From left: Lisa Coffi of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB), Chanti, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Leo Lambriex, Heineken Brand Activation Manager Tanvi Goklani, and Heineken Regatta Director Michele Korteweg.
COLE BAY – Local singer-songwriter Chanti is excited to share a stage with Grammy Award-winning Reggae artist Koffee at the grand finale of the 43rd Heineken Regatta on Sunday night, promising to deliver a performance that showcases “what young women on St. Maarten are capable of.”
“I feel very excited, just because I’m a major fan of Koffee and I know most of her songs,” Chanti said at a press conference at Mélange Grill in Port de Plaisance on Saturday evening. However, she also told the restaurant full of sailors, media professionals, government and tourism officials that she planned on “letting the world and St. Maarten see my passion … and showing what young women on St. Maarten capable of.”
Born Chantal Richardson, the upbeat 27-year-old is a successful artist in the local and international music scene, and her work has been described as a mix of R&B, Pop, and Caribbean influences. Currently, two of her singles – “Without You” and “Don Dada” - have a combined 117,000 plays on Spotify. Her solo work also encompasses song writing credits for platinum-certified South Korean artists.
Tonight, just three days shy of International Women’s Day, Chanti will be opening for the world-renowned Koffee, whose meteoric rise to fame was sealed when she took home the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020. Then at the tender of age of 19, Koffee became both the youngest person and only woman to win this category.
“This is actually my first Heineken Regatta, so it’s extra special for me,” said Chanti. “I’m excited to be a part of such a huge platform and I think it’s important that other St. Maarten artists can see that we do have people here that are supporting us.”
Supporting young and emerging talent is one of the Heineken Regatta’s goals, according to Heineken Brand Activation Manager Tanvi Goklani.
“We chose Koffee as a headliner because we felt she really represented what we are trying to put together for this year’s event, in which we are focusing on young, emerging talent. We have picked Chanti [for the same reason – Ed.] because she is a young, local talent.”
For Chanti, she is putting her all into the grand finale of the Heineken Regatta. “I coming to rock the stage. So, everybody be there and be ready to share some good vibes,” she said.
When asked what she wants to be known for in 10 years, Chanti said that she wants to encourage St. Maarteners to believe that “everything is possible for all of us.”
“If you’re passionate about your work – it doesn’t matter what it is you’re doing – if you’re passionate about it, just go for it. I don’t want anyone to ever think that something is not possible because of where you’re from or because of who you are [or because of] your age or your gender,” she said. “I’m from this dot on the map, and maybe one day we can make it much bigger than a dot.”
