Freetown Collective’s Take Me Home captures hearts

THE word home can mean something different to each person.

To Freetown Collective co-founder and lead vocalist Muhammad Muwakil, it’s a union.

To co-founder and guitarist Lou Lyons, it’s a feeling of belonging.

So when they sing, “Take me home, take me to a place where meh heart doh feel no pain,” they underscore their longing to bask in that peace and comfort.

The groovy track has been getting love for the 2025 Carnival season so far and is projected to continue doing so post-season because of its message.

They will be performing this song, and many others, at Welcome To Freetown 2025 on February 23 at SoundForge, Port of Spain.

Take Me Home was produced by Kitwana “AdvoKit Productions” Israel and Mevon “XplicitMevon” Soodeen. It was written by Muwakil, Lyons, Israel and Soodeen.

Lyons did guitars and bass, with background vocals from the Freetown Trinity (Tishanna Williams, Malene Joseph, Shanna Joseph).

Soodeen and Israel also did backup vocals, and Israel mixed and mastered it.

Muwakil sings, “Ah go cross any ocean to find it/Won’t let no mountain get in d way. We come cross d water, been through the fire/Ah know dat meh heart go show meh d way.”

He explains that everywhere they turn, they see people smiling and do not see creed or race.

“Ah doh want nobody tell we bout leavin’/We fight fuh we ting and this is we place.”

With a beautiful blend of harmonies, they sing: Take me home.

Making their patriotism clear, he later sings, “Marry me to the heart of Port of Spain, so if I ever leave I bound to come again…Protect we island, father, we pray, until d very end ah we days.”

Homecoming love

Muwakil told Sunday Newsday they contacted “Kit” (Israel) last year to work on music. They had started a completely different track but concluded: The vibe of it wasn’t there and something was missing.

They met up again and tried something else, but that got scrapped too.

But Muwakil believes they eventually drew inspiration from Israel when he said he’s trying to incorporate more elements of kaiso and calypso into his productions.

“Lou started playing a couple chords on the guitar and before you know it, we had a couple of lines going and felt like we were going in the right direction.”

And so, the song found its way home.

Israel said since he regularly works with Soodeen, he invited him to the initial studio session.

This was September 5, 2024.

“We met and the four of us started the project from scratch. We didn't have anything, we didn't have any plan, aim, goal…It was just about good vibes.

“Lou and I started to make some music collaboratively while Mevon and Muhammad were trying to make sense of what we should sing about and what melodies we should go with.”

Whether intentional or not, Israel said the song “felt like home.”

“It was very, very rootsy and it really spoke to how we love home because I love TT.”

Soodeen said when he was invited, it was “an instant yes,” adding that he had never worked with Freetown Collective before.

“And there was a part of me, creatively, that felt like, ‘Wait, I wonder what this would sound like,’ because my style is not traditionally a Freetown style.”

In the end, he believes they struck a balance – not just with production but also with energies.

“It felt like a nice melting pot of a project that we pieced together that came out brilliantly.”

What he also learnt, recalling him saying Freetown Collective has a particular “style” : “The (sound of their) music is not necessarily what makes Freetown, Freetown. It’s their vibe.

“I've heard songs from them that have EDM and they did a power soca remix of another song…They don't really limit themselves to a style.”

Singing from heart and soul

Asked what the word home means to him, Muwakil said, “The first thing that comes to mind when you say that is a home is a union.

“It’s a place where you rest, where there's a silence in your spirit…Home is where you're safe enough to sleep deeply enough to dream, it's where you dream from. Home is the place that rejuvenates you, that reminds you who you are when you need reminding….I think home is everything.”

Lyons said, “Home is a feeling of belonging, being a part of something that has a piece of you in it and has a space for you.”

He added, “(It’s) a place that might not always be easy but will always be made out of care.”

They initially had second thoughts on using the word “home” because of its use in recent songs like Come Home by Nailah Blackman and Skinny Fabulous, and the hook, “No place like home,” from Mical Teja’s DNA.

“So we thought, ‘Do we really want to tag this song with the word home?’” he recalled with a laugh.

“But the song was undeniable and I don't want to not give a song a chance to live because I feel in a type of way about the words in the song. That's not my prerogative. My prerogative is to write a good song. And if it's a good song, I shouldn't change a word in it because I feel a type of way about this or that.”

He clarified, “I could change something if I have strong feelings about it. But it shouldn't just be because, well, last year somebody used the same word.”

Asked what kind of feedback members of the public have been giving to them, Muwakil immediately pulled out his phone, launched the YouTube app and read a comment under the song: “The person says, ‘As a cancer patient, this touched me so much to know music is life.’”

“Most people who know me and they know me from performing or see me writing know how much the music touches me. I am often moved to tears by stuff like this.

“We believe what we say and we try our best to live what we say. So if you hear Freetown Collective singing something, it is because we believe it with all of our heart and our soul. We will defend it. And we feel that way about home, about TT,” Muhammad said.

He said in order to make music that touches others, it must first touch those creating it.

“Music is magic... It's a process of inspiration."

He said they enjoy making timeless music covering many different topics, which they have done for the last 15 years.

“A lot of songs get lost in the hype. Because every year, for whatever reason, there are about 20 songs that get played in Carnival. But you have to decide, is it that you're trying to be in that 20? Or are you betting on yourself that you're going to create a catalogue of music that you're proud of?

“(People are always asking) What are they wearing this year? What are they saying this year? What's the buzzword? What's this? What's that? And your catalogue seems sporadic. So when you do have a hit, you can't be that fan based on a sporadic catalogue. Because they like the hit.”

Jab Jab character to shine at show

When it comes to their show, the theme is Jab Jab (rope jab), a traditional Carnival character.

Backup vocalist Malene Joseph said some time ago, she took an online quiz which determined what traditional Carnival character a person is most like.

“Two years ago, the theme for the event was Muhammad’s result, the pierrot grenade, and last year was Lou’s which was a sailor.”

She believes it’s important to remind people that rope jab falls under the term jab jab but still remains its own unique practice.

“It’s a martial art practice, there’s a lot of discipline, spiritual elements…and it’s initiation-based too. You don’t just walk down the road and start to do rope jab.”

She said they did a lot of research, which included speaking to Original Jab Jab bandleader Ronald Alfred.

“We went to the source, which was important…because we wanted to do this theme while ensuring we respect the tradition and the culture. Respect is important.”

Lyons said many elements of the jab jab reflect aspects of people’s “collective consciousness…

“Things we may take for granted but which define us deeply.”

For Muwakil, he believes jab jabs are warriors.

“Midnight robber might say he's a warrior, but the man who played midnight robber might not be able to fight you.”

Calypso legend David Rudder is one of the artistes who will share the stage with them.

Muwakil is still in disbelief.

“When you start singing, you do not think at any point in your life you're ever going to end up on a stage with David Rudder. Furthermore, to have a show that David Rudder is on. You're not on Rudder's show. Rudder's on your show.

“At certain points in life, you just have to bow your head and accept that you're blessed.

Other acts include Mical Teja, Coutain, College Boy Jesse and Preedy.

Muwakil said he admires and respects the unity among the younger generation of musicians.

“To know that we have this type of a lineup on a show like this is real heartwarming to me.

“We hear all the horror stories about the calypsonians, people setting each other up and all kinds of things and this and that. But there's so much love within the younger generation of musicians. Genuine, genuine love and support, sharing of resources and advice.”

The show begins at 6 pm.