My ultimate goal as a musician is to go on tour with a big name performer. I believe Saint Lucia has a lot of changes to make in order for a musician to live comfortably. I wish to be that change, but for now my focus is to reach international audiences and then, after accomplishing my goals, come back home to be the difference that we musicians need.”
That was musician Dwight Florent, talking to the STAR in October 2017 when he was 18 years old. Last month Florent returned to the island from the Loyalty World Tour with the two-time Grammy award-winning band Morgan Heritage. The tour began on July 6 in Nairobi and ended on September 22 in New York. The group toured Kenya, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany. While in the USA they performed in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Up in Canada, stops were made in Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto.
On Wednesday Florent, a graduate of the Corinth Secondary School, explained that he was given the opportunity to play as lead guitarist by Gramps Morgan. Occasionally, Florent uses the social media platform Instagram to demonstrate his skill by uploading guitar covers. He recalled one day receiving a message from Gramps Morgan, who complimented his playing and told him to start practising the band’s material. Some months later, he received another message, this time with the tour dates.
The three-month world tour was not without hurdles. Said Florent: “The most challenging part was being able to change from Dwight the guitarist playing gigs in Saint Lucia to being on lead guitar with a two-time Grammy award-winning band. There were high expectations and I had to make sure they were met. As much as it was difficult, it was a preparation-meets-opportunity situation for me. I’ve been preparing for it so it wasn’t difficult to the point where it felt impossible. I just needed to put in the work.”
There is no room in the music industry for performers without passion and commitment, he said. Now that he has accomplished his goal of going on tour, Florent has his mind fixed on furthering his education. “I realised that, okay, now that I’ve toured the world I think I need to focus more on getting qualified in my art. I need to get some qualifications under my belt, so I will be applying to the Atlanta Institute of Music and my aim is to begin next year.”
His advice to budding Saint Lucian musicians: “Never feel like it’s impossible because it’s very easy to feel like you can’t do bigger things outside of Saint Lucia. Just know that there is a way to do everything that you want to do. Use social media and technology to your advantage because everyone is connected and every opportunity is just a click away. Never be afraid to display your talent to the world!”
