Richard moves from construction worker to soca ‘Fireball’

Radio listeners are already calling soca newcomer Rohan “Fireball” Richards the next Kevin Little, but better. It’s all in the voice. It’s not a forced high note, it’s natural! Don’t let the name fool you though! He’s not some character out of a “soucouyant” legend as some may wish to think. “Fireball” is simply the nickname that stuck with the Laventille youth when he went against the boys in his area in a reggae competition. He was only nine years old at the time and was already talking about wanting to be an entertainer. He wanted to register  how hot and fiery he was and at the same time send a message to his contenders. “Sun” wasn’t going to work. “Fireball” was just right. Rohan is a budding soca artiste like most his age — 23. He’s a simple fellow and makes no bones about how his plans should be mapped out. It may seem like mere coincidence, but Rohan believes that meeting up with record producer Keith Israel/Jamm Records has much to do with what “God” wants.

Why would Israel take newcomer Rohan under his wing and add to his credit studio time and tracks in the run up to Carnival 2004? It’s not a question that Rohan hasn’t thought out loud. The former construction worker, security officer and now porter at Singer Queen Street, Port-of-Spain has talent. That may not be as apparent to the judges of Scouting For Talent since Rohan, in his third attempt, never made it past the preliminary round. His year hasn’t arrived, some may argue. Or perhaps he had been singing the wrong tune and simply dancing to the wrong music. At his debut performance some years ago, Rohan sang a “gospelreggae” song. He later switched to pop/adult contemporary with Brian Adam’s “Everything I Do” and subsquently, Richard Marx’s “Now and Forever.” Something was lacking. Rohan tried a fast-paced double-entendre soca song, “Rick.” That was 2002. Then Israel suggested that he slow the pace a little. Two years later and already out of the production room, he’s certain he has it — the song to make his mark. It’s called “Divine Lady.” He said: “I don’t like to go too slack nah! I like to keep within the bounds. I have respect for God. Then I came up with the idea of complimenting ladies.”

He simply has to sing one line  from the chorus and the song can be committed to memory: “I’m not trying to be out of place, but when you move yuh waist, yuh does look so fine.” The song features Gemini, the artiste who initially forged the link-up with the two. “I met Gemini at a graduation after someone told him they should speak with me since I sing.” Rohan explained. “I sang a piece of my chorus to him. It was easy to remember so Gemini went back to Keith and sang the same chrous. Not long after Keith asked me to come in to see him. When we first met he said he was impressed. He probably had more confidence in me than I did in myself,” said Rohan. In “Divine Lady,” Rohan takes his listeners to varying heights. “I even tried new things too with my voice. I got to be myself with this song.” He has had no formal training, and no specific amount of honey servings. “I try to stick to the key. Some of them try to sing as high as they can, thinking that will make them sound sweeter. The melody is the whole trick in it.” Rohan is asking his audience to test him out — his songwriting skills, his melody. He promises that his upcoming tracks on the 2003 Soca Compilation: Caribbean Hot Trax 7 will be equally entertaining.