New Year's concert: Gums, between dream and opportunity

Two weeks ago, Gums released his new track entitled "Don't judge me", in Creole and English. It's getting a lot of airplay in Sweden, which is great, and in Spain too," he enthuses. I've also been approached by a label in Brazil. But don't get carried away, it's a very tough business. You need a little bit of luck. "Perhaps that luck will come the day after his performance on Wednesday night. After all, Gums (real name: Grégory Gumbs) is on the bill for the end-of-year concert organized by the Collectivité territoriale and its culture commission. Just being on the bill with Kassav' and Kalash is huge," enthuses Gums. And back home, you can't beat that! "

Two months of preparation
When the Collectivité's culture commission contacted him, he wasn't particularly surprised. I've done a lot of performances in schools and at the stadium," he explains. I had a little success with my track 'Tranquille', which did pretty well. I'm still getting a bit of stream. It's not crazy, but people are listening to my sounds, so that's good. We also had a track that did well this year with Krys ("Rhum et pi fanm"), the singer from Guadeloupe. "In fact, the surprise came from the list of artists with whom he will be sharing the stage set up in front of the Hôtel de la Collectivité on Wednesday evening. An honor for Gums, but also a challenge.
I've been preparing for two months," he assures us. Manu Tchao's drummer, Moussa, is here with me. We've been working for two months. I've also got a DJ, Siwroo, because I don't play all the instruments on stage. Sandro, a friend, coordinates the whole show, from the dancers to the outfits. "Because there will be dancers too. From Saint-Barth? No," says Gums. Every time, we have trouble finding dancers on the island because they don't want to. It's often a hassle to find extras for music videos and so on. Really complicated. So they're professional dancers from Saint-Martin. The same goes for the DJ, Siwroo. He'll also be able to furnish the show, as it's in three parts. "The first will be reggae, the second more dance hall oriented and the artist will finish on afro house and soca.

"Give it your best shot
Grégory has many feelings ahead of Wednesday's performance. But the first that comes to mind is simple. I feel proud," he says. I hope I'll be able to give my all on stage, because this is a great opportunity for me. I'm going to give it my best shot. There aren't many stages in Saint-Barth, so this is it. I don't usually prepare myself so much. However, compared to the other scenes I've done, I don't know why, I'm very serene. It's all squared away, there's no freestyle, although there's always a bit of that! I'm so happy, I can't wait. "
If he knows the two headliners of the concert, he shares a few memories with one of them. Kalash, his manageress used to be mine," smiles Gums. We started at the same time, I knew him before his career became what it is. We used to be in the studio together. So it's amazing that we end up here. It's cool because there's no star thing. I can't wait to see him again. "Joining Kassav', on the other hand, is a bit like touching a myth at first hand. Sharing the stage with them, even in a deep dream, I couldn't have imagined it," enthuses the artist. And in Saint-Barth! Such an emblematic group. It's an honor for me. It's incredible. I'd like to thank the Collectivité for giving this opportunity to a young man from the island. I'm very happy to be part of it. "
The date is set for this Wednesday, December 31. Gums will take to the stage at 9 p.m., after DJ Sinner G. A la maison's warm-up act, with the exhilarating responsibility of preparing the audience for Kassav''s entrance on stage at 10.30 p.m.