Pyramid Entertainment Management Limited out of Barbados toured Trinidad and Tobago last week to introduce two of the company’s top music artistes. Reggae crossover acts Timeka Marshall and Philip 7, both of whom are sponsored by the sunglasses and sports apparel brand Oakley and are also vying for their tracks to be chosen as the new theme song for CSI Miami, want to break into the local music scene.

Timeka Marshall, 20, had her life changed after entering a jingle competition for a telecommunications company in her native Guyana. Winning the competition in 2006 launched the 16-year-old into the spotlight. A whirlwind of modelling opportunities came her way and her music career started to take off.

Marshall who is now based in Jamaica has been singing professionally for the last two years. Her music is a melange of R&B, reggae and pop beats. Marshall’s energetic, bouncy songs are a musical manifestation of the easy going island vibe.

She did not want to classify her music by genre, instead she likes to mesh sounds.

“I really had a passion for singing ever since I knew myself and I like to just say I do music because that covers everything. I like doing fusions, but I’m mostly interested in mixing pop with Caribbean sounds whether it be dance hall, reggae, soca, calypso. I want my music to have the propensity for an international hit while staying true to my roots.”

She says her demo CD has a few of her singles that have been in heavy rotation on radio and television stations across the Caribbean. Songs like “All Night”, “We Should Separate”, “Hush” and “Feel For” (which also features dancehall artiste Busy Signal) are all about relationships and even outside relationships.

“I am a fun and childish kind of person and I think that comes across in my music. So I think that a lot of young people will relate to my music. I talk about a lot of subjects that young people can relate to. I am a very open person and put a lot of my own experience into song.”

Philip Scantlebury, 32, of Barbados goes by the stage name Philip 7 which represents his lucky number.

He is a versatile vocalist who has fronted a number of bands before embarking on his solo project.

His mother was a singer, so for him to become a singer was a natural progression. “I grew up listening to my mother sing everyday. So it was very natural to me. Singing was always the way to escape. It just makes you feel good.”

At age 17, he started singing for the a capella group Suave. Philip next joined the band Acoustic Blues which eventually evolved into the band Le Groove. A stint with the Toni Norville Project allowed Philip to stretch his talents some more. Philip joined Kirk Browne to form the band Strategy.

His silky range and smooth vocals were tested in hotels and nightclubs across the island. But he had soon outgrown playing covers and yearned to play original music.

Eventually he gained a spot on the local nightclub circuit. As Philip became a regular on the scene, his music gained popularity with audiences.

In 2005, Philip again emerged with the band Masala which favoured a fusion of flavours of rock, R&B and reggae. With the self titled EP Masala, Philip considers the album a reflection of his lifelong musical journey and represents his diverse musical influences.

“The name ‘Masala’ comes from the name of the spice. To make it you need to combine different spices together. So that is what I did with my music. I blended different genres to form one sound.”

Philip said that he found playing just one genre was too limiting and that there was a niche for a band that could play any style of music. According to him, singing the same genre over and over again is like dying a slow death for a musician.

“An AMI Music Group representative out of London once told me that I am on the forefront. He listened to my album and said that the world does not know it yet, but this is the future of music.”

The song “Beautiful Surprise” was originally written by Sony/BMG for the winner of Canadian Idol, but was never used.

So Canadian music producer Derek Brin passed on the track to Philip and he recorded the edgy track. Philip was awarded “Best Rock/Alternative Artiste” for the song at the Third Annual Barbados Music Awards.

He said that he is trying to expose a new audience to his music. Philip hopes to make contacts here and even book some gigs.

“I would like to be recognised on the world market someday. But you have to creep before you walk. So I think it’s important to create a good following and fan-base home, then regionally and then internationally.”

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