The Suriname Popular Song Festival 🎼 An Introduction to Classical Suripop
So last time I talked about music from Suriname it was in this post about Lieve Hugo and Kaseko Music. Having covered one of the unique styles of music in the country, today I will look at a popular bi-yearly contest and or show that's held called "Suripop". All of you with your creative minds may already have thought that that name is derived from "Suriname" and "pop music". BUT if you think it's just this land's take on pop music, that couldn't be further from the truth, because it actually stands for "Suriname Popular Song Festival". 🙃 I know, it got me as well.
Every 2 years awesome composers come together with talented artists to collaborate and make their best creation in many different styles. The theme is usually always Suriname or something connected to Suriname. But the genre and language can be anything the composer wants. So there's been Jazz compositions, pop, slow ballads, latin, you name it, along with the languages Dutch (the native language), Sranan Tongo (which is an unofficial, but common language here) and some even in English. A fun fact is that each winning composer is not allowed to enter the contest again, always leaving room for new talent to be discovered.
In 2018 we had the 20th edition. So this year was supposed to feature the 21st, but we all know how that went.
Let's take a look at some of the hits over the past years ever since the first edition in 1982.
Gi Yu Wawan
Speaking of the first edition in 1982, I couldn't have started this list with the original winner of the contest and arguably one of the best ones Suripop has produced. Here the singer Powl Ameerali sings about how his loved one is constantly on his mind, and how he feels her in his whole body and soul. How he lives for only her, which comes back to the translation of the titel "Gi Yu Wawan": For You Only.
The composer(s) often get overlooked in the limelight, but they are the actual official participants, and in this case they went by the names Erik Refos & Wim Bakker. This is one of those songs that I can listen to wherever I am in the world and it brings me right back to home.
Lobi Singi
The next one is one of my personal favorites and in my opinion the best Jazz song in Suriname. It's also the winning composition of the 8th edition in 1994, composed by Martha Tjoe Ny and performed by Astrid Belliot. I was 4 years old back then. Be sure to wait for that high note chorus for the full experience.
As with many Jazz songs, this revolves around a scorched love, going on about the hurtful things that have been said and done, but how she is now strong and independent.
Aku Cinta Padamu
Had to include this 9th winner, not just because it's a good song, but because it's a very unique composition combining three of the big spoken languages in the country: Dutch, Sranang Tongo and Indonesian Bahasa derivative spoken by the local diaspora. Given that last language is only represented by three words, but hey, they made the title. :)
I still remember that clip being played al the time when I was younger. Ah, teenage love.
Ef A Kan
And just so you don't start to think this festival produces only slow paced songs, but also because it's one of my all time favorites to dance to in traffic, here's Ef A Kan, composed by Erik Refos & Siegfried Gerling, and performed by Powl Ameraali. Man, that guy's talented. In the song he serenades his lover asking her to stay "ef a kan" (if possible) and how crazy she makes him.
Well then, that's it for now. I thought it would be much easier to pick a few top ones, but there are so many I still want to share, I'm thinking of doing a follow up on this one.
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SuriPop.I learned something today, since I didn't know this 'genre' existed. Maybe not so strange since I'm from Europe, but that said, I'm from the country that has some stronger ties with Suriname than most other countries (you'll probably guessed already, Holland). Interesting songs you shared. Some of them sounds to me more like folk and easy listening kinda music, less like pop. The last one in your post has this reggae kinda style: Is that genre big(-ish) in Suriname?
Ah, the country of great cheese, tulips and awesome public transportation. Well, awesome compared to what I'm used to at least. 🙃
There is no actual specific genre. The Suripop contest allows any genre. Usually they are combined with influences from Suriname instruments and culture. The classic hits stay popular, but nowadays a lot of artists want to become some type of "rapper", with about 75% resulting in low quality music, in my opinion.
The contest produces some big stars every now and then though. One you might be familiar with is Bryan Bijlhout.
Hahahaha, yea, just a few things that are excellent, good and well arranged. That said, almost anything you can imagine is well arrange in my country. Maybe some think its too burocratic at times, or our government imposses too many rules. But this has to do with the fact that all the big things in our society is arranged already for some length of time. Since then we are fine tuning the system all the time to become more inclusive for all sub-groups in society. The luxury of a wealthy nation. Though the country ranks year on year supe rhigh in general happiness, I have the feeling we are also a society that complains a lot. People simply forget how well everything is arranged, and how not so well this is in most of the other countries in the world. I suppose, that's the downside of being a wealthy nation, the 'never being satisfied' attitude of quite a few individuals.
Have you been to NL (Netherlands)?
For years hiphop and rap becomes more and more popular in not only NL, but also Germany and other countries. I remember decade (maybe 2 already) MTV and other international TV music channels started to air mostly R&B, Hophop and Rap music. Maybe a part of the gronwing interest. Or maybe the other way around... Though I doubt that.
Regardling the low quality, I'm quite picky and in many music genres I think a lot of 'shit' music is created and produced. Ok, for me maybe 'shit', for others good. I generally don't like anything that is created from a business perspective. Usually you can hear this. The heart of the artist is not 100% involved. So 75% low quality, I can very much relate to such percentages LOL
Nope, didn't know him. Now listening to a song he did for Voice of Holland. Sounds d*rn good! I don't watch all these talent shows and hardly listen to radio. Am quite lost when it some to what the mass is listening to. I usually listen Soundcloud and Spotify, set/live recordings and albums.
Lol, yeah, those parking fines for missing a minute at the meter can get crazy sometimes. But I like how everything is constantly being fine-tuned instead of being stationary.
I am certainly impressed every time I visit. I've been 3 times now, last time in 2017. But it's been 4 weeks at the most, so I could probably have a slightly different view if I were to stay long term.
I get where you're coming from about music. And sometimes something can be quality, but we just don't understand it. For example, there's this metal band here, who is very good. They won a few international contests and are putting Suriname on the map. I'm extremely proud and supportive of that band, but I don't often enjoy hardcore rock music or understand the appeal that much. Unless it's playing in the gym. 😂
Totally agree. This type of music is low quality no matter what the perspective.
Oww cool you have from time to time the chance to visit this pretty wet and not so warm country 🙃 My first trip to Suriname still need to happen.
Thats nice. I would not be able to support someone or something too much when I don't like it. Or needs to serve something else. Guess this something else is for you to promotion of Suriname. But yea, hardcore rock is also not very pleasant for my brains, maybe my ears are ok with it, but can't seem to decouple my brains and ears 😂
Hahaha, that bad 😂😂😂
This month was going to be the fourth, as I was planning to do a Eurotrip for 2 months till January.
But for now we wait.
Now total lockdown in NL. Schools closed. Hotels open but nowhere to get some food, other than take out from a restaurant, or grocery stores. Before it was allowed for hotel guests to be served food by the hotel, but the government believed this was too much abused by those who wanted a night out with their friends.
Hope your waiting will not be for too long, though I don't expect major unlocking will happen any time soon. The winter just started, so I can't imagine we'll get the numbers the government base their decisions on, down to levels they allow some form of unlocking. Anyway, at one point in time it'll all be ok again, I guess your waiting is for that moment to happen 🎶🙃
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Nice. Looking forward to what you think.
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ENGAGEtokens.Interesting tunes! I quite like the jazzy one. They all sound like blends of many different genres but the last song I can definitely hear that Caribbean calypso and Latin! God vibes, I would look silly dancing to this though, you’d have to those samba moves down pat.
So how many langues are spoken in Suriname ? There is 3 majors so there are others ?
Jamaican song festival used to be huge, there was one this year but they made well known musician enter which kinda defeats part of the purpose, I think Buju won.
But the Jamaican festival song of all time is this below! The song was so huge but didn’t win the competition, everyone was vexed! Up to this day people love the song ! Listen to it, and the chorus will be stuck in your head for life 😂 you gonna suddenly start sining it and be like wtf!
Love the song, especially that chorus. Gives a Caribbean island vibe, sitting under a palm tree with a cocktail in hand.
The ones I mentioned are 3 of the big ones. So there are more big ones. I could've probably formulated that better. 😅 The large parts of the population that have their own ancestral language are the native americans (indians), javanese people (indonesians), chinese, (taxi cab) indians, the different maroon tribes living in the amazon part in the south. And then there's the ones that almost everyone can (or should be able to) speak: Dutch (official), Sranang Tongo (street language derived from Dutch, Spanish and English during slavery) and English. So I would say about 9 prominent languages if we look at population percentage.
Of course those ancestral languages are spoken less and less with each new generation. I could probably do a post about this.
@JustinParke here on behalf of the ReggaeJAHM Community.
Suriname music certainly doesn't get the international respect it deserves, but I hadn't heard much pop music. I am guilty of never listening to Suriname radio unless I'm in a taxi.
Thanks for showing me some new things @rarej.
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