Bankie working on another Crucial album

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ST. KITTS’ reggae ambassador Ian Veira, popularly known in the music industry as Crucial Bankie, is currently working on another album that he intends to release next summer.

Speaking with SKNVibes for the first time since his last interview in September 2006, Veira said he has been in the industry for over 20 years and would continue to deliver reality messages through his music.

His messages address life’s struggles, giving praise and thanks to the Creator and remembering from “whence we came”.
“It’s not about me writing a bunch of songs, it comes with experience and what I go through…that is where my music comes from. I been penetrating more dance ‘riddims’ and gearing towards more dance music for the next album and hoping to do some collaboration with local and regional artistes,” he said.

He also informed that Winston ‘Bopy’ Bowen, who played the guitar for Taurus Riley’s hit tune ‘She’s Royal’, would be working with him on the new album.

Veira further informed that the album would address social issues with emphasis on youths involvement in violence and crime.
He has not yet decided on a name for the album but said it would carry the same message he has been pedalling since the release of his first album [The Sting] in 1986. 

Veira, who recently returned to his homeland, was based in Jamaica over the past three years performing at a number of shows in that country and further afield. In 2008, he participated in a show at Birmingham and also at Leeds Carnival.

Veira disclosed that he is no longer being represented by the Virginia-based V Records and has returned to his original label - All Stars - which he owns.

He also hopes to produce two new videos shortly that will complement those previously released, including ‘Slaughter’, ‘Borderline’, and ‘How Excellent’.

An advocate for home-grown talent, Veira is one of the first persons to have recognised the importance of it by staging shows in their honour. He even named his third album ‘Home Grown’ which was produced by the Jazzique Chiverton, a local genius producer and musician who was involved in the production of Masud Sadiki’s first album - ‘Blast Off’.

Veira said that Home Grown’s message rang out clear, for the “local artistes were as good as the international ones and deserved that respect”.

Another initiative he undertook was the hosting of an annual concert titled “Home Grown”, in which he had featured as many local acts as he possibly could in order to put them under the spotlight.

However, in 2006, the Home Grown Concert was not as successful as he wanted it to be, noting although many people did not turn up he was still thankful to the sponsors including Carib Brewries, bMobile (now LIME), Minister Ricky Skerritt, Pat Walters, Mark Wilkin, Masud Sadiki and Jazzique Chiverton.

He said that they all helped in a huge way.

That year was also to feature international acts such as Marcia Griffiths and Alton Ellis, who passed away in January 2009.

Although disappointed about the way the event turned out, he has not ruled out staging another sometime in the near future.
When asked who he thought was one of the outstanding local acts, Veira smiled and declared that he was very much impressed by Dagah. He said Dagah’s flow is strong.

Dagah, whose real name is Kwame Samuel, is a Hip-Hop artiste from Old Road and recently performed creditably at the St. Kitts Music Festival.

In a previous interview with SKNVibes, Samuel stated that he was featured on one of Veira’s tracks for his third album - ‘Home Grown’ - called ‘Cutting up Sensi’.

His 12-year-old son Mijah Veira, who lives in Miami, is also in the music industry.

“It’s no surprise that he would…considering,” said Veira. “But what is surprising is how serious he takes it for his age. He writes and he also plays the guitar; his style is Reggae, R/B and Pop.”

Veira said that his son goes by the moniker Major Mijah and has just finished shooting a video for his single, ‘My Sunshine’.

He said that Mijah is currently looking at signing with labels that would push him into the right direction. He noted that his son would also be on tour and he is hoping to help manage his career.

Generally, Veira would like to help home-grown artistes as much as he can and feels that there are many talented youths in St. Kitts and Nevis despite the “fight down”.

“I find a lot of talent going to waste. We don’t have talent development here…a programme where we can help develop artistes like in Jamaica,” he said.

He mentioned that a group of musician worked with Taurus Riley to help develop him into the artiste he is today.

“I think that’s what is missing,” he said. “There needs to be an entity to do that. We have the diamonds; they just need polishing and put on display.”