Musician Kishore 'Wizzy' Ramdath plans to broaden portfolio

Chutney music producer, musician, and bandleader Kishore “Wizzy” Ramdath started the new year on a triumphant note after the recent success of his hit production, Jing Ah Ling.

Ramdath is looking forward to an exciting year for himself and his band, Avatar the Band, as he plans to try his hand at producing more original songs and broadening his portfolio with different genres of music.

He shared plans for the band's touring schedule, which includes many local shows for the Carnival season and in destinations such as Guyana, the US and Canada.

“With the band, expect more performances. We’re looking to do more tours, collaborations and go international.

“And that’s just the start!”

Jing Ah Ling was performed by Rasika “D Rani” Dindial. The chutney parang achieved iconic status in the 2023 Christmas season, enjoying widespread acclaim across the airwaves and social media.

During an interview at Ramdath’s Wizz Studio in Freeport, he said although he was confident in the song's catchy appeal, the overwhelming popularity it gained still came as a pleasant surprise – especially the song’s crossover success with urban radio stations.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would crossover. Even the urban stations – they love it. They call and ask for the instrumental. It's all over social media, with memes and stuff – it's just 'Jing-Ah-Ling, Jing-Ah-Ling!'"

Making Jing Ah Ling

Though Ramdath and Dindial collaborated before on other tracks such as Preet Yeh Kaisi, and Dalie Gayee, this was the first time they’ve worked on a chutney parang song.

“This (was) something out of the box for her. (I thought) ‘What she really coming with, boy?’

“In my mind (I was thinking) ‘is she for real?’ And then when she started to sing, I started to get the vibes of the song. So, it was something I didn’t expect.”

Ramdath said his approach was to “go back to basics,” deciding to keep the song traditional and “not too modernised.” The melody was crafted to achieve a harmonious fusion of “authentic parang and chutney.” He credits the song’s infectious hook as one of the key elements that made the song successful.

“While recording when Rasika was here I was thinking in my head, ‘the hook line, I could hear this banging out on the big trucks on Christmas day.'”

Once Dinidial completed her vocals, Ramdath got the help of musician Akash Daniel for the live dholak music to add the authentic chutney sounds on the track. After a “couple days” of work in his studio, Ramdath completed his Jing Ah Ling magic.

As a hit that gained a lot of prominence on social media, Ramdath reflects that social media is a useful vehicle for producers and artists to connect with the people and get direct feedback.

“You see for years, with everything being on radio stations, you have no feedback, how would you have known the feedback from people besides what the radio announcer plays or says?

“I would say social media (is useful) because of the feedback of the people.”

Ramdath relishes music production and sees it as both a challenge and a joy. According to him, the most time-consuming part of being a producer is engineering vocals, while the most rewarding part is knowing that his work is “making an impact,” on others.

Musical Roots

Ramdath started learning piano when he was around seven years old, taking a cue from his father, who played music for the temple. Music was always more than just a hobby for the young Ramdath.

“They always say you have to be born a musician or artiste. Of course, (anyone) can (learn to play), (and) for some people, it’s just a hobby. But something with musicians, we take from we soul. We feel from we soul.”

This passion for music propelled him to enter the chutney music industry. The spotlight of his career has been his work with the chutney soca crossover band Dil-E-Nadan, having served as the keyboardist for over ten years.

Dil-E-Nadan frontman Raymond Ramnarine gave Ramdath his nickname, “Wizzy,” a stage name that Ramnarine thought fitting to encapsulate the talent he saw in Ramdath, who he deemed a “whiz kid” on the keys.

Working with Dil-E-Nadan gave his first-hand experience of touring, taking him on a jam-packed musical adventure across the country, the Caribbean, and internationally in countries such as the US, Canada, Spain, and Holland.

But after over a decade of living out of his suitcase, Ramdath decided he needed a change of pace from this “fast life.” He needed to slow down to accommodate the new developments and pursuits in his personal life – building a family and furthering his music studies at the University of TT.

Birth of Wizz Studio & Avatar the Band

After leaving Dil-E-Nadan and starting his own family, Ramdath still “missed the stage” and yearned to continue establishing himself in the industry. It was then he decided to start his own studio and form his own band in 2014.

“I told my wife: ‘Let me start my own band. The band room will be right home with everything at my disposal” – an arrangement that would help Ramdath balance his career and family life.

That was the genesis of Wizz Studio and Avatar the Band. The band is a chutney soca band consisting of eight members and now celebrating a successful eight-year journey.

Some of its first major gigs were Republic Bank’s annual Divali celebration and Divali Nagar. Avatar has also established itself quite successfully in the local industry, having been the official backing band for Chutney Soca Monarch for three consecutive years.

“The band doing real good, fully booked. I can’t tell you the last (time) we had a free weekend.”

Being a bandleader has been a fulfilling experience for Ramdath. For him, Avatar is a family unit. In the Wizz Studio band room, it’s all about respect, discipline, and having fun in a calm environment. These are essential to make the band perform at their best.

“If you’re in an (band) environment, it mustn’t have no bickering. It must be totally a family unit. Because when you come in a band room, it’s like whatever troubles you have in the world, you just leave it there and this is your place of comfort.”

Ramdath, it seems, has found the optimal balance of being a producer, bandleader and performer. He says his many roles are “co-existing and not hampering anything.”

For while being a producer and bandleader gives him the convenience and control to explore his musical creativity, Ramdath said he will always enjoy the atmosphere of the stage.

“It’s something different with hitting a stage and performing for people – the joy. It have some performances we (Avatar the Band) did or performances with Dil-E-Nadan...tears want to come down your eyes because to see people happy or you know, you go into a big show – whether it be 45 minutes to an hour and the moment you finish and everything was successful, you know, the joy of people coming up to you.”