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July 9, 2025 22 mins

Summary

In this episode of the Island Vacation Travel Podcast, host Al Filozhen explores the unexpected love affair between St. Lucia and country music. He delves into how this genre, traditionally associated with American Southern culture, has found a unique place in the Caribbean island's cultural landscape. The conversation explores the historical influences, the rise of country music events, and its integration into local traditions, highlighting how St. Lucians have adopted and gained popularity in St. Lucia, with a notable highlight being adopted and gained this musical style in various aspects of their lives.


Takeaways

St. Lucia has a surprising cultural connection to country music.

Country music is played at local events like weddings and barbecues.

The introduction of country music in St. Lucia began with AM radio signals from the US.

Local artists are blending country music with Creole lyrics.

The emotional storytelling in country music resonates with island life.

Country music events have become popular in St. Lucia, including a sold-out country night in 2019.

DJs in St. Lucia are mixing country music with local genres like Soca.

The themes of country music mirror the experiences of St. Lucians.

Country music has become a staple in karaoke nights across the island.

The podcast encourages listeners to share their own experiences with country music in the Caribbean.


Chapters

00:00 St. Lucia's Unexpected Love for Country Music

07:00 The Cultural Shift: How Country Music Found Its Place

13:15 A Cultural Turning Point: The First Lucian Country Music Night

17:03 Country Music's Integration into Local Culture

21:31 Reflections on Country Music in the Caribbean





Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:08):
On country music, did you know that in the heart of the
Caribbean on the national of Saint Lucian as where I'm from,
you can hear country music playing in roadside bars, Sunday
barbecues and even local weddings.

(00:31):
Yes, that's right, Islanders in cowboy hats to step in to George
Street is not a joke guys. It's a cultural twist.
You've got to hear to believe now guys, welcome back to island
vacation travel podcast. I'm your host Al philosian.
We appreciate everyone for continuing to support and

(00:54):
helping us through the channel during our break and our
vacation. It was unexpected.
Don't forget to please also run.Don't forget to act.
Also support our travel agency. I run a travel agency.
Don't forget to support, supportus, right?
And don't forget we travel as well, right?

(01:17):
So we have some amazing episodescoming up for the future.
We're going to be switching up stuff a little bit, Give me a
little bit more of my personality as well.
Today we're exploring one of Saint Lucia's most unexpected
cultural surprises. Now, I know you're probably
asking like, where is Saint Lucia?

(01:37):
You should know St. Lucia by now.
Sorry if you don't know where St.
Lucia is. You live and you're under a rock
and you're out of the loop. We have the fastest woman in the
world. We know everything is about pro
women right now. So we're the one champion in
this. There's my flag right there.
It's in the corner right there, right?
4th, right. So St.

(02:00):
Lucia is in the southern Caribbean, the Leawood Islands.
We're going to be talking about Saint Lucia's unexpected
surprise in the culture right now.
It's growing heartfelt love affair with country music.

(02:21):
Yes, that's right, country music.
Let's dive into this beautiful blend of banjos and Caribbean
soul. Oh, I think my banjo right
there, actually. Yeah.
Now let's be real, guys. When most people think about
Caribbean music, the picture soca, calypso, reggae, and

(02:45):
dancehall. I'm not even sure if very many
people in the first world are familiar with soca music.
But if you're not, you should be.
Check out Bungee Gallon, check out Marshall Montano, check out
Kess, check out Berlin Flames, check out WCK Moto and forget

(03:06):
you pick up yourself and also tell Saint John.
Yeah, forget you buddy. Right now, when you think about
music in the Caribbean, you're not thinking about like country
music. You wouldn't even think about
it. You wouldn't even contemplate
that. So when someone hears Dolly
Parton in Castries or Garth Brooks on a boat ride in Rodney

(03:29):
B, the reaction is usually wait,what?
You're not alone. I am and was like that as well
from a kid. I've always been baffled and
flabbergasted by that whole thing of why we love country
music so much. But I've done some investigation

(03:50):
and there are lots of stories, and we're going to go into it
today. It's easy to question how a
genre that's deeply rooted in American Southern culture could
find a home on a volcanic islandin the Lesser Antilles.
Some locals even use to dismiss it, like, oh, country music is

(04:12):
to SAP. Or that music.
It's for Cowboys, not Lucians. There's actually opinions on
both of those things. Because country music is not
only sad. And who are Cowboys and no
Cowboys from the islands. So oops right now.

(04:38):
But something changed in Saint Lucian.
That resistance of like country music kind of also turned into
some kind of like appreciation that it then turned into like a
passion. So it's not only even the older

(04:59):
people that like country music in Saint Lucia, it's actually
trickled down to the younger people because it's playing on
radio all the time right now. Let's take a quick break now.
If you love the story, why not experience solution for
yourself? My travel agency Island Vikas

(05:21):
that is ISLANDVAC as.com. We specialize in curated
cultural experiences from local tours to authentic village
visits and retreats. I think I have some videos
posted on my Instagram and tick to check them out visit our

(05:42):
website www.islandvegas.com. Right forward slash St.
Lucia. You can see what we actually
have going on inside Lucia. What, what events, what cultural

(06:10):
activities we have going on. So support us, right?
All right, Yeah, we are back, guys.

(06:33):
So we're going to go back into the story of how country music
kind of got a passion and St. Lucia.
Now, how did this shift like really happen?
One big factor, many a huge factor is radio.
Yes, radio. In the 1980s, AM signals from

(06:55):
the southern US actually reachedSt.
Lucia and country music became alate night soundtrack on the
local Airways, right? That is actually part of the
story. I also end up doing a lot of
tours and stuff while I'm on theisland.

(07:16):
So one of the things I had whichvery funny time with one of my
friends who went and do like some inspections, some tours,
inspections and stuff. And it was actually a barracks,
AUS barracks, which I know therewas a, an airport on the east

(07:37):
side of the island, which peopledon't really know.
It's where the turtles actually go and lay eggs.
And it's a protected site. You've got compounded.
It's beautiful. That's one tour.
There is another tour in Rodney B right in the midst of
everything right there, guys, there's a Segway tour.
And on that Segway tour, it brings us up on a hill, which

(07:59):
there's a big fish pond and everything.
But you also run into some big signs stating that this was AUS
Post back in the days, this was a German post.
So at that point in time they also used to play music on a Big
Horn. So the people in the town also

(08:19):
heard that music like that. So I've also heard about that
story concerning how St. Lucians got affirmated to
country music in the islands. That's those wars and everything
in Grenada, because the army, you had a beast in Saint Lucia
as well. So that's also part of the
story. Then there is the Lucian

(08:40):
diaspora, right? Many who actually moved to
Florida, Texas or Georgia brought back country music who
during their visits, like on vacations and stuff, which just
logically makes sense. A lot of us come to Florida.

(09:00):
Texas for sure. I know that's where my dad
actually moved to first. Other people moved to Georgia,
of course, there's like Maryland, Washington as well,
not forgetting New York, but rapcame from there.
Country music came from Texas and Florida and some of the
people coming back home with themusic, right, or even Tennessee.

(09:24):
And let's not forget emotional depth of country music, right?
That also has an impact on why the people actually gravitate to
it. The themes love, migration, hard
work, heartbreak, faith, that's just to name a few.

(09:45):
They actually mirror island life.
Even local artists started experimenting.
And it just also only makes sense because Country Life is
island life. It's like a backward way of
life, a little slower, you're more hands on.
That's why people like me move to Winter Haven just don't make
sense out of everywhere in America.

(10:07):
It's somewhere slow right now. In Saint Lucia, they started, as
I said, experimenting. It got to the point where you've
got musicians in Viewfort, whichis to the South of the island,
mixing music country chords withCreole lyrics and DJs blending
Kenny Rogers and booyo beats, Right?

(10:31):
I know Creole lyrics, I speak Creole as well, like French
Creole. Yes, I can understand part of
what the Asian say, The Asians can understand us.
Bouyon Bouyo is a mix of flavourof music and we just mix it up
with the country music and now you have people dancing and
enjoying their self. That's just something you'd find

(10:52):
regular in any set. In a party in Saint Lucia or
boat ride, you'll be listening to radio and just say a mix of
country music and suka music just fusing together.
And people are having a blast. Yeah, it's just something they
actually like. So let's take a quick break
again, guys. Right.

(11:14):
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summer or your next big side bonfire.
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That's Island Vacation travel agency store.
Of course, we have our brand. We have our clothing brand.

(11:35):
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Our Island Plus Country Limited collection actually just
dropped, as I just mentioned, featuring exclusive teas that
celebrate both St. Lucia and our salvant roots.

(11:57):
I also have some T-shirts for Polk County because that's why I
leave and I actually love Polk County.
I'm proud of Polk County and we also do episodes of Polk County
as well. So don't forget to check them
out. We have a couple of them
already. We're going to get right back
into them. All right, Don't forget to visit
our store, www.is LANDVAC as.com/shop.

(12:30):
Check it out down there, Right. Oh, and you could also use the
code IVT. Sorry about that.
Island vacation 15. My bad guys, my bad.
Island vacation 15. There you go, at the bottom
here, right at the bottom. And they're 15% off the next

(12:54):
order. Yeah, yes, yes, yes.
And we appreciate everyone that has been supported.
We appreciate it. I really appreciate it.
Now, let's get back. Now, let me tell you about the
moment country music actually truly planted its flag.
That's just one of the stories, one of the myths, right?

(13:16):
Well, not a myth, but in nine in2029, in sorry about that.
In 2019, I'm just that's a few years ago, right?
The town of the library and library is to the southwest of
Saint Lucian. Beautiful little town.
I have some very amazing friendsout there.

(13:37):
They will set its first ever Lucian Country Music night.
Anybody that has discrepancies on this clarify this with me
because I know there was always had a lot of uncountry music
stuff going on on the island, especially in Castries in the
marketplace right then even if there is.
So we've had a lot of stuff as well, but this thing actually

(14:01):
happened in 2019 in library and it's sold out. 100 Garden in the
community and in the Community Center.
Dressed in boots, hats, swing tolive performances and dancing to

(14:21):
Johnny Cash's music. Carrie Underwood's music.
I'm also not forgetting local interpretations in Creole.
So this is another amazing thingto do with country music.
In Saint Lucia, they will literally listen to the country
and it happens everywhere aroundthe world.
Once you start understanding languages, you realise that I
speak a few languages. You realise that people take

(14:43):
like new songs in English and then actually reinterpret it and
remake it in another language. So in Creole, they would say
that it's actually healthy, either more emotional, more
funny when they say it in Creole, right 'cause it cuts
through. And while they listen to those
interpretations, they really enjoy it.

(15:05):
And that night, a young artist in library named Cleo J big ups
to you. Cleo J performed her original
song My Island Cowboy and you can check it out on all
platforms. Please support, it helps our
island, right? We need some more stars from the

(15:27):
island. The that performance actually
got picked up by the Caribbean diaspora pages online and
kaboom, her following exploded. All the people around the world,
the people from Saint Lucia thatactually living in other
countries, they actually startedfollowing and a beautiful thing

(15:52):
actually came out of that. That night wasn't just about
entertainment. It was a cultural turning point.
Yes, right now, if you want to experience stuff like that,
guys, you could actually plan a cultural retreat or a girls
getaway. Guys, getaway or a destination

(16:14):
honeymoon are just a big flex, aline with me and my travel
agency, right? We'll handle the flights, hotels
and also the tours, the experiences, the fun part of it,
right? Everybody not connected like me,
all with authentic and Lucian vibes.

(16:36):
Visit islandvacies.com to get started, guys, with your form.
Or you could also book directly.Yes, sometimes people like to
book their own trips, so I've given them the ability to be
able to do that. So let's make your travel dreams

(16:58):
unforgettable, yes? So what's the story now?
Country music has become a part of weddings in Saint Lucia.
Cookouts, picnics, even karaoke nights, guys.
And I mean, they love karaoke inSaint Lucia.

(17:20):
And when karaoke starts, Bob Marley, country music, that's
it. They love it.
The people love it. Now you learn locals serenading
loved ones with forever and everand ever, Amen.
Which I mean, yes, with a Lucianaccent like this, and it just

(17:45):
works. We've got DJs spinning country
plus suka mashups and artist writing original country balads
infused with island rhythms. And let me give a shout out to
DJ Blaze from Sufre. And we have a whole lot of DJs
DJ Bingo. Big up yourself, my boy.

(18:07):
Imagine how my one of my top guys out in Grizzly Friday night
and I can't even remember his DJname right now on the spot.
But guys, we love you all. The host, well, DJ Blaze, hosts
a country hour every Thursday Night Live on Facebook if you
want to check it out and get viewers from Castries to Canada

(18:28):
to England to Florida to Germanyto Poland.
Guys, it's amazing. It's amazing.
We want to get our numbers like that on social media.
Now. You can even find country dance
classes, yes, line dance in Saint Lucia, in a few community
centers, especially in the Southof the island.

(18:49):
Right. Why is it sticking, you may ask?
Because like the best parts of Caribbean culture, it's about
emotional storytelling and connection.
And I guess country music does That's, that's all hot.
I mean all hot. What are you eating or loving?

(19:14):
You've got grandmas, Hummin, Jolene, teenagers covering Luke
Combs, and travellers like you stumbling upon this beautiful
blend by surprise. Who could ask for better Now
guys, are you enjoying this podcast today?

(19:37):
Then make sure you hit the subscribe button please.
For me, please and leave a five star review.
We need it right? We love it.
It helps the algorithms, it helps us share more stories as
well from the Caribbean that don't make the headlines.

(20:01):
That's our plan, that's my plan.And not just my island,
everywhere, all different islands, different places I've
travelled. I want to share what the real
stories about those places. And yes, I've been doing this
for a very, very long time. I'm just not one of those
streamers guys that has been going on and going on, but
wanted to create a podcast that will create some good episodes

(20:22):
and name this stuff for the restof life.
Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram at Island under
score Vacation under score Travel and DM me your country
music moments in the island because I know you all have some
kind of country music moment where, for instance, maybe

(20:45):
you're on the beach enjoying your Pina colada or whatever it
is, Royalton sandals, whatever it is.
And just say musical activities by the pool and your country
music. You're like, what?
This is crazy. Yes, it happens.
So share your stories with me onInstagram on YouTube or also on
Spotify or even Google. Yes, Google too.

(21:09):
Don't forget right now, from Creola rhythms to country
chords, St. Lucia has embraced country music
in a way that's deeply, deeply authentic.
It's a love affair. Good watch.
Soccer, especially. Not me, but everyone singing
along to it. You got to enjoy it.

(21:30):
So what do you think about country music in the Caribbean?
Because it's not just St. Lucia.
Are you surprised? Are you inspired?
Let me know in the comments or shout us, Shoot us a message.
Sorry about that. And if there's a cultural
crossover you want me to cover next, just drop it.

(21:51):
Drop the ideas. Drop the ideas guys.
We love hate different perspectives and ideas.
This is your podcast too, don't forget that.
And we would like more comments.I would like more comments.
Thanks for tuning in to Island vacation channel podcast with me
Al Philosian, where we have fun in the sun, guys and the next

(22:20):
adventures. Only one trip a week until next
time, stay curious. Stay Caribbean.
And guys, we appreciate all the support.
I can see it. We appreciate it.
Ciao for now.
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