SUZETTE GRAHAM makes no bones about it– she loves to party and especially at Crop-Over time.
Up to last year you could spot her in any fete in some awkward and even suggestive positions. Her face was also a familiar one on the tent scene, playing sax in some of the backing bands for kaiso men and women.
This year though it's a totally different ball game for the 30-year-old.
She's still partying – but it's all for God.
The slimly built woman can be spotted in the Experience tent on stage as Jael, singing her two self-penned songs Praise Him and Madness, written during a period of fasting.
She makes absolutely no apologies for who she is today, noting it was only ten months ago that her life did a 360 about-turn.
If you are looking for a meek and mild Christian, Suzette is definitely not your girl.
Throwing her hands in the air and with two small shakes of her hips while sitting in a chair and being interviewed at The Nation on Monday evening, this calypsonian boldly states "I just love music". Catch her any Sunday in church with shoes off, prancing around as she praises God.
A lot has changed for this young mother of six-year-old daughter Davia.
She confesses, though, she was always into music. At Combermere School
she played the clarinet and then she was part of the Barbados Defence Force Band.
Then she made a switch from clarinet to saxophone.
It came when a friend was looking for someone to play the saxophone in one of the tents.
That marked her entry into Crop-Over.
Five years ago with sax to her lips, Suzette was in Tornadoes tent, then she made a switch to Ryvallers. Last year she played with Super Gladiators and Calypso Dome where she was leader of the all-female band.
She also revelled, jumping with the band Power X 4 for the past two years, and the band Mudslides before that. She jumped for the first time three years ago. "That was an interesting experience. I enjoyed myself," she said smiling cheekily.
Suzette was also part of the party posse, hitting all the regular seasonal fetes.
"I used to do the dog. I was even on kadooment.com in positions where they had to blot out my face. I used to drink and party from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day."
Suzette has since left those things behind her, but is quick to point out she was not condemning others for doing what she used to do.
And while she admits that calypso was her favourite genre of music, she said she praises God with the music she likes.
"Calypso does something for me overall. It's just my thing," she said.
Hence her entry into the Experience tent.
And she has taken the stage by storm with a warrior spirit, adapted from Jael from the book of Judges. Jael from The Bible, she explained, was strategic and exhibited a similar fighting spirit.
With her two songs, one of which is being judged for Party Monarch, Suzette said the lyrics came "like this" with a snap of her finger.
"The lyrics for Praise Him came at a time when I was stressed. It came when I was on a fast. I was really hungry that day, but I drank water and the words just come."
As for Madness, the words for that song came just as fast.
The irony for this young singer and musician is that she never believed Christians should be involved in Crop-Over.
In fact she laughs, remembering that she fully supported TC's sentiment that Christians should not be involved in Crop-Over calypso competitions.
"I believed Christians were going to spoil the fun. Now we are coming to bring the fun. Now that I know God I know we as Christians have every right to be here."
Suzette always believed in God, but admitted she took a hiatus.
"I wasn't going to church unless it was a band engagement," she said.
She also admitted she got involved in a relationship that wasn't ideal.
"Things started to happen to me in my personal life. I then started to suffer with stress-related illnesses and with panic attacks. This then affected my work and how I related to people," she said.
There were times when her fear immobilised her.
"The fear was sometimes paralysing. I remember a day when my fear gripped me. I recited the 23rd Psalm. I then questioned if I continued in this way, where would I stand with God," she reflected.
From that day, Suzette decided to take her life seriously and focus on building a relationship with God.
On the recommendation of a friend she then spoke to pastor Destiny Cadogan of Love and Faith Ministries Inc.
After an invitation to service at the O'Level Institute, Suzette, in slippers, jeans and an armhole white shirt, not appropriately clad in her estimation for church, was welcomed into the fold. On that first day, she remembers being in a trance while witnessing a dance by a lone female.
"God was ministering to me at that point and I started to cry," she said, remembering that she didn't care who saw the tears.
For her, she was released.
She got out of the unhealthy relationship she was in and her anxiety attacks started to fade.
She recalled a conversation at church that first day about music. The debate surrounded R. Kelly's song You Saved Me. For her, once the lyrics were positive it didn't matter who was singing. She remembers an example brought to bear. "If clean
water is poured into a dirty glass, will you still drink the water?"
November 7 also sticks out in her mind. It was the day when an apostle prophesised to her. "Some of the things he was saying, it was almost like he knew me and he never met me."
As she received his word, she admitted her body went weak. "That day I felt happy, as if a burden was lifted from my shoulders."
That started a six-month journey of fasting and praying. For the first seven days of each of the following six months, Suzette was on fruit, fresh salads, water and juices.
She has also given up sex.
That's about all that has changed. Suzette refuses to look dowdy, not smile, not enjoy her life or not be happy. "You should be enjoying your life through Christ," she said with a smile.
And she definitely is. In fact, she said, God willing, she will be at East Coast for the Party Monarch competition.
carolmartindale@nationnews.com
