Vibz Magazine Interviews Taj Weekes

VIBZ MAGAZINE - FRANCE

Interview by: Ania.M

For full French text of original interview, click here

Vibz: Can you introduce yourself for those who don’t know Taj Weekes?

Taj Weekes: "It is difficult for me to introduce myself because I have to speak of myself as a stranger. Usually when you introduce yourself to someone you just say your name. You don't tell them where you are from and how long you have been at a particular occupation… but here we go...

Taj Weekes, musician, poet, two CDs: 'Hope & Doubt' & 'DEIDEM.' The last of ten children, born in Saint Lucia, founder of TOCO. Everything else can be found on my website www.tajweekes.com."

Vibz: According to one of your sentences: "great music remains great music, no matter what the style." What is your definition of great music? Can you give us some examples of what you consider as such?

Taj Weekes: "Great music is a subjective thing because what will move me might not move you. I know the music that moves me is from that lingering melody that sticks with me hours after the initial listen or that beat that caught me subconsciously before I realized that I was tapping my feet to it. It's the vibe in the singer's voice that gives you the chill, you know. It’s not one particular genre or artiste or song. It's a variety from all over. That is what I consider great music."

Vibz: Born in Saint Lucia, you grew up in a context where music was omnipresent. Is it that context that contributed to develop your artistic streak?

Taj Weekes: "Possibly, but I don't know and cannot put a finger on it. Maybe I was born with it. I don't think too much of this can be learnt but the environment in which you find yourself can be of great influence to what one becomes. Children live what they learn. That's what they say."

Vibz: In your late teens, you left for North America. A few years later, in 2005, you released your first album "Hope & Doubt," which propelled you onto the international scene. How did you experience that?

Taj Weekes: "With the usual calm."

Vibz: Was leaving your country in order to give rise to your career a prerequisite?

Taj Weekes: "Well I had seen the height of the mountain and the amount of energy needed to get to the top. Someone offered me a ride half way, so I took it… in other words, it is not a prerequisite, but it would have been a lot more difficult from where I stood originally."

Vibz: Your new album "DEIDEM," which means, "All of us," was released on August 8th, 2008. Your lyrics denounce violence, war; tackle the loss of faith, the defense of the weak and the degradation of our environment… "DEIDEM" depicts very dark outlooks. What is its main message?

Taj Weekes: "I would not say DEIDEM depicts a very dark outlook. I would say DEIDEM calls it as it is. I am not afraid to say that the emperor has no clothes. If there is a ten-ton guerilla in the room, someone needs to pay attention to what's happening and address that reality. We live in a world of extreme violence. We live in a world where might is right, where force rules, where the environment is a mess. Our denial will not save us and that means 'all of us.' Life is the message. What is the meaning of life? How do we perceive life and our role in this life?"

Vibz: Can we say that "DEIDEM" is a shock treatment aimed at awakening consciences?

Taj Weekes: "It all depends on which side of the fence you live on. If your world is of manicured lawns, excess all around and if you call 911 when you break a fingernail, of course this is shock treatment because you don't live in a circle of reality. Step outside your bubble and come see the masses of people who suffer. It may have been shock treatment last year but look around now and hopefully they see what I see. If consciences are not awakened, at least consciousness should be."

Vibz: According to your biography, "this album was designed to create conversation where people can come together." Do you think there's a lack of communication between people? Does individualism represent a danger for humanity?

Taj Weekes: "There are many dangers to humanity but individualism is not on the top of the list. The bible says where one or two are gathered, there is God. A lack of conversation has caused most of the problems we face. If we sit together, eat together and reason, we get a better understanding of people and people get a better understanding of us. It does not take a treaty to do that."

Vibz: You were named "Top Artist for 2008" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and your new album is nominated for the 2009 Grammy Awards in the Roots Reggae category. How do you feel about those marks of recognition?

Taj Weekes: "It's all well and good to be recognized and it shows that people are appreciating what it is that we are doing, but when I sit to write a song and put an album together, I don't try to write so I can be nominated for anything by anyone. I write and sing what my heart dictates and where my spirit leads."

Vibz: Through your music, you speak for the disadvantaged, the abandoned, the alienated and for those who suffer. You founded a non-profit organization for disadvantaged children around the world called They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), which reveals your altruism. Can you tell us a few words about your organization? Is it a duty for you to help those in need?"

Taj Weekes: "Well, we used to try to help whenever, whomever and however we could by giving as much as was possible to different organizations, but then we decided to do it ourselves. I was given the title of Goodwill Ambassador to the Caribbean and since then we have been focusing our efforts on helping out the children in that region. You see usually when there is talk of HIV and global warming and a slew of other maladies that affect the world, the Caribbean is not usually thought of. It's just a place to go on a vacation and sit in the sun. My job is to shine the spotlight on that region and let the world know that we too suffer. The main focus of TOCO however, is to provide footballs to children in the Caribbean and around the world and we would appreciate if the public would help us in this endeavor by donating in whichever way they can at www.theyoftencryoutreach.org."

Vibz: TOCO is also helping to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Caribbean communities. Can you tell us by what means?

Taj Weekes: "By educating the public through music and forums, condoms… whatever we can do to stop this thing or at least slow it down."

Vibz: What do you think about the pope's latest declaration according to which the use of condom contributes to worsen the HIV epidemic?

Taj Weekes: "The pope says many things. I wouldn't necessarily give credence to something because it was said by a pope. Then again, the current pope and the ones before him never supported condoms at anytime before and during the epidemic."

Vibz: What are your projects for the coming months? Is a European or French tour planned?

Taj Weekes: "We are currently working on an album hoping for release this year. There is a poetry book coming out soon called 'Brown Lawns' and a single to follow. There are a couple things we are working on… the charity is ongoing work and we would love the support of the people. We have Europe in our plans and hopefully everything comes to fruition in the coming months."

Vibz: Your last word?

Taj Weekes: "I don't have a last word because it is usually the first word to another conversation… a conversation that should be ongoing, a communication that should never end."