“Jack” says search on for the next TCI Voice; weekly show aims to unearth talent

By Shanieka Smith

Features Writer

#TurksandCaicos, April 26, 2022 – “Music is one of the most powerful tools that we have, not just for marketing… but also to kind of tackle some of the social issues that we may have.”

These are the words from a fervid and well known Turks and Caicos musician, who shared that music has changed his life. Recording Artiste and producer, Jack Lightbourne is the inspiration behind TCI Voice, the newest talent show in the island in search of new music talents.

TCI Voice, however, is more than a talent show, the idea behind the talent show and the intention going forward stem from a level of care and consideration for the development of Turks and Caicos Islands.

“It is really a community project that is designed to really go throughout the community and discover talent – hidden talent… for some of those [talents], it may be one of the only opportunities that they have at making a major move in their lives to really boost their confidence and interpersonal skills as well,” expressed Lightbourne.

It goes deeper than an individual based project, Lightbourne intends for TCI Voice to be one of the music projects in TCI to tackle some social issues.

“And we are trying to get the government to recognize that music is a very powerful tool for a destination like the Turks and Caicos,” he added.

Lightbourne said the TCI has not yet tipped the iceberg when it comes on to investing in the music industry. The government, he said, overlooks music and puts little emphasis on music and culture.

“The government needs to understand how powerful music is, not just for an individual, but for an entire nation, to really see the benefits of it,  and start to invest not just thousands but millions of dollars into developing music because of the tourism implications,” he reiterated.

The official search for talent began on Wednesday April 6 and has been going on every Wednesday evening at 7:30 at the Karaoke Bar and Grill.

Each week, the talents go through a process of elimination. The winner in the end will be given the opportunity to meet with professional recording personnel: engineers, writers, producers, some are grammy winners. Some of these professionals are from the United States, there is one from Trinidad and Tobago.

All the professionals will give the winner of TCI Voice an insight into what it is like to make a song. The winner will also get a single deal, where they are able to record their own song.

Lightbourne profoundly expressed that it is not about perfection, it’s about potential. This view is one of the major reason why anyone with music talent can be a part of TCI Voice; no audition is required.

“We already know our industry is small and undeveloped so we are not trying to put too much pressure on people to be perfect… if you discover their ability, you can still work with them,” he said.

He further expressed, “everywhere has talent, black people are talented and what we are trying to do is give that talent an opportunity. Most of the time we see talent being used in churches [and] talent shows.  But we really don’t have a well-established music industry where we can take that talent and have it organised in a professional way.”

TCI Voice is a rare opportunity for people who can sing to become professionals. Hence, the idea behind the name TCI Voice itself – the voices are already in the TCI and it’s just for them to be heard and nurtured.

“We need our own voice; it’s about time that the focus becomes Turks and Caicos, Turks and Caicos music. We have been neglecting that aspect of music. We haven’t been focused on us, we’ve been focusing on promoting every other culture except ours,” said Lightbourne as he highlighted that the music industry in the TCI has been centred around cover bands.

As such, the production side of music has been ignored. He explained that production is really what should be exploited.

“We need to dig out songs from these artists, from these musicians and have them move towards the professional side of this industry, where the money is, where the marketing is, and where the business is strong,” he said.

This will in turn establish a strong brand of  music in and from the TCI and will also bring a worldwide awareness of the island.

Along with Lightbourne, the 43 year old recording artist and producer from Grand Turk, a few other people made the show come to life.

TCI Voice is being done through Paradise Beachfront Productions, one of the only professional recording studios on island. It is owned by Lightbourne and caters to international recording artists who visit the island.

Lightbourne shared that for the talent show, they are working with the Dept of Culture, the Tourist Board, Flow TCI, Provo Travel, and David’s Karaoke Bar and Grill, who hosts the event weekly.

Prior to the first TCI Voice on April 6,  the team held a music workshop. Everyone on the island was able to attend and see firsthand what it is like in the music industry.

Lightbourne speaks fervidly about TCI Voice, and so far, the talent show seems to be running successfully. It will go on every Wednesday until the finale on Saturday, May 7. The show is live for viewing but is also aired on facebook at Jack Music TCI and on Instagram at Paradise Beachfront Productions.