Five Questions with Faith D’Aguilar
Published:Friday | December 22, 2023 | 12:06 AMShanel Lemmie/Staff Reporter - -
Faith D’Aguilar is a Jamaican entertainer extraordinaire. Known for her melodic voice and her spot-on impression of famous poet Louise Bennett-Coverley, D’Aguilar is versed in all things music, dance and theatre. Through her 2001 classic, Santa Ketch Up (Inna Mango Tree), D’Aguilar has become as synonymous with Jamaican Christmas traditions as Father Christmas himself. Just in time for Christmas, D’Aguilar stopped by Five Questions With for a quick chat.
1. What does it feel like to know that in schools right now children are learning these songs as a part of Jamaican history?
I feel good about it. I think they should because it should never die. It should just keep growing and growing and growing. And even the Miss Lou, I don’t want Miss Lou to ever go away and I don’t think she ever will. So I would like children in school to learn more about her and capture everything they can.
2. ‘Santa Ketch Up’ is now a Jamaican classic. How did you come up with it?
Actually how I started it enuh, I said why should Santa be coming from a chimney. We don’t have chimneys in Jamaica. So [how] I wrote Santa Ketch Up (Inna Mango Tree), my sister and myself were there and I said ‘Pam, what you think the song should be? Santa Ketch Up in a Ackee?’ And we thought about it then we hit mango and we said ‘Yeah!’ And I started writing it and that was history. I did one January and it wasn’t until the end of the year, [in] Christmas, it was played and everybody seemed to like it.
3. What’s next in the Santa series?
I have other songs that I want to do. Actually I was taking care of my sister for a while and I am just starting out again. I want to keep the Santa series going. I want Mrs Santa to get married and she’s going to have a baby and she’s going to have it under the mango tree. So I have all sorts of plans for Santa coming up.
4. You are such a part of our Christmas traditions, but what is your favourite Christmas memory?
Grand Market, because I was from Chapelton and you’d get a chance to go in to Chapelton and buy all sorts of little things because you’re not allowed all the time to go out. So it was just one big thing to go out on Grand Market night. I remember one Grand Market I went somewhere and bought some brooklax and thought it was chocolate. You know what brooklax is, so you know what happen to me that night. That was one Grand Market that I never forgot.
5. What are your plans for Christmas this year?
I am a little boring with the Christmas, enuh. Maybe this year I’ll do a tree. I got a few decorations from my brother, I think that starts it. So I’ll do a tree and go around an see all the people I haven’t seen for a long time and just enjoy a good dinner or something nice like that. But give, and by giving God will just take care of me.