He’s got serious ‘Riz’

Rizaan Ali has charm literally oozing out of his name.

The fashionable, smooth-talking, sugar-voiced two-time Chutney Soca Monarch finalist aptly goes by the sobriquet Riz. It’s a pet name he’s had all his life, and one that serendipitously fits the social media slang Rizz—which is short for romantic charisma and refers to one’s ability to charm and woo a person.

Riz’s music, much like his modern moniker, is an evolving hybrid of East Indian pop with chutney undertones. And just as contemporary slang has caught up with his persona, he believes so too his music will bleed into local and regional mainstream consciousness.

“I believe in innovation and becoming a trendsetter rather than a follower,” Riz declared during a virtual sit-down with the Kitcharee on Thursday evening.

“Since (I was) young, my passion has been in music, and I want to contribute positively towards the industry and wider society through my creativity and leadership skills as well. I love Bollywood music and I have seen how they have evolved over the years, and I try to follow that pattern because the world is evolving,” he continued.

The 25-year-old Trincity-born singer’s latest single “Don’t Want No One” perfectly presents that vision. Produced by and co-written with South African musician Suren Shaylin, the song is a potential East-meets-West, Hindi and English-sung heartbreak anthem.

“I like traditional chutney music,” said Riz, who admitted to idolising the works of Bollywood stars Sonu Nigam and Arjit Singh.

“It should be preserved and I pray it never ever goes obsolete. My singing preference, however, is doing vocals on music with modernised beats. I do not mind having some of the Eastern classical instruments in my song though—dholak, harmonium, tabla, to name a few. Nothing can beat real music,” he continued.

An important day for all of T&T

Beyond remembrance of the physical arrival of the East Indian indentured labourers to these shores, Indian Arrival Day ought to be openly embraced by nationals of all ethnic backgrounds as a celebration of an integral part of what it means to be Trinbagonian, Riz said.

On Thursday, T&T will mark the 179th anniversary of the docking of the Fatel Razack, the ship that brought the first group of indentured workers from India. The ship famously set sail from Calcutta, India on February 16, 1845, and made anchor in the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad on May 30.

“This day signifies importance—not in my life alone, but also for many others, as an ethnic group alone wasn’t brought into our country—part of our Trinbagonian culture emerged from the time the Indian indentured labourers were here, till today. I believe both Afro-Trinbagonians and Indo-Trinbagonians contributed equally to the growth and development of our sweet twin-island.

“Of the East Indian group, I believe our best product was the late Basdeo Panday, who brought that charismatic leadership style to Trinidad and Tobago, and I hope to follow in his footsteps.

“Being added to that legacy would be an honour. But I don’t just want to represent the East Indian ethnic group, but also our country, Trinidad and Tobago. I’m a patriot and will do anything to see my country to the top,” the Trinity College East graduate said. Riz, who holds a BSc in leadership and management from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St Augustine, says his desire to be a part of the islands’ creative showcase started from as young as five, when he would sing for anyone who would listen. By age 16 he was performing on a boat cruise in Toronto, Canada. By 18 he’d started recording with local chutney hitmakers Maha Studios.

The former UWI Guild Student Activity chair, who is also a member of the DC Shell Theatre and Crazy Catholic acting troupe, says his foray into entertainment has shown him that nationals pick and choose which aspects of East Indian culture to indulge.

“Food is a part of culture which is respected and loved in our country. If you don’t like curry, then you don’t like food,” he joked.

“However, musically, I think it’s a bit underappreciated and I feel like a lot has to do with some people from wider society not understanding what our music culture is about. At the same time the ‘crab in the barrel’ mentally is keeping the Indo-Trinidadian musical culture down,” he lamented.

Riz says giving more room to young creatives who understand how to bring traditional value to contemporary spaces can benefit the entire movement. “We focus too much on certain topics that wider society just doesn’t take… For us to grow, the younger ones have to be given a proper chance. Just remember that if there is a lack of young artistes within a genre, that means something is definitely wrong and needs change. The veteran artistes should collaborate more with the younger artistes and show the younger ones guidance rather than watching them do something and fail,” he said.

Riz is back in studio this weekend working on new music. On Thursday he will be on stage at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) for the DC Shell Theatre production Bollywood Dreamer and Barrackpore Beauty.

“I believe in taking risks, but also bringing originality. My goal is to become a triple threat artiste, where I can sing, perform and act. Since small, my strength and gift has been always doing things to become a well-rounded individual,” he winked.

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