiste dem go pon stage dem can’t sing it… suh di music sound good and nice when you hear it enuh, but listen it a stage show and a run yuh waa run outta di dance,” he added.