Barbados Today

Bashment Soca finalist Richard Scrilla Straker is pulling no punches as he defends his controversial 2017 release, Wood.

While some commentators and members of the public believe the song should be banned from radio, he is insisting it contains no lewdness as some claim.

Scrilla is adamant that the song is about a “carpentress” who is interested in lumber and wants different types, and he said if people viewed it differently, “that is their business”.

“That is . . . their interpretation to the actual song. There are no direct implications of any explicit [language] in the song. However people want to take the song they can. I stated what I sang about and that is wood,” he told Barbados TODAY in an interview at his Culloden Road, St Michael home.

Scrilla added that the music video would “back up what my song is saying”.

The video, released Monday afternoon, features fully-clothed female carpenters in a workshop dancing with work tools, with Scrilla among them.

The singer said while some have criticized Wood, it has received positive response at home and abroad.

“The response locally and internationally has been overwhelming. The song is being played in Boston, New York and Atlanta and it has over 70,000 views on YouTube,” he happily stated.

Meantime, Scrilla said he was elated to be in the finals of the Bashment Soca competition again, but said he expected a challenge with the genre growing in popularity in Barbados.

“Over 150 songs were entered this year, so I am overwhelmed this year, as they told me that I easily made it to the finals,” he said.

And while he does not expect it will be an easy task, Scrilla was optimistic he will win the Bashment Soca title on Phenomenal Friday, July 7.