Baby, victory are blessings

Her husband, Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez rubbed her fully-rounded belly as if to make sure himself.

The soca power couple have been quietly amused by the rumours that first surfaced over the weekend that Fay-Ann, 28, had had their baby. Several radio and television stations picked up the talk and some even reported the birth as fact.

“It looks like everyone is so excited with Fay’s baby that they feel that it is the nation’s baby. Since Saturday we have been hearing the rumours. We were sitting looking at the television when the announcer came across and announced that Fay had her baby, we just looked at each other and burst out laughing,” said Alvarez.

Fay-Ann, eight months pregnant and due at the end of March, is looking forward to motherhood, however, and believes God has blessed her and husband. Neither parent-to-be would say what is the sex of the baby.

“Everything I do is for my family and it is the same for Ian. Anything we do from now on will be for our baby because we were chosen by God to bring this child into the world and surely God has a plan. This is a victory and a blessing,” she said at home in Lange Park, Chaguanas yesterday.

She is also thanking God for another blessing—her third Road March victory. Fay-Ann’s “Meet Superblue” received 410 plays on the road for Carnival Tuesday leaving Destra Garcia’s “Bacchanal” way behind in second with 76 plays.

Fay-Ann first won the Road March with “Display” in 2003 and scored her second victory last year with “Get On”.Fay-Ann has also made it into the soca history books as she becomes the first woman and the first artiste to win the Power Soca, Groovy Soca, People’s Choice and Road March in the same year. Her rewards are an estimated $1.2 million for the Soca Monarch titles and a car for the Road March. She copped the Power Soca and Road March prizes with “Meet Superblue”, a fierce defence of the legacy of her father Austin “Superblue” Lyons, a multiple Road March and Soca Monarch champion, and her independence. She dethroned her husband, who has won the Soca Monarch three times. “Heavy-T Bumper”, a song celebrating the more well-endowed woman, earned her the Groovy Soca crown.

She is proud of her success and thinks it is a victory for women.

“I am very happy and I intend to continue with my music. It’s my passion and it is what drives me, in this case, us as a family. I am glad to be fully representing all women and I am urging all women to take full responsibility for themselves and stand up for their rights,” she said.

Fay-Ann has spent much of the hectic season defending her decision to continue singing while pregnant and made it part of her performances on the fete circuit and for the Soca Monarch competitions. Commenting on the new talk that she used her pregnancy to gain public sympathy to win, Fay-Ann said, “It is a marvel to hear what people could say especially when you are successful in what you do.

“Even I could not have come up with that idea on my own. Just imagine for me to sit down and think last year that I will strategically put things in place so that I can get pregnant in time for the Carnival and still perform and do my job, including entering competitions, then maybe I am God.”

Fay-Ann points out that she is not the first woman soca artiste to keep performing while pregnant.

“Allison Hinds (of Barbados) did it and look at Denise Belfon, she has three children. Where is the uniqueness in my pregnancy? I am sure I am not the last one to be pregnant and carrying out my duty, especially in the entertainment industry.” Now taking to time to rest, Fay-Ann assures that she remains healthy and continues to have good pregnancy.