Rishi Gayadeen celebrates 40 years in music

BAVINA SOOKDEO

As musical director and leader of the resident band for the Chutney Soca Monarch competition, Rishi Gayadeen is already deep into preparations for Carnival. His calendar is packed, with the seasoned musician revealing that he has completed close to 35 productions with various artistes this season alone.

Already booked for many private functions too, for Gayadeen, this level of demand is both a reflection of the season’s intensity and a career that now spans four decades.

At 51 years old, the Ste Madeleine native, who now resides in Retrench Village, is celebrating 40 years of service to Trinidad and Tobago’s music industry. Questioned on how he feels about reaching this milestone, he said, “I feel honoured to have served the music industry for 40 years and to still keep on doing it. It’s one of my greatest achievements.”

More than a hobby

Music, for Gayadeen, was never just a hobby. It was part of his upbringing. “I will give my father all the credit in the world” he said. “He’s the one who nurtured my talent and sent me to music school.”

Growing up around his father’s orchestra, Gayadeen says those early years shaped his discipline, musical identity and work ethic. “Being around Gayatones from the time I was born… that band room and rehearsal was a calling for me,” he recalled. “It haunted my soul. Every opportunity I got, I watched them rehearse and I soaked in everything.”

He began piano lessons at just six years old, already knowing that music was going to be “a big part” of his life. While balancing school and rehearsals demanded maturity at an early age, he adapted quickly. “At that age I was going to school, so the balance between school and music had to be managed properly,” he said. “As a kid I learnt to do that very quickly.”

Gayadeen grew up on Jaipaul Street, near a sugar factory, in what he described as “the best village ever… a very family-oriented village with the nicest people.” That environment, he explained, demanded discipline, noting that he and his brothers were kept in line and taught early standards at home, especially in music. “We were taught to play original East Indian music by dad who told us 'If you can’t play it close to the record, then don’t play it,' Gayadeen said.

At the same time, exposure to different artistes and styles broadened his musical outlook. Gayadeen shared that meeting soca and chutney artistes sparked his fascination with multiple genres and pushed him to understand their structure and feel. “I became fascinated with all genres of music and wanted to play and understand the swing and structure of all of them,” he said. Learning to adjust his keyboard style for soca and reggae was part of an ongoing process that shaped his sound and work ethic. “Everything was a learning process for me.”

But the moment he truly confirmed music would be his path came when he first stepped into a recording studio and witnessed the creation of original music through technology. “Balancing school and my music career up to secondary school (I attended the Pleasantville Senior Comprehensive School) was good, but being around singers like Rikki Jai and Nermal "Massive" Gosine, I was introduced to a next world of the music…the making and creation of original music – the recording studio life.” Seeing the technology and equipment for the first time blew his mind. “That’s when I decided that music was going be my path” he said.

Committed to that dream, Gayadeen began performing professionally with his father’s band, at age 12 and entered studio production by 15. He has gone from keyboardist to producer, musical director, bandleader and mentor. “I have nurtured quite a few young artists like Avinash Maharaj, Divya Gocool, Videsh Sookoo and more,” Gayadeen said. “I started from the ground and was given a lot of opportunity by various people, so in return I help nurture a lot of young artists.”

Gayadeen’s evolution has been constant. In 2011 he entered the Mastana Bahar competition as a solo keyboardist and placed first winning $75,000. “That experience was close to my heart. I grew up watching that show and said to myself one day I will win that competition.”

Gayadeen credited his mentor, Kenny Phillips of KMP Studios, for shaping his studio journey. Introduced to Phillips by Rikki Jai in the early 1990s, he recorded Gayatones’ first album there and later became a keyboardist on call. Recalling a crucial moment, Gayadeen said Phillips once asked him if he had a Mac laptop and took it with him, installing Logic Pro Digital Studio. After collecting it the next day, Phillips told him to “go home and study this until you get it right.”

He got it right and gained further experience working in several recording studios across TT. In 2015, Gayadeen invested in his own studio.

The artiste estimates his body of work to be vast. “It’s in the hundreds, maybe a thousand or maybe more,” he said, adding that production remains his second love, just after the keyboard.

RG Musical Journey

That evolution continues today through RG The Band, a rebranding he described as essential to growth, one that came 33 years after being in the music industry. “Rebranding is very important in the music world,” Gayadeen explained. “The music, the stage, the imagination… my hunger for wanting more…I decided that I wanted to form a band so I can accomplish my dreams.” He added, “The mind is a powerful thing….RG The Band came.”

And Carnival remains central to Gayadeen’s vision. He said the season still energises him. “I look forward to Carnival for the new soca music, playing in some of the fetes… and being the resident band for Chutney Soca Monarch. I love it.”

This Carnival season has seen him balancing intense studio schedules with live performance preparation. “Production had to be finished before Boxing Day,” he said, “but I’m still in studio doing some last-minute production and getting ready for the stage as well.”

What excites him most is the connection with audiences. “Hearing my work playing on the radio and parties and seeing people having a good time with my music,” he said. “Also playing it live on stage, seeing their reactions.”

His talent will take centre stage on March 22 with RG Musical Journey, a live performance celebrating his four-decade career. “It will display where I have started to where I am right now,” Gayadeen said. The show will span Bollywood, chutney, soca and parang, featuring his band of 11 members, fellow musicians and special guests.

No regrets

Questioned on the importance of versatility to survival in the industry, Gayadeen stressed that is it very important. “RG is now a brand that’s known for different genres of music and as a producer I show my skills and versatility” Gayadeen said. “Music is a universal language. I don’t keep myself in a little box…I’m willing to take my music to the world.”

Still, he stresses the importance of preserving authenticity. “Never forget where you started… building a foundation and preserving it will always keep you going so that then you can try different things.”

Despite four decades in the industry, slowing down is not an option. “God is the boss” he said. “Once he gives me the strength to move on, I’ll be here. I have created my path with hard work and dedication to my music. The stage is my home and I’ll play music till my last breath.”

With bookings throughout the year, upcoming tours, a brand-new recording studio under construction and a renewed focus on original content, Gayadeen is committed to personal growth and his first love – music.

Asked what keeps him inspired he said, “Wanting more and knowing that I have so much more to offer. Music is not a hobby to me – it’s my job and I take it seriously treating it with respect and love. Because of this it treats me back with all my rewards and success.”

So how does he want to be remembered? “I want to be remembered for great things…for producing good music, playing good live music, keeping a standard of quality music and singing as a band.” He also hopes to be remembered for “being humble, being real to himself, having true friends in the business, creating memories and helping others to make their dreams happen.”

To young musicians entering the industry, he warned that the industry and music life is not an easy one. “Set goals, focus on what you want and work hard towards it” he advised. “There will be obstacles in your path, but don’t allow it to break your focus and always remain humble.”

Looking back at his 40 years in the industry, Gayadeen said he has no regrets about choosing music as his life’s path. “It was always my dream,” he shared. “Music is who I am. I believe people were born to do certain things in this life.” He added that he feels “blessed and grateful to be still on those stages…making our fans happy. The stage is my home and my life.”