SHANGHAI REPORT Kevin Lyttle in the Square

by Sharon Marshall – CDB Information Officer 26.OCT.10

The pride of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was on show in Americas Square at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 this past weekend when there was record-breaking visitor attendance at the Expo.{{more}}

Billed a “Soca Invasion”, international recording artist, Kevin Lyttle, gave four performances on the big stage next to the Caribbean Community Pavilion – two on Saturday evening and two more on Sunday. This was no mean feat, after only arriving in Shanghai on Friday, but he came prepared to conquer.

I missed Saturday’s shows because I was out of town in Hangzhou, so I made it a point to be there for Sunday night’s performances.

A backdrop with two giant portraits of the artist adorned the stage.

During his time in the Shanghai spotlight, Kevin performed songs from his latest album entitled “Fyah” Home for Carnival and Drive Me Crazy. He also included in his arsenal older hits such as Tempted to Touch and Turn Me On, which made it into the Top Ten in the U.K. Charts and went gold in the United States of America, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.

The soca invader might have met some resistance from a few of the older members of the audience, but the young people quickly surrendered. They didn’t raise white flags, but the blue gold and green of the Vincentian flag, as they sang along and danced to the music, obediently following the general’s instructions. He captured more hearts when he made an effort to speak some words of Chinese.

Kevin invited St. Vincent and the Grenadines Pavilion director, Kathy John, on stage to demonstrate the way Caribbean people dance to the music. She happily complied, much to the delight of the crowd.

The Vincy pride was very much evident on stage and among the staff members in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines booth. In fact, among all the Caribbean people who are participating in the Expo. We all became Vincentians as the sweet soca music resonated in Americas Square winning over willing subjects.

A slogan on the backdrop proclaimed the one-man army “a product of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, star of the world”.

After capturing the hearts of the audience in Shanghai, that boast can now be considered more than bravado. The three green diamonds that make up the “V” in the centre pale of the flag now not only stand for St. Vincent, but also for Victory.