Maria is about toxic relationship not 'horn'

Simba Amani (real name Kurtly Ravello) and The Live Experience aroused curiosity among fans in August when they released Maria, a distinctively original track with a captivating hook, complete with somewhat ambiguous lyrics and music video.

Few have expected an upbeat song about a "horner woman" from the humble, multi-talented musician/teacher from Cushe Village, Rio Claro.

That's because it's really not, said Amani, who wrote the song.

The incredibly catchy melody embeds itself into the memory and is supported by lyrics with a far deeper and less run-of-the-mill theme than just infidelity.

Amani encourages listeners to dig a bit beneath the surface to discover the substance of often misinterpreted analogy.

"(Lyrics aside) the video was slightly misunderstood in that the director tried to piggyback on one of the lines and make it the essence of the video," Amani explained to Newsday.

"So the part when I said, 'Wifey stress me out, and you are holding me up,' it looked as though the woman in the video was a horner woman."

The track is primarily about a substance with healing and pacifying properties, providing support to the right user or one that is undoubtedly harmful when abused, depending what one interprets from the science.

For Amani, it's partly about a love bordering on obsession, and its negative repercussions – something he knows all too well about.

The one holding him up was, in fact, cannabis; a long-time clutch the performer has mostly distanced himself from in recent times because it held him up until it couldn't any more.

"I never came out and admit it on radio but I does take my little pull ever so often," he said. "I was going through a depressed mode which was pronounced to the point where the substance itself was making it worse. I've eased up a lot.

"It was a means of escape but in the long run it turned out a bit toxic."

"The story is about 'Maria-juana'," he spelled out, "but it can also be about alcohol, it could be about anything that has the potential for abuse."

Additionally, the song also represents a break-away from the restrictions that limited Amani's expression for years as an artiste.

"Being a teacher and being able to write about some subjects publicly always felt like taboo," Amani said, be they themes of sexuality or cannabis use, for example.

"Apart from all that, I've been going through things that made me realise I don't want to be a people-pleaser. That's not to say you need to be irresponsible or reckless with your lyrics but at the same time, when it comes to my freedom of expression, I don't want to put myself in a box; I want to be able to talk about anything."

Maria's melody blends Afrobeat, Latin and reggae, with a few other sub-genres under world music, and their typical instruments. Those, combined with a mesh of Spanish and English lyrics, make for a distinctively unique sound.

So the genre isn't immediately clear. But it is a considerable shift in the pattern of his and The Live Experience's previous releases. It certainly underscores Amani's versatility as a writer and performer although some have told him that they think they've found his niche. But Amani doesn't necessarily agree, since the word "niche" implies being situated in a comfort zone with less room for flexibility, which he's not about.

Though relatively new, the song was yearning to be completed.

Aquil Arrindell and Neville John led The Live Experience's production of the track over a year ago.

Amani is a Spanish teacher at Rio Claro West Secondary, so the Spanish lyrics naturally roll off his tongue.

The video was directed by Oluwa Pierre and starts with a shot of Amani outside the popular Bodow Roastfish and Oysters in Mayaro.

Tragically, Andre Ross, a budding entrepreneur, who had taken up interest in photography/videography just before filming for Maria started, died along with his girlfriend, Reanne Nayan, in a car crash in Debe last year just one week after shooting the first take. Both Ross and Nayan were just 22.

Amani said Ross brought the passion and encouragement for The Live Experience to execute Maria as a full-blown project.

It took some time for Amani and the band to pick back up and complete the job after the devastation of their friends' death.

But it was well worth the effort, he says. A lot can be learned from the lessons of Maria.

Just don't misconstrue the song title, his use of Spanish lyrics, and the misunderstood meaning as a slight on Latinas.

The word "marijuana" was originally spelled "marihuana" and "mariguana" in Mexican Spanish. It's a simple play on words.

Amani, in fact, says he has a big problem with hypocrisy in Trinidad and Tobago, especially as it relates to the treatment women, migrant women, particularly Latinas and our own.

Many have come to this country as highly-educated professionals, who now have to work multiple jobs to feed their families, while being shamed for no reason whatsoever.

"In fact, that problem for Trinidadians it is partly based on our idea of culture, too, because we like to boast about this thing called Carnival as 'we ting' and 'we culture' while it's a set of nakedness being promoted basically.

"I think its partially our culture to look at women as sex objects."

Many fans and listeners on social media suggest the song should have made the rounds on all the radio stations devoted to local music and even the urban stations. While it has gotten some play, it's shocking to them that the song isn't on a regular circulation. Some suggest its a matter of the "boys club" in the music industry who keep the same household names or up-and-coming friends on the forefront without giving the best current titles a fair chance.

It needs more view on YouTube, too, to live up to its vast potential.

That could still change, though, as Amani says. The song is still relatively new and it can burst to life when least expected. It's that refreshing.