VIDEO: Asa Does Not have the Ability of Claudette and Tian but getting more jobs than them, PM Browne says

PM Urges Artists to Think Globally, Citing Claudette Peters and Asa Banton

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called on Antiguan and Barbudan artists to adopt a global outlook if they are to fully realise their potential in the music industry.

Speaking on his Browne and Browne radio programme on Pointe FM, Browne said many talented local performers fail to gain international recognition due to a lack of strategic management and exposure.

He cited acclaimed soca singer Claudette Peters as one such example.

“Somebody like Claudette Peters, for example, who has had a significant amount of material — I don’t think that she has realised her full potential, and through no fault of hers,” he said. “But [she] never had the type of management to really take her beyond a certain exposure.”

In contrast, he pointed to Bouyon artist Asa Banton from Dominica as someone who has benefitted from proactive self-promotion.

“I see artists, for example, with far less ability — people like, no disrespect to him, the same Asa Banton. But when you look at the Bouyon boss, the man has now promoted himself,” Browne said. “Getting more jobs than them now.”

He warned that focusing solely on small domestic markets would limit artistic growth and economic success.

“I’ve seen too many of our talented people literally kill their talents by focusing exclusively on a small domestic market that cannot sustain them,” he said. “All competition is global.”

The Prime Minister referenced global superstars such as Bob Marley and Rihanna to emphasise the importance of thinking beyond the Caribbean.

“Look at Bob Marley — he has literally dominated the globe with his reggae. Rihanna, for example, is a Caribbean talent,” he said. “If they were domesticated in their outlook, they would not have achieved what they achieved.”

Browne also praised the late Antiguan calypsonian Arrow, known for the international hit “Hot Hot Hot,” as an example of someone who understood how to break through international markets.

“Arrow emanated out of Montserrat… you think Arrow had the talent of King Swallow? But Arrow had management and exposure,” he said.

Browne stressed the need for greater industry support and the use of modern tools such as artificial intelligence to enhance creativity.

“If we’re going to become a more creative people, then we have to engage the use of technologies — AI and so on — to ensure that all aspects of our creative development, there’s some improvement,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s comments were part of a wider discussion on cultural development and his administration’s plans to invest in the performing arts.

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