Blackie turns betrayal into a sweet symphony

Irvin “Blackie” Blackman has turned that sting of suspicion into pure comedy gold in his hilarious Carnival 2026 opener “Who Is He”.

The veteran calypsonian sets the scene with dramatic flair: mid-passion, his lover cries out another man’s name. He pauses, baffled but bemused, and instead of heartbreak, delivers humour. He sings:

Last night while we lovin’

And we two heart did pumpin’

You call a strange name

While we in ecstasy

Makin’ sweet love baby

You scream out ah strange name

Written by longtime collaborator Ronald Forde and produced by the legendary Leston Paul, “Who Is He” carries a light Latin sway with a full live band feel. The arrangement features Ricky Clarke (trumpet), L Stanton (trombone), T Daniel (sax), Gideon Bishop (bass), Damien Preston (drums) and Paul himself on keyboards.

“We experimented,” Blackie explained. “Leston told me, ‘Blackie, it’s a kind of Latin song, you know, but it have a nice Latin vibe. So, we think about putting some live horns. I say, boy, let me try it. From the time the live horns went down, we knew everybody was going to like this song.” Read More

Mondezie, M. (2025, November 16). Blackie turns betrayal into a sweet symphony. Trinidad Express Newspapers. https://trinidadexpress.com/features/local/blackie-turns-betrayal-into-a-sweet-symphony/article_2f3a9d4b-0e6f-482d-909d-0ab133f6e08d.html