Soca star Edwin Yearwood has been honoured with his own day in New York City, as Mayor Eric Adams officially recognised his decades of influence on Caribbean music and culture by proclaiming August 30 Edwin Yearwood Day.
The entertainer told Barbados TODAY the tribute is a deeply significant and humbling moment that reflects the impact of his work both at home and across the diaspora.
He said: “It makes you feel as though people recognise you for what you’ve been doing… because sometimes I used to doubt myself that I’m doing enough,” he said. “It’s just a great honour to get something like that in your name, not just representing Barbados, but the entire Caribbean diaspora.”
Reflecting on his career, Yearwood said the recognition reminded him of the passion that has driven him since he first entered the soca arena.
“For me, I’m always in a state of becoming… as long as there’s life and I can contribute, put some melodies out there, [I’m happy],” he explained. “I decided my niche should be beautiful melodies and positive lyrics. I’m not somebody who’s going to, for the sake of a hit, do particular things. From the start, I wanted to represent young people, I wanted to represent positivity.”
Yearwood added that beyond the accolades, his greatest satisfaction comes from proving that soca can be pursued as a career.
“My aim in the early days was to show people that it can be a financially viable career option. It’s not paying the greatest, but you’re surviving,” he said. “I came from a time where singing soca music was not seen as professional… so we’ve come a long way,” he said.
The Sak Pasé singer also recalled moments on international stages that underscored the global reach of his music.
“I’ve been places with a lot of international DJs, and to hear them… you would never imagine that one of your songs is dominant in places like Africa,” he revealed. “To see some of the top DJs clamouring to meet you, or even give you the bow down treatment, that’s amazing.”
Over the years, several younger entertainers, including Grateful Co. and Leadpipe, have credited Yearwood as a major influence. His response was modest.
“If they caught any little thing from me, that’s fantastic,” he said. “If they caught the professionalism only as in being on time, that’s fine by me. If they saw it as a viable career option that you can do well in if you work hard, that’s fine by me. So I really appreciate that they’ve been checking… ‘nuff respect to them.”
(SB)
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