Musician reaches out to Moray pupils with wellbeing message
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A YOUNG artist who is "colouring the world" with his chilled calypso music picked up scores of new fans when he shared his wellbeing messages at Moray schools this week.
Kalpee, a musician and performer from Trinidad and Tobago, took his motivational anti-bullying and wellbeing tour to Lossiemouth High School on Wednesday, February 19, and Elgin High School and Keith Grammar School on Thursday, February 20.
Inspired to reach out after he was involved in a road accident in Trinidad last September, which required lifesaving surgery, Kalpee has embarked on a school tour around the UK, speaking and performing to groups aged 11-18.
Through talks, real-life stories and dynamic performance Kalpee discusses mental health issues, wellbeing and making positive life choices with the youngsters.
Fiona Davidson, principal teacher of curriculum at Elgin High School, said the youngsters were "in awe" of the performer by the end of the 50 minutes. Mrs Davidson said: "The pupils came out buzzing and the staff absolutely adored him.
"He was such a lovely guy. He was cool, articulate and relatable, and was able to speak to the children at their level.
"He spoke about issues such as cyber-bullying, himself, Trinidad and Tobago, his songs, his accident and how everything is an experience that people can learn and move on from. The songs tied into what he was saying.
"He wasn't patronising in any way – he was real and the pupils could see that.
"The children and staff would love to see him back again. His visit was extremely well received."
Kalpee's talks fall into sub-sections of: achieve, believe, be confident, set goals, stay focused, be ambitious, appreciate diversity and promote equality.
His music style is a modern fusion of R&B, pop, calypso and reggae rhythm.
A Keith Grammar spokesperson said: "Kalpee encouraged the young people to have dreams and never give up trying to achieve these dreams. He himself had started a degree in law and did not enjoy it so transferred to a degree in marine biology with support from his father. He said that disappointment and setbacks were a part of life and that we can learn from them.
"Kalpee celebrated the healing power of music and how one song in particular motivated him to work hard to regain his health.
"He finished by asking us all to embrace and accept our differences and live in peace.
"Judging by the number of pupils who remained behind at the end of the sessions for 'selfies', the presentation was very well received."
A Lossiemouth High School spokesperson said: "Kalpee peppers his performance with messages of positivity and hope, encouraging our young people to focus on the positive, be wary of social media, blocking those who would share their negativity.
"His message of looking after your mental health and choosing to be around people who support you shines through both his songs and his stories and was heard by our pupils.
"The queues of pupils wishing to have their photograph with him is testament to the success of his performance where his gentle approach delivered an often difficult message.
"Remember: ‘I am the captain of my ship and the master of my faith – if I don’t believe it then no one else will’
"We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming Kalpee to Lossiemouth High – a talented artist with a heartfelt message to share."
Since the release of his first single, No One, Kalpee has racked up over 25 million A/V streams, with his follow-up single, Colourful, dropping into the Spotify viral top 50 in a number of countries. His single, Love Letter, made its way into more than 50 playlists worldwide.
His song, Wherever You Are, was the official track for the Red Cross World Volunteer Day social media campaign in December.
