Crystal Melissa Ali

Queen’s Hall was filled to capacity as thousands of villagers from all over the country flooded the auditorium to witness the talent competition of La Reine Rive of the Prime Minister’s Best Village competition last Sunday afternoon. In a rare East Indian-oriented item, the lovely lady Crystal Mellissa Ali, 21, took to the stage dressed as a Punjabi princess to deliver the tune, “Oh Allah Mere.” The versatile singer had the audience clapping along as she sang verse after verse of this traditional folk item. To top it off a new verse was added to the song, calling for love and unity among the races in the country. The audience showed their appreciation for this part of the song by their loud applause. Crystal was representing the Princes Town Theatre Workshop (PTTW) in the semifinal competition having placed first in the county of Victoria East. The song was remixed for this competition by Teekaram Jankie and Wayne Akash Ali of the PTTW. She is now the talk of the town having been in many of the programmes organised by the Community Development Office in Princes Town.

Crystal is also an employee of the Ministry of Finance and the lead singer of the south-based orchestra, Nirvana Sangeet. Speaking from her home at Mandingo Road, Princes Town, she said she was born into a family where music and song were the order of the day. “My mother is the sister of the top chutney singer Molly Ramcharan of Penal,” she beamed. “And the members of the entire Ramcharan family are talented singers. Although my mother did not go on to record her songs she remains one of the most sought after singers at many of the rural areas in the deep south. And I guess I am now doing the things my mother wanted to do as young girl,” she said. Having had great success on TTT’s Mastana Bahar, she is now preparing to do her very first CD which will be launched in November of this year. She is also a semifinalist in this year’s Mastana competition as well as in the Miss Naturally Fair contest. She has been following a busy schedule, performing three days a week and rehearsing almost every day for her upcoming contests. “I never planned anything in life. One day I was just an ordinary bhajan singer in the village temple, when I was asked to sing a song with the orchestra. Then I was asked to learn more songs as the demand for film and chutney grew. Then before I knew it I was told that I would be the perfect delegate for the La Reine Rive competition. I am not one to disappoint people and I realised that the members of my group had full confidence in me and this is what propelled me to do my very best,” she said.

Crystal spends all her spare time experimenting with  various tunes to get the perfect songs for her performances. She also spends a lot of time doing research on many topics of history. She loves to read about the past heroes and heroines of the world. “I am fascinated by the stories of the great people of the world. I love to read about Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and women like Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kennedy and Princess Diana. I believe that these people all have one thing in common. They were appreciated by people from all walks of life and this is something I would like to achieve in my own little world,” she said. Crystal looks away coyly when she speaks, as if she is not sure whether she is saying the correct thing. While on stage though she stares at the crowd and expresses herself like any accomplished performer. In fact she is transformed on stage, into an energetic performer who really amazes those who know her. Despite her tight schedule, Crystal finds the time to look for the perfect fashions for the stage. “As a performer you must be able to create an impact with your appearance. In Trinidad and Tobago you must look good in order for the crowds to appreciate you. I try to select clothing which is not too revealing but yet beautiful,” she said. She also noted that she is happy that the Bollywood fashions are now coming in the contemporary styles of halter backs and pellazo pants. This, she says is a relief because these fashions are appreciated by all. Crystal would also like to travel to other countries to take the arts of TT to them. “People are very familiar with chutney and calypso. I would like to take the traditional folk songs across to them,” she said. Crystal is ready to take on the world. For her the sky is the limit and she is using all her time to practise for her upcoming competitions.