HARESH Singh has won the Chutney Soca Monarch Competition five times in Guyana ever since the competition got underway in 2001 and has always been placed
in the top three each other time. Nevertheless, Haresh believes that he can do much better if Copyright laws come back on the scene.
As such, he is only hoping that the new government will do something for the struggling artistes in the country who work hard on their music only

to benefit minimally from it financially.
Haresh, 42, was born at Bush Lot, on the Essequibo Coast, and is well known there as the ‘Big Haresh’ or ‘Kumar Sanu’. He recently released a CD
with ten songs including the popular ‘Dulahin run away’, ‘Indian Gyal’, and ‘Margarita’. He came in second place in this year’s Chutney Soca Monarch
Competition with his ‘Dulahin run away.’

A STRUGGLE

“Over the years, I have been struggling to write my songs. As a senior artiste, I am pleading with the new government on behalf of all other artistes; I
am hoping that they will pass the copyright bill in parliament so we can gain something from our music. I released a CD with 10 songs about two months ago
but I was hardly able to make anything because of piracy. The country as a whole can make a lot of money if the Copyright laws are there,” Haresh
expressed in an interview with the Chronicle.
Haresh, whose music is currently playing on all of the radio stations in Guyana, won the 2012 National Chutney Competition in Guyana and
subsequently represented Guyana at Queen’s Park Oval, in Trinidad. “I am the first man in Guyana to sell chutney in the international world,” he proudly
declared.
Another challenge Haresh said he and other musicians are facing is that of the ‘dog eat dog’ attitude that is found in Guyana’s music industry. On
one occasion, he recalled how a prominent artiste tried to pay the host of a television show to pull his music off the air.
Furthermore, Haresh called attention to the practice where entertainers pirate people’s music and just add in different lyrics. “I am an original
singer all the way. I hope to become an internationally recognized superstar one day and I am very confident that this will happen,” he related.
In addition to winning the Chutney Soca Monarch Competition five times, Haresh has won some 28 Bollywood competitions in the country.

ORIGINALITY

Haresh has great confidence in himself and is not shy about expressing it. “I would call myself a superstar! For you to measure how good you are as a

singer, you have to go on competitions and win, and that’s what I do,” he proudly acknowledged. In addition to chutney, Haresh delights in singing
Bollywood songs. He likes karaoke, and does some English songs as well.
As he puts it, the thing that mostly sets him apart from his colleagues is the fact that he composes his own songs. “I compose my own songs, own
air, melody, everything! The rule is originality, and other singers in Guyana should adopt this.”
“Right now, many artistes are using back Bollywood songs and fitting in their voice and lyrics. Do not pirate people’s songs! Try to compose your
own songs. When you pirate, you kill the culture. It’s just like a copycat,” Haresh posited.
He continued: “You have young children who never knew and heard about the original singers, and who therefore give all praise to the copy cats. And
that’s bad. That’s what I like Anand (Persaud, karaoke singer) for. You singing, sing back the original Bollywood thing. Don’t try to put in your own
words.”
Locally, Harresh gives much respect to Celia Samaroo, owner of Shakti Strings; and Queen Yasmin, of the Originals Band, now residing outside of
Guyana.
‘Big Harresh’ who attended Anna Regina Secondary School, believes that he will significantly improve his skills within the next 10 years. “I’m sure
that I will make it. I’m following my dream. I hope to get bigger and better.”
The ‘Big Haresh’ also wants to let it be publicly known that he is ‘single and ready to mingle!’

By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine