NOTED ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCER Richard Stoute is defending the track record of his Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition against the criticism that no artiste from the competition has made a significant impact on the international scene.
Singers like Rihanna, Shontelle and, recently, Cover Drive have made breakthroughs without participating in the teen talent show, now in its 35th year.
Stoute, however, countered that showbiz was about being “in the right place and at the time” and pointed to the exploits of Rupee, Edwin Yearwood, Hal Linton and Alison Hinds as points of light from the annual singing contest.
He has also appealed to Government to mandate that his singers be showcased during Crop Over activities.
“If Rihanna was not in the right place at the right time, she would not have been discovered. That is why I feel that the Crop Over [Festival] does not play the role that it should play.
“You bring the better talent scouts, music producers, and journalists to Barbados around that time and you focus only on one genre of music, which you are not really interested in at an international level. What [the scouts] are looking for is somebody who sings other genres that appeal to the worldwide market,” said Stoute.
Asked if he ever invited scouts to the Teen Talent Show, Stoute said it was “not always viable for people to come to Barbados at the time” because of the expense incurred in bringing them to the island.
“Sometimes you wonder if you are speaking to the right people [scouts]. I have seen many showcases here and you never heard about anybody being signed. I think now that Government has embraced my Teen Talent programme, they should mandate that the better people from my Teen Talent be showcased in the Crop Over festivities . . . to be seen by the best talent scouts in the world.”
Stoute said if his people were not heard by the right people they would not be signed.
“That is something that has obscured the progress of the people from the Teen Talent contest. We need a festival that exposes all genres of music so that they could be seen by the right people.”
Stoute said the scouts who came for Crop Over left long before the start of Teen Talent.
He also said he was looking into the possibility of streaming the Teen Talent Show after the copyright issues were resolved.
