Bidgetown, Barbados - The newly crowned King of Calypso Monarch Adrian Clarke says he is no stranger to Jamaica, despite the fact that he has only visited the island once for a performance at the University Campus.

Adrian Clarke, Barbados' new King of Calypso.

"But I have a lot of Jamaican friends - a lot of Jamaican friends!" he said. "One thing I always say is that Jamaicans are one set of people who are proud to be themselves. You have a lot of people here in Barbados who pretend to be other people and a lot who want to be Jamaicans, but Jamaicans are just proud of who they are."

And his love for Jamaica extends to the Jamaican music and musicians.

Clarke began his singing career as way back as he can remember.

"I was always involved in music. As a youngster I was involved in my church choir and played the drums. Then in 1992, I entered and won a talent competition," he said proudly. "I have been exposed to different types of music but for some reason I kept calypso," he added.

In 1993 to 1995, Clarke joined a musical group in Canada then returned to Barbados where he became a part of the first Bajan invasion. Since then he has performed at the Soca Monarch in Trinidad, and performed in shows throughout the Caribbean, Europe, USA and Canada.

Clarke explained that both of his songs complemented each other and he didn't believe one did it more than the other in tallying his points. One of Clarke's unique features is his ability to improvise on stage to match the response of the audience. His winning performance was no different.

Clarke explained that he has already started on his material for next year's competition. This is the second win for him after entering the competition 15 times. He explained that he reached the finals 12 times.

In regards to stepping back and giving newcomers a chance, Clarke said they too would have to work to achieve the crown.

"I don't believe in handing out things to them. If they want it they would have to go out and work for it!" he said. "What you have to also understand that for some of us it's a way of living so it's a way of supporting our families. So we can't just up and say we are giving others a chance, they too have to work for it."

Along with his musical career, Clarke is also employed to Master's Touch Janitorial Environmental Company in Barbados.

Clarke is the father of two children: his daughter Azizi who clung to him throughout the interview and son DeAndre.

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