Mistah Dale hopes to once again share soca’s happiness

It is a happiness he hopes to share with TT, the region and the world come Carnival 2017 with his release “Nuttin Sweetah.” Those who know the Barbadian soca artiste would remember him for hits like 1998’s “Kaylaylay” or 2008’s “Soca Junkie.” Rudder spent a large portion of the time away from the forefront of the music industry working in the background, helping young Barbadians perfect the art.

In an interview with Newsday, Rudder said, “[This] is really just my re-announcement onto the scene again. As a solo artiste, I have had a lot of success in the past with “Kaylaylay” and “Soca Junkie.” “I have been behind the scenes.

I went into production. I was helping to develop some of the younger artistes, writing songs for them and producing a compilation album - from concept to actual production.

So that kind of took up a lot of my time. Two years I have finished this and this is the second year since the volumes came to an end. I did seven volumes.” Rudder’s time away from the stage was prompted by a ‘burning desire’ to give back and to raise the overall bar of the music industry in his homeland and beyond. “If you build a champion, you are a champion,” Rudder said expressing how he looked at the ‘behind the scenes’ work done in developing the music industry.

While he enjoyed the behind the scenes work done, Rudder knew there was a strong base longing for his return. His return was further prompted by a conversation held with a ‘leading soca artiste.’ “I had an interesting conversation with one of the biggest soca artistes and he was like Dale I respect what you have done so much.

Not that I gone off the scene,” he said.

The artiste, whom Rudder did not name, also said to him, “soca needs you to get back out there big time.” Rudder was also grappling with personal family issues, regarding his son, during those years away.

He, however, never stopped being involved in some form in the industry. “I wrote for Junior Monarch.

Wrote for the winners. I am always involved in the cultural side of music, every year but in terms of really pushing Mistah Dale as a performer as a solo act, based on that conversation, I know I have not given it my all.” He took a concrete decision, last year, to return to the bright lights of the stage. And so “Nuttin Sweetah” was released for Crop Over this year.

“When I sit and look at the music business as a whole, like I have been telling people all along, this is a numbers game and unfortunately we in the Caribbean have the talent but we don’t necessarily have the numbers to make a dent in the world market. I think more collaborative efforts are needed from all the islands, especially with soca which I view as the last happy music on earth.” “Soca is the last remaining untapped source of happiness,” he said.