Devon Seale sings I’m Free, considers entering Soca Monarch

There was a time when there was one word to describe someone who sang Trinidad and Tobago’s indigenous music and that was calypsonian. Evolution has given rise to subgenres and that has also brought descriptors for those who sing it.

There is now an acute distinction between the calypsonian and soca artiste. However, calypsonian and former Calypso Monarch Devon Seale hopes to lessen the chasm between people defined as calypsonian and soca artiste with the release of his soca song, I’m Free. Seale won the monarch title in 2016.

This year the regular entrant to the Calypso Monarch will not be seen on that stage but instead hopes to make an appearance on the International Soca Monarch (ISM) stage with his latest single, I’m Free.

The song’s description reads: “Due to the pandemic, we have not been on the road for two whole years. Hence the reason, Carnival 2023 has been coined the 'Mother of All Carnivals.' This year, the road is once again yours and you are free to be yourself, to unleash all that stored up energy, to enjoy the music and revelry, to get on bad and just have a good time with friends.”

Seale opted not to enter this year’s Calypso Monarch as he is currently the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation’s (TUCO) marketing manager and felt there might be potential conflict of interest if he did.

“Because I am dealing with sponsors and trying to get sponsorship for the organisation, I chose to morally step out of the competition,” he said.

If he does enter, it will also be his first time on the International Soca Monarch stage.

Although this is not his first time singing soca, this is the first soca he has heavily marketed.

Seale and co-writer Kevin Dodds penned the song in 2020 and also recorded it then.

People were surprised to learn that the song had been recorded in August of that year.

Seale said he decided to record a different kind of music during the pandemic’s height.

“I said, ‘You know what, if I am going to do this type of investment and this type of breakthrough, I say let me get the best.’”

Seale then got producer Nikholai Greene to mix, master and produce the song. “In 2021, for the Taste of Carnival, they were telling me, ‘Devon, you need to launch this. I told them, ‘No. This is going to waste.’ I said to myself, ‘I am sitting on a pot of gold here.’

“Why am I going to put out a song for 2021 and we know, in 2021, we are not going to have a Carnival?”

People tried convincing him to launch the song and participate in the regional carnivals being held that year but he was adamant he wanted to launch it in TT.

Even when he launched it on January 3 this year, Seale said he did not have to do any adjustments.

Ever the calypsonian, he is still going to be recording calypsoes but is, simply, not going to be competing.

There wasn’t a challenge for Seale in doing the song as his calypsoes are usually about 120 bpm (beats per minute). Groovy soca usually ranges from 120 bpm to about 135 bpm.

The difficulty Seale encountered was in “crooning like a soca artiste.”

“Sometimes, when we were recording this, they would say, ‘No, Devon, you cannot sing this like a kaiso. Too much emphasis.’”

For him, it was a great experience working with Dodds and Greene. He said Dodds first came to him with the idea and a “skeletal frame” of the song.

Seale is looking to do more soca after this year and thinks more calypsonians singing soca bridges the gap between the genres.

“Just as I am committed to calypso, I am committed to soca. Just putting out music.”

He said calypsonians of generations before sang soca which fell under the broad umbrella of calypso.

“Look today some of these same songs they still live on.”

He believes the mixing of the genres will also allow for the strengths of each to affect the other.

Seale said the length of calypsoes, especially at shows, has led to a decrease in attendance and believes that soca’s length of songs should be adopted by calypsonians.

Seale said as much as it is going to be the "mother of all carnivals" he wanted everyone to be safe and truly enjoy it.