Chutney music - Definition and Overview

Chutney musíc derives elements from soca and Hindi film songs. The chutney artist writes lyrics in either Hindi or English and then lay it on top of beats that come from soca and hindi film songs. Some of the current chutney artists are Anand Yankaran, Rikki Jai, Adesh Samaroo and Terry Gajraj. Among the best examples of chutney music are Poulaurie Beena Chutney, Dhal Belly Indian and Rum Till I Die. Chutney music is mostly popular among the East Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and also the East Indian diaspora community in Toronto, Canada and in the New York metropolitan area.

Chutney is an uptempo song, accompanied by dholak, harmonium and dhantal, played in rhythms imported from filmi, calypso or soca. Early chutney was religious in nature, though this is now rare outside of the Sai Baba Movement. Chutney is unusual in the predominance of female musicians in its early years, though it has since become mixed.