By Lakhram Bhagirat
One of the most popular sayings in Guyana is “better late than never”, and it is used in almost every situation for different purposes. For Collis Mc Donald, or “Real Proof” as he is known, that saying is one he holds dear to his heart for the purpose of gaining strength to persevere in a challenging industry.
Collis is 40 years old and now stepping out on the music scene, the local Soca music scene to be exact, and for someone his age, it means keeping up with the current millennial trends but also staying true to himself as an artiste. The local music industry is no joke, and for someone to make it, they have to be relevant and appeal to the masses, since most Guyanese prefer to listen to music created outside of Guyana. They do this not because they are foreign-minded, but because there are very few mechanisms in place for local artistes to showcase what they are capable of.
Most radio DJs and DJs in general prefer to hype up a Jamaican or Trinidadian artiste, since their music is what draws the crowds and in the end, it hurts our local artistes because quite often, they get very little exposure. Those are just some of the challenges identified by Collis as he seeks to make his mark on the local industry.
Collis also notes that the local music industry is plagued by low financing, poor marketing, and lack of sponsorship for artistes. Over the years, however, the situation has somewhat improved with more businesses hiring local artistes to be part of their public relations campaigns, but the road to conquering the issues remains one that is very long. Coupled with the near-literal starvation of the industry, Guyana has very little legislation in place to protect the creations of artistes.
Collis hails from Wismar, Linden and says music played a big part of his life while growing up. From his early childhood, music was there to take him through some tough situations, since life was quite often not too kind to his family. His mother was the sole breadwinner of their family and that meant that just the basic necessities were available and though content, Collis always dreamt of a life where things were much easier. He saw his mother struggling to care for the family and could not wait for the day when he would be able to alleviate that struggle.
For him, music always served as the escape from the harshness of reality. His family was very much into music as well, so it meant that they were always singing. He first started to sing in church where he learnt all the basics of controlling his voice and belting out when necessary. It was there, in the church, that Collis discovered himself and his talent. He describes his voice as anything but ordinary. He feels that it is the instrument that was gifted to him to leave a lasting impression on the people he comes into contact with.
At the age of 37, Collis decided that he wanted to take this music thing to another level and started to pen his own songs and voice them. He first started to write Reggae music and perform it with fellow artistes such as First Born – a local Reggae group; Diane Stephenson; Ras Shiloh and many others.
“My voice is a gift from the Almighty and that is what inspired me to get deeper into music. I just love singing, because it is one way of getting over important messages to people and it is totally fun for me. My style is simple and laid back. I am a very humble person, who works hard for whatever I want to have in this life. I give respect to everyone and my music is about that,” he notes.
This year, Collis is entering the Mash Soca Monarch competition with his song “Pushback”. He is hoping to conquer the top spot and make his mark. The inspiration behind his song stems from the party scene. His song can be considered instructive as he clearly outlines the moves in the lyrics.
(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
