El-A-Kru

El-A-Kru is an Antiguan soca band. The name derives from "Little Antigua Crew".

The band's single, 'Antigua Nice' (from their 2006 album of the same name) has been dubbed "Antigua’s new anthem",[1] and was used extensively by the Antigua Ministry of Tourism in their customer care initiative for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.[2] 'Expose', another single from the Antigua Nice album, topped MTV Tempo's Cross Caribbean Countdown for several weeks in 2007.[3] Two tracks from El-A-Kru's 2007 album Fully Loaded, 'Kick It Off' and 'Fully Loaded', featured in DJ Alex Jordan's 2007 Christmas program in her International Sounds of Soca series for BBC 1Xtra.[4] The band was also nominated for the Overall Soca Band of the Year at the 2007 International Soca Awards.[5]

El-A-Kru are frequent performers at the Antigua Carnival, where they have won the title of "Sweetest Band on the Road" four times of the last eight years, winning the title for a record three years in a row.[6] In 2007, they toured the UK with the Antigua Carnival Roadshow, marking the 50th anniversary of the Carnival.[7] The band also perform at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and the Saint Kitts and Nevis and Miami Carnivals and have appeared in The Caribbean Splashdown Music Festival in New York City. In June 2008, they are scheduled to appear in the Antigua and Barbuda International Music Festival.[8]

Background

The band was formed in 1990 as L.A. Crew. For their first seven years they performed mostly on the hotel and tourist circuits, and had several local hit recordings. In 1998, they recruited their lead singer, Tanzania "Tizzy" Sebastian, who has performed with the band ever since. They also changed their name to El-A-Kru. In 1999, "Tizzy" and El-A-Kru made a breakthrough at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival with their first hit single outside Antigua, 'Lethal Batty', performing in 19 shows over 28 days.[9]

Current band members

Former band members

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Antigua, still real nice - Part II, The Antigua Sun, November 1, 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  2. ↑ 'Tizzy' is voice of Team 2K7’s marketing drive, The Antigua Sun, November 20, 2006. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  3. 1 2 Kevin Jackson, Catch di Riddim, The Jamaica Observer, September 17, 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  4. ↑ From Parang to Liming, Celebrate Christmas with Alex Jordan on 1Xtra, BBC 1Xtra, 24 December 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  5. ↑ International Soca Awards press release published on trinijunglejuice.com. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ 50th Antigua Carnival Roadshow Comes to the UK!, EthnicNow, April 26, 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008
  8. ↑ 2008 Lineup on the official site of the Antigua and Barbuda International Music Festival. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  9. ↑ Cedriann J Martin,Tizzy Making Antigua proud, Trinidad & Tobago Express, February 2, 2008. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  10. ↑ Expose-ing Tizzy, The Antigua Sun, August 31, 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  11. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda joins regional film, music movement, The Antigua Sun, April 10, 2008. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  12. ↑ Avalene Harris, Antigua soca Kru highlights its cultural essence, The Trindad Guardian, November 15, 2006. Accessed 16 May 2008.
  13. ↑ Chosen Sounds brings the heat with first all star tour, The Antigua Sun, February 3, 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008.

Further Sources

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