Songwriters Cheyne Jones and Ian ‘iWeb’ Webster have added another Pic-O-De Crop crown to their shelf.
The dynamic writing duo – The WaterStreetBoyz – was anything but quiet during the pandemic. In fact, they partnered with numerous musicians and artistes throughout the region to give an anthem of hope, with lyrics that said together we would get past COVID.
In the wee hours of this morning, Saturday, July 30, Quon won his first Pic-O-De Crop title with Animal Kingdom, which came from working with the WaterStreetBoyz.
Talking to one-half of the pair, Jones, Loop found out how it feels to have the winning words.
Jones said, “The WaterStreetBoyz are elated at the results in the Pic-O-De Crop finals.”
Witnessing the evolution of Quon, who was one of the five former Junior Monarchs going up against the veterans this year, Jones explained, “It is incredible to see the phenomenal growth of Quon, who just a few years ago wasn’t making it past the Junior Monarch preliminary stage. Fast forward to 2022, and he has two junior monarch titles and now the prestigious title of Calypso Monarch of Barbados. To say we are proud is an understatement.”
But Quon’s win was just the topper on the cake; the cake was the fact that the WaterStreetBoyz got three of the top four spots after judges returned at the end of the Finals performances.
Jones said that is “more than we could have hoped for and we feel blessed.
“However, results for us doesn’t just mean what the judges say, but the response from the general public to the music, and we are happy with the overwhelming appreciation we have been getting.”
Reflecting on last night into today, he shared, “Iweb was his usual fantastic self on the finals stage, and TC delivered the extremely popular Kaiso Reporter well. Teri has won the hearts of many Bajans, and people keep saying she is one to watch. Doyenne showed Barbados what she is capable of in the big league. We are extremely happy with the way our singers delivered last night.”
Talking preparation that led to the final results, he said that for an involved songwriter such as himself, it was just as rigorous as it is for the singers.
“The last few months have been very demanding but extremely rewarding. I am very hands-on with the creative process in terms of helping artistes to interpret the songs and communicate the message so that it resonates. So that includes going to the rehearsals, taking long calls discussing the content and watching their performances for what can be improved on; seeing which lines the crowd responds to and tweaking lyrics based on seeing what works,” he explained.
See also
WaterStreetBoyz compilations in the 2022 Pic-O-De Crop Finals:
Quon – Animal Kingdom
Iweb – Dear Lord
TC – Kaiso Reporter
Teri – Who We Are
Doyenne – Love Affair
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