By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 10th December 2021) — Konris Maynard intends to balance being both calypsonian and politician going forward. “They’re telling me that I need to do both so what the people ask for is what you give them.” The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party caretaker for Constituency Three, who is one of the two newly elected party deputy leaders, expressed such sentiments during an interview with this media house ahead of the full release of his ‘Jumping Up Again’ calypso tune on Saturday 4th December 2021 on the MegaMix Show with Ronnie Rascal on ZIZ Radio.
Song lyrics include: “You have the magic to make us jump again and with all this stress in de world we need music in we soul… Is everyone and they mother saying to me, de man from #3, sing a song for me, cuz when you hit de stage I’ll be jumping up again.”
With a nine-year gap since releasing any new songs, Maynard noted: “My daughters who are 7 and 5, they have no clue about this thing.” He is a former multiple-crowned Senior Calypso Monarch as well as Soca Monarch and also Road March title holder, with notable hits including ‘Unstoppable Force’, ‘By De Breath’, ‘Finish De Song’ and ‘Sunday J’ouvert.’ He has won six Senior Calypso Monarch competitions including a four-peat from 2005 to 2008.
In a previous interview on Sunday 28th November, when asked what he would say to those who missed him from the calypso arena, he replied: “I had given a commitment to my constituents that I would be working hard on their behalf, and I think they have made it clear that they want me to put some effort in calypso as well because it’s a good way to communicate the message. So I give a commitment to continue serving in both areas.” He also expressed that the messaging in his songs “will continue along the same line — country development, nation development, togetherness, moving as one, identifying our problems and how we can solve them, positive uplifting music that everyone can enjoy.”
In relation to the SKNLP electoral conference, Maynard said: “We have one objective and so the work starts now to mobilise, to have cohesion in the party because I believe once we move together we will be unstoppable. There are too many people who are hurting, too many people don’t know where they’re going to get their next dollar from, and we want to present a strong and cohesive message to the general public that we are going to be much better than we have right now.”