December 10th 2011
Maryse – The Answer Is In the Music
Kendell “Scady” Eugene

While it seems most youngsters these days are more enthralled with the likes of Lady Gaga, Lil’ Wayne, and Drake. They are more interested in getting the latest ipad, smart phones or updating their twitter or facebook accounts, one young lady who hasn’t even hit her teen years has taken a different approach to life. Of course she enjoys all what girls her age enjoy, but she has a different perspective on life, and it’s on an art form that many has claimed to be dying in St. Lucia. What is it? The answer is in the music.

Maryse Weeks is twelve years old. She attends the Saint Joseph’s Convent, regular information, right? Well how about we add she plays guitar, bass, drums, steel pan, banjo and piano. Yes, all of these things and we have a feeling if she wants to she can add more to that list.

Coming from a family filled with musicians, her sister Lisa J. Weekes (her biggest musical inspiration) and brother Rio (S.A.M) both being accomplished singers and rappers respectively, it’s no surprise that Maryse was driven down the musical road. She remembers Lisa, turning on the radio every morning and singing along to almost every song that would come out of the speakers. Then to her it would have been a fun job to be a singer, have lots of people watching you and of course make a decent living in the process.

Her first instrument was the keyboard, then she realised the music she love (Keith Urban) and listened to was heavily influenced by the guitar. After taking up the aforementioned instrument, she ultimately fell in love with it and she hasn’t stopped playing and learning it since. She didn’t however limit herself to just that one instrument and she soon picked up the drums, and interesting and fun change, she admitted. Then the others mentioned earlier followed.

When we first heard about Maryse’s ability to play multiple instruments, we immediately thought that it was impossible, but when she proved to use that she can play them all, we couldn’t help but wonder, is it that easy to just pick up and instrument and play? Well, our young musician informed us that with the right formula, it is possible. Patience, practice, have fun, don’t stop and discipline she said are the main ingredients in that formula. So while learning the piano was a bit challenging she was able to master it. It also helps tremendously to get help from a professional player.

She has already performed on stage at the popular headphunk with the group S.A.M and was also given a first hand experience of the main stage when her sister, Lisa took her on stage at one of the island’s premiere events St. Lucia Jazz. A nervous Maryse, remembers asking her sister to leave the stage no sooner than she had gotten on stage, nervous in after seeing the massive crowd applauding a well executed act by her sister.

Fast forwarding to a few years, it is now her enjoying the applause and admiration of persons she comes into contact with musically. She not only plays with SAM during their Headphunk performances every Thursday at Samaan’s Park, but she is also a member of her school’s steel pan group where she plays both drums and pan.

At her young age, she is looking forward to a successful life in the music industry as a singer/songwriter and musician but she also understands the importance of having a sound academicals background and has maintained that school comes first without contest.

Surely Maryse is one of the young people Saint Lucia and the rest of the world should pay very close attention to. Her determination to excel at anything she puts her mind to knows no boundaries and we have a strong feeling we just might have the next big musical act from the Caribbean in her. Also and very importantly, she provides the glimmer of hope for our Creative Industry.

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