Tell us more about your new “Champion”?
The song “Champion” is about celebrating people that have been influential in my life, some of whom I've had the opportunity to play with and be friends with. “Champion” is also a way to encourage my fans to find their own inner champion.
Who penned the lyrics?
I wrote “Champion” with a long time friend from Jamaica, Colin Wedderburn, who I met through (dancehall artiste) Beenie Man. For this song and all others, I always draw inspiration from whatever is going on in my life at the time. In the case of “Champion,” my team had just won the Caribbean Premiere League and there were a lot of other victories just before and after , and I wanted to celebrate that.
Tell us about your stint with music?
Well, I have always been passionate about music. I never truly saw it as a career path, but I have been very fortunate to be able to be at a point in my life and cricket career that I can explore music now.
Why did you not pursue music as a professional career initially?
Because cricket is my true love and talent. I may love music, but I am notblessed with the skill on the mic like I am with the bat and ball. Cricket has always been a part of my life, and my brother's life - we came from the same village as Brian Lara. It's in my blood! I was born to play.
Chris Gayle and Brett Lee had collaborated with prominent India artists. Do you have any offers to collaborate with Indian singers?
Not yet but that's definitely one of the things I would love to do. I definitely want to make a contribution to the Bollywood market. It would be a dream come true.
Tell us about the Indian connection which reflects in your first single "Chalo Chalo"?
I think there are two connections. I have spent so much time in India and I heard the word "Chalo" often and "Come let’s go, up in the club. Follow Bravo!" was the next thing that came to my mind. The other connection is to Trinidad and Tobago, where about half our people are Indian and the culture is part of everyday life. Everyone eats Indian food, we still say some Hindi words, celebrate Diwali and it doesn't matter what you look like. NishaB is an Indian Trinidad singer, who sang the Hindi part. The connection is very strong.
You have already retired from Test cricket, will you soon hang up your boots to pursue career only in music?
Cricket will always be my number one priority. There will never be a time I give up cricket because of music. When I retire it will be because the time has come.
How do you juggle with the hectic training schedule for cricket and devote time for music?
As I said cricket will always be my priority so everything else is planned around that, including music. Once my playing and training schedules are taken care of, everything else can happen after that
Tell us about your new team in IPL
I spent five years in Chennai and it has become like another home for me. So, I will certainly miss it. But at the end of the day, I am a professional cricketer and I will adapt to the new team and environment quickly. I am lucky that I will be around familiar faces from the CSK family and I'm sure that family feeling will continue.
Do you think M S Dhoni’s new franchise will have an advantage as he is captaining the team?
I don't think there is necessarily an advantage. A captain is as good as his team but it's also a new team so he has to adjust as well. That being said he is one of the best in the world and he will adjust quickly, especially, as he also has some coaching staff from CSK to make the adjustment easier.
How do you think Suresh Raina will perform as captain in IPL?
Raina will do well. He's a great player and has a good team and has guys like myself, Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch to support him. We were all captains at some point and even though it's his first time as an IPL captain, he has the experience having led India, already. I'm excited to play under his leadership and will do all I can to help out.
Which team will be difficult to beat in this T20 World Cup?
India for sure! They are a favourite to win and they are a well-balanced team in terms of batting, bowling, etc. They are used to these conditions and, of course, have the advantage of a home fan base. We think if you can beat India you have a good chance of winning. South Africa and Pakistan can't be written off either. They are two very strong teams as well.
How is your preparation going on for the World Cup?
It’s going on well. The team is strong. We had a good training camp in Dubai and four successful warm-up matches and our all round cricket is good too. Of course, we had a major setback in losing some key players, but are lucky enough to have received some great replacements, and so we are confident. I'm excited to do well and hopefully make it to the Top 4.
- Navin Pivhal
(thehansindia.com)
