Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. May 2, 2011- Musical entertainer Shurwayne Winchester is being raved as one of the persons who will take Soca music to the heights of international fame. The assertion was made on Friday (April 29) by event coordinator in the division of tourism and transportation in Tobago, John Arnold.

Winchester and his band Y.O.U. thrilled audiences on Easter Sunday at the beachfront, Store Bay and again at Signal Hill where an event dubbed Jazz on the Hill was held before a massive gathering of locals and foreigners alike. The Jazz themed showcase featured acts like Oscar B, Sugar Daddy and the Signal Hill Alumni Choir among others, but it was Winchester and Y.O.U. who would leave a lasting impression on Arnold and many others in the crowd. “ I have seen Shurwayne perform a million times, but never like this,” said Arnold. He explained that Shurwayne was able to prove to many in the crowd that he cannot be labeled, ‘just a Soca artiste.’ “ He’s a singer, performer and a real entertainer. He was able to show his versatility as an artiste, and his wide vocal range,” said Arnold.

Arnold believes that for T&T’s culture and more so, Soca music to gain international recognition, the artistes carrying the torch must not only be able to perform ‘wine and jam’ tunes, as he called it, “ They must have a voice at the end of the day,” he said.
Vowing to stand in the corner of the Tobago-born artiste, John Arnold said he had high hopes for Shurwayne Winchester who at this year’s International Groovy Soca Monarch Competition, chose to draw focus to the bittersweet realities that lie within the twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago when he performed his single, Paradisin.

In the past few weeks, Winchester has been receiving quite a bit of positive recognition. In Jamaica, journalists called him masterful, skillful and commanding following his performance at Bacchanal Fridays in the lead up to the island’s Carnival celebration. Online, his connection with fans is sincere and noted by many as the mark of an artiste who exercises true humility even while soaring high.

ABOUT SHURWAYNE WINCHESTER
Shurwayne Winchester is a Caribbean musician who hails from the island of Trinidad and Tobago. He has achieved numerous awards and titles throughout his decade long career, among them, Road March titles, International Power and Groovy Soca Monarch titles and Sunshine awards.

Winchester has worked with artistes like Destra Garcia also of T&T, Jamaica’s Maxi Priest, Bad Gyal Ce’cile, St. Vincent’s Skinny Fabulous and even the iconic Calypso Rose among countless others. In 2009 the artiste formed the band Y.O.U- an acronym for Yes One Unit. Together they have amassed a strong presence that is felt and acknowledged not only in T&T but across the Caribbean and internationally.