Bomani is back

Imagine a grueling schedule as a Soca artiste where almost every song you put out becomes a hit and you are in constant demand.

You know that you have to slow down but you don’t, because you don’t want to disappoint your fans. So you show up on time at every fair, every concert and every fete. Then you go to band practice at night to perfect your performance and added to that you spend hours in the studio to record tunes so that they could be played on the radio for listeners.{{more}}

This was the life of Soca artiste Orande “Bomani” Charles. But all that running around finally caught up with him and he collapsed from exhaustion and broke his jaw in three places.

Except for a small scar just above the right side of his chin and some weight loss, the singer and songwriter seemed as good as ever when Searchlight spoke to him on Wednesday.

But for almost two months, Charles could only consume liquids through his wired-shut jaws.

He was happy to have his first solid meal of fish soup when the braces came off.

Never sounding bitter or resentful about his accident, the Soca Artiste admitted that he was focused on getting better and dedicated to writing tonnes of songs.

He revealed, “That period required a lot of strength, but I looked at it as another challenge in life that I had to overcome. It was a traumatic experience because my face was swollen; I couldn’t eat and only drank through a straw. It was a bit frustrating because I couldn’t talk or do what I love to do most, which is sing.”

The young man who goes by his second name, “Bomani” which incidentally in African means “Appointed Warrior” or “Strong Soldier” said that he had to smile at some of the rumours that circulated.

He believed that the news that he just fell and broke his jaw, was too boring for some people to believe, so they had to concoct different angles to spice up what really happened. Charles said that his focus was never on worrying about what people said; that he got a taste of how some international super stars have news made up about them in tabloid newspapers.

The entertainer confessed that he spent a lot of time watching television, especially the news on the Iraqi War which inspired him to write one of his soon to be released tracks called, “Why.”

Charles believes that his injury has allowed him to slow down and realise the importance of making time for himself. He thanked the medical practitioners at the Brook Ville Hospital, his management, HS Phaktor band members, family, friends, fans and God for getting him through a tough patch in his life.

The Campden Park resident stressed, “Sometimes you want to be everything to everybody and you want to satisfy your fans, but I have learnt that sometimes you have to take time out to just relax. Sometimes you just have to say “No” to people, I realise I wasn’t doing what was best for me. I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t sleeping properly, I spent long hours giving off energy in my performances and it finally caught up with me.”

Although his focus (now that he is better) is on completing his album, Charles said that he will be pacing himself so that he “doesn’t crash and burn.”

Bomani has also been nominated for Male Soca Vocalist of the Year and Favourite Groove Soca Artiste for the international Soca Awards 2006.