Simon Pipe talks about co-producing ‘Banana’ with Conkarah, Shaggy

Simon Pipe is having an incredible year. In March 2019, he co-produced Tanya Stephens’ “Top Shelf” and this month, he has used his skills on “Island pop star” Conkarah’s song, “Banana”.

The song which was inspired by Harry Belafonte’s 1956 hit, “The Banana Boat Song” was released August 15, 2019. Grammy award-winning artiste, Shaggy is also featured on the track. Pipe and Conkarah were thrilled when Shaggy expressed his interest in the song. Presently, Shaggy and Conkarah share the same management team and Pipe appreciated their input on the final version of “Banana”.

“I definitely have to big up Shaggy and his team! The structure and basic arrangement of the song is exactly the same as the original version, but those guys added some really cool pop tones and flare to the track without messing with the groove and feel of the song,” said Pipe.

The “If Only These Walls” singer described the new song as funny and catchy, a view shared by Conkarah. Pipe said that the song started as “a little instrumental” he sent to the Jamaican artiste in September 2018.
Pipe knows for many, Conkarah is seen as a new artiste but the singer has been around since the early 2000s. He has amassed over 600 000 subscribers on YouTube with a strong fan base.   

The “Don’t Go” singer is currently on tour promoting his music. Last year, Pipe had recorded and produced an EP with Conkarah called “Inna Reggae Style” which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Reggae charts. Pipe appreciates the young artiste’s work ethic and commitment to his craft.

“[Conkarah] is constantly on tour. During the writing of this song, he was in several different countries, I can’t recall all of them but I know he was in Costa Rica, he’s in Papua New Guinea at the moment. The guy is persistently working towards his goals, so he’s a pleasure to write and produce with,” said Pipe.

Producing music for the last decade
Pipe is a musician, singer, songwriter and performer but he has spent a third of his life producing. Pipe told The Barbados Advocate that he is constantly working on several projects at once. He has collaborated with several artistes, including Tanya Stephens, Shontelle, Kris Irie, Jaicko and Adaeze.

This year alone, he has worked with Shurwayne Winchester, Terri Lyons, Leadpipe, Saddis, Nikita, Holla Bak, Stabby, Stiffy, Lady Essence, Summa, Yaksta (another Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist). He has played music and toured with some of these artistes but he expressed his fulfilment in producing music:
“Producing gives me a lot of joy. To have someone walk in the studio with an idea, and leave with a song – I love it!” said Pipe.

Remembering his beginnings
Pipe nevertheless remembers his early struggles. He can reminisce about making his first recording on cassette tape which transitioned to four track machine and then digital production programmes. He has previous training in audio engineering in London and when he returned to Barbados, Pipe became quite innovative.

“When I moved back to Barbados – reality hit! I was a gigging musician by night, bank teller by day to try to make ends meet. I recorded with one of the bands I was playing with at the time in my bedroom. We put my mattress up against a wall and hung a microphone from the bed frame to record vocals. I had to innovate as much as possible, and I still do. Over time I’ve managed to build up a pretty decent recording space with a booth and instruments and better equipment on a whole,” said Pipe.

The talented artiste continues to produce music and record songs and ideas for music constantly. This has resulted in success he can see and hear.

“As a creative, you’ve got to always find ways of innovating. By no means do I have a million-dollar studio, but I can make music that charts, so I think I’m generally on the right path,” said Pipe.

Pipe’s newest album is called “Sanity Is A Strange State Of Mind” and it can be bought from his website simonpipe.com or on his YouTube channel.