THERE was a time when many thought that hard core reggae ballads, stirring love songs, pulsating pop selections, and riveting dancehall hits were reserved only for the raunchy singers of Afro-descent; but many have lived to see that it is not really so.
Just a few years ago, a very dashing East Indian youth silenced tongues and had heads wagging in shame and dismay as their owners were forced to eat up their words and learn from the best. And the best, of course, is the multi-talented ‘Mystic’, who caused mouths to drop open in shock when he filled the auditorium at the Sea Breeze Hotel (Georgetown), with his rich, melodious and stirring voice that melted hearts and left knees shaking with desire.
He was then just the plain and simple Romeo Nirmal, and he was attempting to make a name for himself at the first ever 2006 TV Reality Show that was hosted in Guyana to discover and unleash the rich, young vocal talent around the Land of Many Waters.
At that time, young Nirmal just had the voice, though many could sense the energy that was inside him just waiting to be released.
Like every young and nervous singer, he was a bit timid, and certainly needed the healing hands of time and well-acclaimed experience to blossom nicely, like he has done today.
When he left the stage after several star Guyana performances, there were many hushed whispers of “this East Indian boy is definitely talented.” Others dubbed him “The Indian boy who broke down the barriers and invaded the English music world”.
Mystic entered Star Guyana Search but was knocked out before the finals, as initially he did not realise that contestants had to have three talents — singing, dancing and acting. This show was eventually won by the sexy and captivating Lisa Punch, who is doing wonders on the local shores.
There were many other talented youths at the reality show, who, after failing to place, would have disappeared off the scene; but the language of music was calling to ‘Mystic,’ and he followed, heeding its beckoning.
He is now one of the most unlikely reggae singers around, but his groovy vocals, when combined with some deep romantic or gut-wrenching lyrics, command listeners to stop and listen, and wish that they were wrapped up in the arms of that loved one; or hold your head and shed tears for the sufferings of others. His songs certainly set listeners in the mood.
Journey to stardom
Fuelled by his love for music and a desire to be famous, Romeo Nirmal took his diamond voice to the studios of the Brutal Traxx Recordings and, of course, they readily welcomed his presence and talent.
There he budded even more as an artiste, and quite soon became known far and wide as “Mystic, the new sound in town”.
This singer is always proud to declare that the stage name ‘Mystic’ was selected because of the mysterious allure that surrounds his person and his rich voice. And he had more to tell on why he is just comfortable with the name.
The Sunday Chronicle bumped into the singer just recently, and he was ready to chat, since it was our reporter who actually gave him his first media spread.
He said that before choosing his moniker, he looked it up on the Internet and fell in love with what it signified.
‘Mystic’ has today become like honey on the tongue of every music lover. Today, with all the spice and entertainment finesse he brings to the platter, one would want to believe that he would have had extensive international exposure, but that is not the case.
As a youngster, he sang lustily with his family in church on the Corentyne at Black Bush Polder; and years after, when he moved to the city, he ensured he meddled with ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’, since he felt that would make him a balanced artiste and have him able to garner fans in every nook and cranny of Guyana.
And as a young kid, his talent was marvelled at by friends and supporters at Central High School, which he attended. “I used to like sing at lunch time, and persons would give me money and I would buy lunch. They just marvelled at my voice, and would sit and listen as if in a trance,” he recalled.
And ‘Mystic’ was, of course, inspired by singers like Beres Hammond and Glen Washington.
Though he is now not such a staunch ‘church goer’, Mystic still remains deeply rooted in his belief that ‘love is within any language’, and he certainly dictates that with his upbeat lyrics and soothing tempos. He of course believes in ensuring that every song delivers a positive message to listeners and fans.
Like any other Guyanese artiste, ‘Mystic’ was plagued by his fair share of hard-core negatives that have engulfed almost every Guyanese musician trying to make it big time, and he was very deterred and frustrated. When the trial was not unfriendly and malicious rivalry, it was the plight of not being paid handsomely for musical exploits.
He was so sorely affected that, at one point, he gave up on the music industry altogether and returned to the Corentyne to venture into barbering. But the fire never died in his soul, so he never gave up on the dream for ‘musical supremacy.’
And this dude also composes, writes and performs his own original pieces.
He said that while he has not had any formal voice training, he has worked on his vocals over the years, and is definitely at the point of perfection.
Amongst his very hot releases are songs like “No Love”, “Don’t Give Up”, “GT Party”, “My Life”, and “Cry”. The last mentioned song, he said, is one of his favourite pieces because it was inspired by the heart-wrenching story of a young Sudanese boy in a refugee camp, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show.
His performance at the last Temperature Show, which featured Tarrus Riley and Gyptian, coupled with being the opening act of Akon’s Carifesta show and a performance with Natural Black in Berbice, are some of the most memorable public appearances for Mystic.
To date, he has working on several new releases, which he said fans can expect to hear in the near future.
The Sunday Chronicle applauds this artiste on all his accomplishments, and proclaims that he has a far way to go in the field of musical success.
By Alex Wayne
