Shekira Shaki-K Boxill already feels like a winner. The 19-year-old is the youngest in the semi-final line-up for this year’s Banks/LIME Pic-O-De-Crop contest.“I’m happy to know I have a chance to win the crown at such a young age,” she said.On Friday night, the former Springer Memorial student will take the stage to perform Help Me and Fight Back, penned by Paul Murrell and Ewatt Viper Greene, respectively.Boxill, a national netballer, knows that she is up against the giants as she will be competing against seven former monarchs. She stated that although she was nervous, she believed she had the ability to come out on top.Another challenge Boxill will be facing on judging night is that of competing against her best friend Chad Sir Ruel Bowen. She said that while they may be rivals on the night, they usually “help out each other” by exchanging constructive criticism and giving “good luck hugs before each performance”.At a time when calypso and new artistes are being heavily criticised, Boxill sees her music as a vehicle for getting messages into the public arena. Her songs will be addressing child abuse and domestic abuse.“Social commentary gets the message over better than ragga-soca and the partying music. I love social commentary because I can express myself and get messages across for people who can’t do it themselves,” Boxill said.The young calypsonian is of the opinion that social commentary needs to be embraced by young people and new artistes. She stated that instead of following the crowd in singing meaningless lyrics, newcomers should “take examples from the positive artistes and don’t just sing for singing sake . . . if the song has no message it should not be played”.Boxill admires the work of Ras Iley, Edwin Yearwood and Singing Sandra. “That is music,” she said. With judging time around the corner, Boxill is making use of the timeless phrase “if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. She said she had been practising “around the clock” and was trying to ensure that she was in the best of health in order to give the best performance possible. While Shaki-K did not want to allow too much information to slip, patrons at the show can expect a “simple but impactful” performance from her.“Support is important to me,” Boxill stated. “Even before the announcement was made last Friday that I made it to the semis, I was getting a lot of calls as if I had already won the crown.”The encouragement from family, especially her father Junior Wilkinson, has pushed her through the competition so far. “He has supported me all along; he’s always there.”Shaki-K had a word of advice for young people hoping to enter the industry. “No matter what you sing . . . whatever genre, make sure it is something positive to motivate persons or help out those in need.”
