I don’t mind you going away once you come back, come back to me.
I don’t mind you going I say, once you come back to me.
Cause you inspire me, have me feeling fiery.
Any time I’m with you it feels like a holiday.
So high I can’t come down
Any time you’re around me…
When I’m with you, you make all my pores raise
Even though I have you for two days
You never cease to amaze…
Come Back
Machel Montano and Destra Garcia, 2015
One of the biggest surprises for Carnival 2014 was Destra Garcia singing with Machel Montano at Montano’s Machel Monday concert. In 2003, the duo had one of the biggest ever soca hits with It’s Carnival, but a series of incidents led to their estrangement a couple of years later.
Soca fans had always hoped that the two would make music together again, so for many, the Machel Monday performance was a hopeful sign.
At UWI fete on January 18, Montano announced that he was releasing a new song with Garcia the next morning. Fans took to social media to speculate about the song and celebrate a long anticipated reunion.
The result of the latest collaboration between Montano and Garcia is Come Back, a groovy song that is a soca tribute to love, produced by Stadic Studio Productions.
Garcia was busy preparing for her upcoming House of Bakanal concert when the T&T Guardian caught up with her. She said to understand how it all came together, she had to go back to that Machel Monday appearance.
“Machel approached me about appearing at Machel Monday when we met at a fete. When he explained his vision and why he wanted me to appear, I thought, ‘yeah, why not,’” she said.
“We have been good for a while, and we’re also a lot more mature than we were back in the day.”
Garcia said she enjoyed being onstage with Montano, and she was really surprised at the impact that appearance had on the fans, so when he approached her to do Come Back, and explained why the song was important, she knew she had to do it.
“This song is a song about love. Not carnal love but about the relationship between the artiste and the fans,” she said.
“They give us so much and this song is to say we know you’re there and this is a gift back to you.”
But Garcia said when Montano first played the demo tape, she wasn’t totally convinced.
“It was rough, the melodies weren’t complete and I wasn’t too sure about it,” she said. “But I know Machel is a man who takes his craft seriously, so I trusted him on his vision for the song.
“It wasn’t until we both got to the studio and put our voices on the track that I felt the magic of the song.”
The response to the song was largely positive, with both fans and radio DJs giving it the thumbs up.
The other talking point was the song’s video, which shows Garcia and Montano playing and joking during the recording of the song.
“When I watched the video, I felt like I was watching everything for the first time,” Garcia said. “And I thought if I was feeling that way, then the fans would feel it 100 per cent more.”
Of course, some people were expecting a high energy road song like It’s Carnival, but according to the self-proclaimed Queen of Bacchanal, they had already “been there, done that.”
“The song was Machel’s idea. The first time we collaborated, it was my project. I did most of the vocals and Machel supported me. People were asking how come I didn’t sing more, but this is Machel’s project and I am the support this time around.
“It’s a real connection with music that Machel and I have and I know people can see it. We have similar energy and vibes when it comes to music.”
Garcia believes the song is also a reflection of where they are now as people.
“I think in the past we misunderstood each other,” Garcia said. “We are both very strong characters and of course that means we would clash. Back then, we couldn’t find a way to comfortably co-exist but there’s so much I can learn from him because he’s been doing it for so long, longer than any of us.
“He respects my work, at one point while we were recording he said to me, ‘You’re a boss’ and that felt good coming from him.
“Machel likes to tell us he’s our Daddy, and its true,” she said. “He’s done it all and look at him now, he’s making movies.
“I won’t always agree with what he has to say but there is a certain amount of wisdom that he’s got to impart and you have to just listen.”
Garcia revealed that Montano has been advising her on the staging of her first concert, House of Bakanal that will take place on February 11 at the O2 in Chaguaramas.
“He told me ‘D, there are mistakes I made that you could avoid, so I’m behind you for this,’” she said.
Garcia wouldn’t reveal whether Montano will appear at the House of Bakanal, saying she had a lot of surprises in store for her fans and that the concert would be “boss”.