BASSETERRE, St. Kits - WELL, this reporter almost ran out of paper while interviewing a scholar, who is also potential star in the music industry, with emphasis on calypso.
Eighteen-year-old Jakiema Flemming, who goes by the name of ‘Lady Charisma’ in the Calypso arena, is a second year student at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC). She is currently pursuing studies in the Arts Science and General (ASGS) Division and is engaged in the subjects of Law, Literature, Sociology and Caribbean Studies, which is compulsory.
Hailing from the town of Sandy Point, she is the daughter of Jacqueline Liddie and the late Gregory ‘Bucky’ Flemming, but currently lives with her ‘second mother’, Anthea Earle.
Of course, it is a joke about paper, but truth be told that this young lady has so much going for her that lots of paper indeed were needed during the SKNVibes chit chat with the young and upcoming artiste.
She is the reigning Miss Back To My Roots annual pageant hosted by the CFBC. She was Miss Nigeria in that pageant.
Some people may know her from performing in the Proud Sounds Calypso tent while others would have recognised her voice from the tune ‘Mek Me Wife Miss J’Ouvert’ (written by Grace Richardson of Jade Orchid), which is creating quite a stir on the airwaves.
This song was released on November 7 on ZIZ Radio with Mic Stokes.
She was also the Second Runner-up in the 2011/2012Junior Calypso Competition singing under the name ‘Lady Charismatic’.
More so, many persons should know the young beauty’s face from Movado Model Agency and also when she starred as the girl being bullied in the music video for the tune ‘I’ll Be Your Friend’ by popular national artiste Infamus.
As it relates to her career goals, Lady Charisma is looking to pursue a career as an entertainment lawyer or psychologist. She also mentioned her interest in the media profession, including journalism.
Lady Charisma first started singing in the Charles E Mills Secondary (formerly Sandy Point High) choir and remembers her primary school singing teacher Ms. Bassue – by whom she spent many weekends and had liked her very much.
She indicated that Ms. Bassue regularly took her to church and, no doubt, that woman’s influence helped to nurture her love for music.
Lady Charisma said her biological mother had pushed her a lot to be involved in music.
“She would always say, ‘You should go and sing calypso. Go and do some music’. But I wasn’t thinking that big then…I was just satisfied with singing at church and in the school choir,” she said.
Lady Charisma recalled that apart from school and church, her first large public audience’s experience, was at the 2011 Miss Labour Pageant, where she was adjudged Second Runner-up and copped the Best Talent award with a piece she called ‘Jackiema For Miss Labour’.
That rendition was a re-make from the reigning Female Calypso Bacchanal Queen, Anastasia, called ‘Anastasia For PM’.
Her second mother, Anthea, was the one who edited the lyrics to suit her delivery.
Recounting her initial thoughts about doing a calypso for that pageant, Lady Charisma said, “I don’t know if I could do this. It’s a calypso. Nobody is going to listen to a calypso.”
“Honestly, I never gave calypso a chance. But I sort of just went with the flow (saying) like the people of my generations, the teenagers, that calypso wasn’t saying anything. So I never actually gave it a chance and listen to it. If I was listening to the radio and I hear calypso I would be like next station or something”, she admitted.
“I did it and I won best talent, oddly enough”, she said about the pageant’s calypso rendition to which received a lot of compliments on her performance.
Before getting around to liking calypso, Lady Charisma said she was more into the R&B, adding “I love classics still”.
She was advised by both her biological and ‘second’ mothers to sing calypsos and stop if she did not like it, but continue if she did.
Obviously, Lady Charisma did.
Her biological mother is a friend of De Navigator and, in a discussion with him about Lady Charisma, he enthusiastically informed that he had a song that he would love to give her.
“He was enthusiastic and I was like, ‘This is going to be easier than I thought.’ The first day I (tried) the song, he was like, ‘Sister, you are going to do well’”, she said about De Navigator.
She indicated that Geoffrey Brookes, owner and manager of Platinum Record Studio in Newton Ground, is her mentor and he had always told her ‘school now, music after’.
Lady Charisma said she was also influenced by the music of Sugar Aloes Singing Sandra, as well as Harry Belafonte (the artiste behind the famous Banana Boat song), Mighty Dougla (out of Trinidad and Tobago) and veteran national calypsonian King Ellie Matt.
Other artistes she enjoys include: Bob Marley, Luciano, Queen Anastasia, Singing Jackie, Eda James, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Elvis Presley.
Interestingly, the interview with Lady Charisma was done on the death anniversary of her father (Nov. 25), who died as a result of gunshot wounds in 2009.
Lady Charisma said that her father was always supportive of her and she believes that if he were his support would have been unwavering. She said he had always encouraged her to keep focused on her goals in life.
The loss of her father was a devastating one, which affected her academic performance and had led to her acting delinquent during her period of grief.
Lady Charisma now understands how depression can affect an individual and has indicated that it is one of the reasons why she is interested in becoming a psychologist.
As gathered from among her peers, her opinions and advice on matters are highly respected and she is regularly consulted by many.
