At 45 Percival Violenus, aka Percy Rankin, is one of the most famous singers on the island. His father is a saxophonist and Percy grew up in Hameau du Pont, surrounded by music.
"Youth Waves is the first group to have me on stage as a guest in the 90s" recalls Percy. And that's when we start calling him to sing. He joined The Bonefire Band as second singer. Then reform the group a few years later, when only he and the drummer are left.
“I worked at the airport and quit my job in the early 2000s for the love of music. »He confides. He thus has more time to devote to his passion and performs in the bars and restaurants of Saint-Martin, as well as on the surrounding islands. He sang for ten years at Maho's Sunset, but also at Loterie Farm, Blue Martini, etc. To live from music when you live in Saint-Martin, you have to make concessions. In this case, you have to do covers. “My foundation is reggae. But I also cover songs from calypso, blues, dancehall and even zouk so that the public has a good time with songs that they recognize ”he explains. The island lives off tourism, and so does its musicians. Although self-taught, Percy has perfect mastery of his voice and a great vocal range. He thus passes from one style to another with great ease and embodies each of the titles he sings. He also enjoys modifying certain lyrics to fit the moment and the place, makes medleys, adds ragga passages… Interpreting the works of others does not really frustrate him. But sometimes, he also sings his own like Smile, which talks about Saint-Martin, or Can't predict tomorrow, released in 2005 and 2015 respectively and recorded on the Dutch side.
"I plan to record more but it costs money," he says.
Since Irma, and the destruction of many hotels and restaurants, Percy and his group are less in demand. Living music is therefore more complicated. "I'm surviving," he says. He sings among others every Saturday at the Blue Martini, at the Buccaneer for the Full Moon parties, as well as on the Philipsburg waterfront when there are cruise passengers.
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