Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, Kalpee is leading the charge in a breath of Kalpee air onto the scene, pumping the airwaves full of his pop-drenched Calypso fusion that has no equal. Kalpee is one among many artists revolutionizing and exporting the unique cultural richness of the Carbibean; self-organized, talented and highly motivated to show the world the creative power found in the region. Island Wave founder Kalpee is joined by Jamaican Grammy Award Winning Artist and Producers Walshy Fire and IzyBeats, Freetown Collective from Trinidad & Tobago, Oritse Williams from UK chart topping group JLS, Dancehall and Reggae artist’ Popeye Caution, Bling-Dawg and Vyzadon, Colombian Afro-Latin group High Connection and Haitian singer J-Perry, as they collective push to open up the conversation on Men’s Mental Health within the Caribbean. We've had Kalpee on TML before, of course, but this time we've had the wonderful opportunity to ask him and the rest of Island Wave some questions about their amazing work for Mental Health and this is what they told us:
Kalpee, Freetown Collective & Jimmy October.
- Kalpee Island Wave is primarily about supporting music and artists to reach greater recognition, is this the first time activism has entered that picture?
Actually No, our first pledge was made in 2021 when we launched the first show at SXSW Online. Island Wave are proudly affiliated with Girls I Rate, and Girls I Rate Caribbean, which is a movement that pushes for change, creates opportunities and empowers the future young women in the music and entertainment industry. Island Wave continuously endeavor to have equal opportunities for under-represented genders in our programming and staffing where possible, but what we have found in selecting our line up these past 2 years, is that the ratio of female artist to male is way under par, making it difficult for us to make our stage 50:50. Together with Girls I Rate we will continue to work to push for change.
- Kalpee Any cause that champions positive changes is a good cause and it's worth pursuing without any further justification. That said, why was Men's Mental Health chosen by Island Wave?
In late 2019 I had a very serious accident in Trinidad that nearly cost me my life. The most difficult part of recovering from the accident was not the physical injuries that were evident to all, but my mental state of mind. As mental health amongst men is not spoken about in the Caribbean, I didn’t even realize that I needed support which made my days challenging. I was honestly so depressed, my anxiety was through the roof, but I didn’t know how to express that. Once healed physically, I travelled to the USA and UK which is where I learnt that opening up about what’s on your mind is imperative to leading a happy and healthy life. I was so lucky to find this support that I started reaching out to my own friends and checking in on them. Slowly I realized just how many of my male friends could relate to where I had been mentally, especially those who worked within the creative industries and are constantly being judged. With Island Wave being a platform that supports and celebrates each other it was the perfect opportunity for us all to stand together to deliver an important message.
- Kalpee Do you feel music and art, in general, have a role to play in men's Mental health?
I’m my opinion we underestimate how much positive music has the ability to heal, especially if someone resonates with a lyric or just the overall energy in a song. I’ve seen for myself, how much music can inspire you and that motivation is sometimes all you need to switch your mindset to overcome something. As music creators we have a choice as to the energy we decide to put out into the world. I suppose due to everything I have overcome I see it as a responsibility to put positivity into everything I do and that definitely comes out in my music.
- Kalpee do you remember the moment or event that put the notion of Mental Health as something of an ongoing process worth pursuing and championing?
Yes I do. After my accident the rehabilitation was tough. I couldn’t do anything on my own and I couldn’t sing as I had 8 broken ribs. I was becoming depressed, as it felt like just as my career was starting to take off, I was now forced to take a step back. I was in such a dark place, unmotivated to want to get better. Luckily though music has always been a constant and listening to positive songs helped me. I remember I was listening back to some demos I had been sent by my manager and “Wherever You Are” came on, a track that I had recorded with Jimmy October and it really resonated with me. Maybe because they were my own words, but it felt like I was giving myself a pep talk and in that instant, it made me want to get better, I was ready to go. I started physio, got stronger and with a second chance to be whoever, I wanted to be, I also knew that I had to pass the good energy on. Soon after I recovered I went on a 8 week Motivational School tour of Trinidad, the UK and Ireland which I found rewarding and therapeutic at the same time. Talking about my own experience to a room full of people as an introverted person actually helped the healing process. Being able to share this knowledge with the Caribbean community is so important to me and being able to do it as part of the Island Wave community really makes me feel like we can make a difference together.
- Oritse Mental Health awareness is a growing topic, do you think it's because the world's getting harsher? or is the contrary, that everybody seems to be thinking more about making positive changes and taking these things with more maturity?
The muting of emotions has commonly been the norm for people of Afro-Caribbean culture within our households. For some reason conversations at home have been a taboo with generations suffering in silence. Mental health hasn’t really been something that we have focused upon and educated ourselves on within the Afro-Caribbean community in general. In the instances of moments of feeling low, generally speaking, men have been taught to ‘fix up ya self’ and get on with it, be strong. The only reason why there seems to be help lacking in our community around mental health is simply because we haven’t made it a priority in educating ourselves on it. With social media platforms making men’s mental health an important trending topic and more people opening up to the conversations, I feel our education is pushing us to deal with topics that were once not spoken about at all.
- J Perry What are some of the techniques or ideas that you've picked up along the way that have helped you out the most to keep that balance you need?
I take care of my mental health by keeping myself busy, I have so many hobbies. If I feel angry or upset, I get on my bike, I go for a jog, I get outside. Of course, music is an outlet for me. It’s important to stay busy, and in the Caribbean community it’s important for us to be able to have conversations together. A lot of times our mental health struggles are perceived as a weakness. People who struggle are seen as lesser and I don’t want it to be that way anymore. We must be able to talk to each other about what we’re going through."
- Lou Lyons Of Freetown Collective I think speaking to others from experience is a really powerful way to reach out and have a positive impact. Tell us a bit about your struggles and what they've taught you about yourself.
As someone who has had intimate experiences with Mental Health from a service POV, I understand why organizations and places of employment are unable to identify early signs of men struggling with mental health and why even when discovered, men are reluctant to willingly access any available health services to treat with Mental Health challenges until situations become extreme. Although the social climate has made it easier for charismatic men to utilize social media platforms to broach the subject, there’s still some inertia in acknowledging how addressing the mental health of men is actually a public health and safety issue. Campaigns such as Island Wave’s “Let’s Talk About It” help expand the conversation. Everyone has bad days, but mental health challenges involve unique difficulties in recovering from and dealing with those bad days. As a black Caribbean man, I was conditioned to meet every situation with toughness and a hard resolve but now I experience life more intentionally. I cope by taking care of my MIND, BODY and SOUL. MIND - I make time for quietness. I focus on the breath and all that dwells in the moment. The mind needs stillness. BODY - I make time for movement. Exercise routines, TaiChi and skipping reacquaints me with the wonder of my body and how grateful I am to be alive despite the stresses of the moment. SOUL - I make time for spiritual practice. I remind myself that I am more than a physical shell and my life force needs a Divine connection for spiritual rejuvenation. All together, these practices help provide stability whenever I’m nearing that breaking point.
- IzyBeats I feel that as men, we're often supposed to not "bother" other people with our emotions, which then translates to having a difficult time opening up about what goes on inside. How do you think we can get past that? There has not been as great an effort to correct negative stereotypes pervasive to men having emotions and/or mental health issues and this has had a domino effect resulting in a range of negative behaviors. The attitudes are very much steeped in traditional gender roles, molded from in homes and schools, and men are far less likely to seek help for mental health issues out of fear of looking “weak.” This requires a societal shift which can only take place over time. We need more leaders and influencers of the community to set positive examples and pave the way for future generations.
- How do you think we can help destigmatize Mental Health and move away from the model of seeing therapy as being for "crazies"?
Answer 1 Popeye Caution In the past there's been a negative attitude towards a man that expresses mental weakness in the Caribbean but platforms like this and open conversations and are slowly making men feel comfortable to express their pain or emotional hiccups. I think if we stop using negative words and talk more about our mental health amongst our own close circles as well as in the entertainment industry, then we can influence our fans to embrace mental health issues and therapy. Answer 2 High Connection (Jhosy, Frank Design, Joe On The Beat / Columbia) In our culture, a man must be and show himself as strong, repress his feelings or emotions and calm his sensitivity. When a man is seen to be sensitive, his masculinity is questioned and he is excluded or discriminated against in some way - the strongest thing is that humans by nature want to please others. Here in the Caribbean, very little is said about the mental health of men because men cannot appear vulnerable or crazy. Therefore, it can be said that the Caribbean community makes the issue of mental health invisible in the male population and does not consider it important. The only way to break the stigma on these words is to continue to have open conversations and continous education.
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