[Karayib Focus] Stevy Mahy, a 21st Century Caribbean Renaissance Woman
In this month of October 2020, I want to highlight Stevy Mahy for the second Karayib focus of Karukerament.com. Entrepreneur, author, filmmaker, she is a Caribbean singer who transcends styles and genres like a 21st century creator.
S like sensitivity
I discovered Stevy Mahy while researching for my special edition on the representation of slavery in music. Beyond the charm of her voice carried by the kind of acoustic guitar arrangements I love, it was the lyrics of her single "Haïti Chérie" that struck me when I first listened to it. My memory may be playing tricks on me, but I really feel like this is the first time I've ever heard the name Haiti pronounced so softly and lovingly. I can't say that I have a precise memory of the irrational xenophobia that some Guadeloupeans openly expressed towards Haitian people... but I know that this xenophobia was real and made me feel uneasy me in a way that my teenage self couldn’t verbalize yet. The sensitivity with which Stevy Mahy sang this ode to a sister island touched me all the more by the singularity of this artistic discourse that I had never heard before.
T like tone
I'm a fan of deep voices, the ones that break slightly at the end of a sentence, the ones that convey a warm energy even when whispering. I know that there are other Caribbean singers with this particularity but her tone makes my emotions vibrate in a different way.
E like elegance
I like folk music. In fact, the Korean songs that moved me the most are folk songs. However, I still find this style boring in the long run. But I don't get tired of it when it is mixed with traditional drums... And even when the drums are absent, her voice continues to convey an elegant energy.
V like vulnerability
Love is life. Life is love. Life and love are artists’ favorite themes. And I believe in their message for the time of the song before returning to my usual cynicism. In her first album "The Beautiful Side of a Kréyol Trip" (2010), Stevy Mahy sings about the facets of love. In "Renaissance Woman" (2016), she exposes her soul in the musical setting of a vulnerability that she isn’t afraid to share in her quest for herself. This concept album is all the more interesting because the artistic experience can be completed by reading an essay diary. In this age of social networks and fast culture, multiplying approaches by asking the public to make time to immerse themselves in the artist’s work allows for longevity.
Y like youth
Stevy Mahy's other asset is his interpretive skills. The emotion she conveys gives the impression that she seeks the connection with you, the listener. It feels like she confides her soul without forcing it upon us. She seems ageless, although her look on life, her vision of the woman she is, the woman she wants to be... Everything evolves as she gets older. She shares her journey with us and invites us at to live our own journey.
It's as if Stevy Mahy is from another era... from the past or the future. I can't figure it out. Maybe it changes from song to song. And yet her music remains firmly rooted in our present, transcending genres to create a harmony that can overcome any boundaries. Her art values the Caribbean woman of the 21st century in her strengths, doubts and resilience. I came to this conclusion while watching the video clip of "Tout Ce Que Tu Es", a duet with LS and her most recent single to date and which will be the subject of a Music Video Focus and an exclusive interview with her.
Stay tuned for more. Happy October !
Ndlr : the original version in French can be found here.