BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TALENT abounds in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and among those talented individuals are some who dispense their ability from behind the scenes.
One of those individuals who operates from behind the scene is popular radio announcer and owner of Kyss FM Amiel Uriah Browne, known to many as Prince AU who has been practicing the art of song writing and singing since he was 12 years old.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Brown recounted his musical experiences after migrating to St. Lucia with his parents at a very young age.
Browne stated that while in that country, he used to sit with his father’s records and sing along with them, and that was when his writing career in music began.
“I remember my very first composition which was actually a rewrite, ‘Send me the pillow that you dream on’ done be Hank Locklin, which was an old Country and Western song. Then I decided that I was going to write something, whether it was a song or a poem, but I never really liked poems so I decided to channel my writing skills in songs and I continued to do that for years.”
Browne said that he had a liking for calypsos and he entered his first calypso competition after moving from St. Lucia to Statia.
“However, in 1988, I moved to St. Maarten and together with my wife I started doing gospel music. Since then, I have been writing for a number of people,” he added.
Browne has had an illustrious career in music, having released 13 albums with various genres of music and he is planning to release another before this year ends.
“The first album I produced was back in 1988 called ‘Looking For A City’, which I did on a $300 budget. I did two more in the following year and by 1990 I had my first record…an actual vinyl record; and then I did my first Christmas album in 1991 and my first calypso album in 1992,” Browne said.
On his return to St. Kitts in 1993, Browne said that he was preparing to enter the national competition but there was no Carnival that year. So, in the following year he came out all guns blazing and was adjudged winner of the Road March with a tune called ‘Come Fan Me’.
In that year, he also had another very popular tune called ‘Have Your Say’.
Browne’s first album was done in Trinidad, which was his first attempt at arranging his own music, and that was the launching of Prince AU in St. Kitts.
He made another album in 1995 but it did not live up to his expectation.
Speaking about some of the artistes with whom he worked, Browne said, “Between 1995 and 2006 I recorded just about everybody who is anybody in the music in St. Kitts at that time,” adding that he had worked with Glenda out of St. Thomas in the production of most of her songs.
He had also done some work with his daughter Kylah.
“I have done a lot of writing for myself in particular, and whenever I begin writing I want to make an album and that is why I produced one this year, which features me and my daughter,” Browne revealed.
Browne and his daughter had released a few tracks for the 2012-2013 Carnival but he has distance himself for competing in any competition this year, noting that he is giving “Kylah the opportunity to compete in the Soca Monarch Competition”.
When asked to comment on why he often releases tunes and do not compete with them, Brfowne said, “It is something that is a gift. It is a talent that I have been blessed with and therefore I have always sought to nurture that talent that I have been given by the Most High. I am not sure if I ever sat down and figure out why do I do it, except that I am blessed with something.
“I am a very religious person and the good book says if you have talent and you don’t use it you are going to lose it, and so over the years I did what I did because I love it.
“In terms of the competition…no! I contemplated it but my daughter also wanted to be a part of it, so I decided to let her go instead because she did not feel too comfortable competing with me in the competition.
“Honestly, it was never something I really cared for, but I did it because I wanted to and went in and enjoyed myself and I continued recording music. But for this year, no, maybe in the future! I look at things and see whether or not I would do it again, but for now I will stay out and let Khyla do her thing.”
Commenting on his daughter’s ability, Browne said that as an artiste she holds her own as a very talented singer and that she has a very powerful voice.
“It now is really the launch of her as an artiste. She has been around singing at various events and played an integral role in Basseterre High School last year, wining the Clash of the High Schools as well as being a good dancer.
“Now we are getting the evolution, basically of the artiste…we basically launch that. Last year, after I was sick for several months, I decided to give her a helping hand and gave her the push that she needs as a recording artiste.”
Browne added that there is a difference in one being a singer and one being an artiste.
He said that he had written practically all of her songs, and her first one was ‘Love will never Die’, which signifies the love he has for his wife.
Browne revealed that his daughter wants to do R&B and Reggae songs as well as a fashion of various genres of music.
“But as someone who can really go out there and hit the stage perform, sing and sing well without having to use auto tune and polish the voice, she is well on her way to becoming a very, very strong force in the music business,“ he added.
He was however reluctant in giving details on her preparation for the competition, but stated that she is working on herself.
Browne said that he had recently completed a track with Calypso Craig and has done some others with Richie Buntin for this year’s Carnival.
He said that his biggest inspiration in music has been Joseph Niles, but “I and cannot understand why he is not honoured as yet by the Barbados government and CARICOM”.
However, from and a Soca standpoint, his favorite artiste is the Baron, whose voice he claims to love and also the simplicity of his songs.
Asked what was his greatest musical achievement, Browne responded, “I won an award back in 1990 for Best Calypso Gospel in St. Maarten for a song that I did called ‘Living For Jesus’, and I am also the first Soca artiste to place in a regional competition in a Regional Party Monarch Competition in Barbados in 1995 behind Colin Lucas of Barbados and Edwin Yearwood of Krosfyah.”
He however stated that his highest recording was the Sugar Band’s album - the ‘Peoples Sugar’ - which might have been their biggest selling album. Browne claims that most of the other bands bestselling albums have been recorded by him.
