He conquered dancehall. He mastered reggae and now Junior Don is jumping onboard the soca bandwagon. Christened Etthan Stewart, the Belmont-born Petit Valley resident, is enjoying his success after a commendable performance on the recently concluded Digicel Rising Star Competition. Don put his vocal cords to work and raked in the votes, capturing the second-runner-up spot.

As the Carnival season gets into full swing, Don, who has performed on the same stages as reggae and rap heavyweights Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks, Busy Signal, TI and Red Man, in countries like Germany, Sweden, England and Turkey, hopes to share the spotlight with some of the nation’s biggest soca artistes for C2K10. With three new soca tracks on his hands, the Base Night-club’s seven-time Dancehall Champion says, “I really like how soca has developed. It’s a music that I love, I am Trinidadian...I would love to put soca on the world’s stage.” His first offering, Hop on my Ride, penned by Don and produced by Dwain (Dangerous) Anthrobus, has been receiving decent airplay. The feedback, he says, has been positive.

Burning the midnight oil
The Scotia Bank Retail Banking representative who has been burning the midnight oil, also wrote Take It Down, which has also been released on radio. Hoping to enter the Soca Monarch Competition, the front-line singer with Peter C and the Orchestra, says his third track will be one for the road. Don’s steadily growing fan base can also expect new music in the reggae and dancehall genres after the Carnival season. With all the fame that his musical journey has garnered, Don says, above all, he remains very humble and thankful.

By Cherisse Moe