“When I started to grow my hair and I got expelled from school, I knew that… Read Full Bio ↴“When I started to grow my hair and I got expelled from school, I knew that music was going to be my future. I thought ‘This is what I have to do now’ because I just sacrificed my education. School in Barbados is very different than in the United States because we were a British colony; you wear a uniform, your hair has to be a certain length. When I stepped out to do this that’s when I started to take music really seriously. I knew my hair would be a big part of my image. I knew there was no going back.”
It’s an intriguing tale, the rebel with a cause. But 17-year-old Jaicko [pronounced Jay-ko], has long been the author of his own destiny. Though he’s matter-of-fact about his forthcoming album on Capitol Records –“It’s life through the eyes of a 17-year-old”– this is an artist with a lot to say.
In fact, the native of Barbados is very much culling the classic American story: an immigrant who comes to our shores armed only with the best intents and an idea he believes has currency. The plan: “Caribbean-infused music: it’s a bit of Barbados brought to America. Music fans will want to listen to me all day. Caribbean fans will want to listen to me all day.” In this vein, Jaicko is a far cry from the current wave of teenybopper talents; no skin-deep musical charlatan, he writes and produces much of his own music. He and his father Phillip Forrester, a longtime nightclub musician in Barbados, comprise a formidable songwriting duo. “My dad has always been a good friend, and a creative partner, so it’s never really been difficult to work as a father and son team,” Jaicko notes. “We write a lot of our songs together; most of the songs that got me my deal were songs we wrote and produced.” Indeed, under Phillip’s tutelage, Jaicko has been performing on stage since the tender age of nine. Yes, nine. And recording in studios since age ten. So while a 17-year-old’s gripes about the struggles inherent in the music industry may at first warrant a sidelong glance, further inspection reveals an earnest and unfazed artist.
“Around that time I was actually rapping,” he reveals. “I always knew I could sing but I never took it seriously. Back then, if you were a rapper, you couldn’t be a singer. That’s changing now though.” Jaicko first stepped onto the stage at a club called the Ship In, one of many establishments lining the famed St. Lawrence Gap, a hub of Barbadian culture and nightlife. Response was instant and unilateral. Jaicko went on to cut an independent album that sold 6,000 copies islandwide—“a good number,” he reminds, “considering our population is under 300,000 people.” Jaicko scaled the nation’s two Top 40 radio stations, “sandwiched between Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z,” he jokes. He opened for Ne-Yo when the latter made a tour stop in Barbados. Jaicko has also been nominated for numerous Barbados Music Awards, including five last year, often pitted in the same category as breakout Barbadian Rihanna.
Indeed, the island queen has quickly become the face of the small Caribbean nation. And her exploits are respected both home and abroad: “We were always seen as apart from the rest of the world,” Jaicko asserts. “It almost seemed impossible for a Barbadian artist to get a record deal. I was pursuing this before Rihanna, but seeing her success made me believe more I could do it, it removed whatever doubt was there.”
In looking at Jaicko, doubt seems a foreign concept. In hearing his music, it’s a word utterly stricken from the lexicon. He’s concocted an intoxicating island brew that washes over the listener as readily as a Caribbean swell. Leading the charge is “Oh Yeah,” an effervescent anthem boasting an infectious hook and Jaicko’s tongue-in-cheek sensibilities. The bouncing beat + Jaicko’s lightly-lilted vocals = this song is a no-doubter.
Also of note is the throbbing sing-song “Two Piece,” orchestrated by the talented production team Stargate (Ne-Yo, Beyonce). Gifted writer Robert Allen (Chris Brown, Rihanna’s “Disturbia”) contributes the smoothly sweet lyrics and deft hook. Jaicko describes the ditty thusly: “We don’t need all the fancy things in life, all the glitz and glamour, to be happy. All we need is each other.” Seems a good theme to adopt given the state of the economy. Look also for the driving “Will You Be There?” from the artful hands of producer Jim Jonsin (Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop”) and Wayne Wilkens. Jaicko flexes his silver pipes while invoking what he terms the song’s double meaning: “Will you be there when the darkness covers the sky/Will you be there when the Earth stands still and there’s nothing left but pride.” A disciple of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, Jaicko is intent on infusing his music with sophistication and sentiment. “Will You Be There?” stands as ample testament.
More battle cry than waxing ballad, “Can I” is Jaicko’s most personal offering. It’s also marvelously catchy and yet mature. The surging chorus brims with uplift. “I really express myself in “Can I,” he notes. “It’s the story of my coming here, being here—my struggle with broken promises in music and in my personal life. That song speaks most to me. I was in a frustrated place when I wrote it; the whole song was an accident. We were working on something else, and my father stepped out for a few minutes, and in that time I wrote this song. The beat itself tells a story; the beat indicates what the song is going to talk about. The beat inspired me to write my own story. It was a marriage between my emotion and the music.”
Indeed, Jaicko personifies harmony: between cultures, genres, ages, genders. His particular brand of music is set to shove aside the driftwood on American airwaves. “My lane,” he grins, “is wide open. This is something that I have been trying to do for years, to break out internationally. I built a fanbase back in Barbados so it’s a good feeling to take to the States and the rest of the world now.” Soon, the rest of the world will know that very good feeling, too.”

That Should Be Me
Jaicko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm sayin, i'm sayin...

You've been chasing waterfalls, something that was unobtainable
searching for that perfect love,
while i'm right here willing enable
And i wonder do i ever cross your mind,
when you're making your choice
tell me how strong is my voice

telling you girl that i want all your time'
baby can't you see the signs

that should be me, it should be us
why you so blind to the obvious, i'm sayin, i'm sayin
open your eyes, just realize
it's easy as one two three.
all i'm saying girl is that should be me
uh huh. uh huh. uh huh. i'm sayin, i'm sayin

Girl why you wasting precious tears
them other guys they just don't understand
but one day ill erase your fears, if only you let me be your man
and i wonder do i ever cross your mind
when you're making your choice tell me how strong is my voice
telling you girl that i want all your time
baby can't you see the signs

that should be me, it should be us
why you so blind to the obvious, i'm sayin, i'm sayin
open your eyes, just realize
it's easy as one two three.
all i'm saying girl is that should be me

Ouu, they don't treat you like you should be treated
you're the one that i see, i love you know i mean it
My patients is running thin, think it's time you let me in to your heart

that should be me, it should be us
why you so blind to the obvious, i'm sayin, i'm sayin
open your eyes, just realize

it's easy as one two three.
all i'm saying girl is that should be me

Overall Meaning

In "That Should Be Me," Jaicko expresses his frustration to a girl he desires who is not reciprocating his feelings. The girl has been seeking an unattainable ideal of perfect love, while Jaicko is there, willing and able to love her. He wonders if he ever crosses her mind when she's choosing other guys, and he highlights that all the signs point towards them being together. However, she seems blind to the obvious and doesn't realize that he's the one for her.

Jaicko believes that the girl he desires is not receiving the love she deserves. He tells her that he sees her for who she is and loves her just the way she is. He asks for her to give him a chance to show her what true love looks like. He feels that he's running out of patience and wants her to let him into her heart.

The song highlights the frustration of unrequited love and the pain of wanting someone who doesn't seem to see the signs. It reveals how sometimes the most profound connections may not come from the idealized idea of perfect love but may be found in people willing to love and commit to one another.

Line by Line Meaning

You've been chasing waterfalls, something that was unobtainable searching for that perfect love, while i'm right here willing enable
You've been pursuing something that is impossible to achieve while I'm available to support you and be there for you.

And i wonder do i ever cross your mind, when you're making your choice tell me how strong is my voice telling you girl that i want all your time' baby can't you see the signs
I wonder if you ever think about me when you make decisions. Do you even hear me telling you that I want to be with you all the time? Can't you see that I'm interested?

that should be me, it should be us why you so blind to the obvious, i'm sayin, i'm sayin open your eyes, just realize it's easy as one two three. all i'm saying girl is that should be me
I'm saying that we should be together. Why can't you see that we belong together? Just open your eyes and see how easy it is for us to be together.

Girl why you wasting precious tears them other guys they just don't understand but one day ill erase your fears, if only you let me be your man and i wonder do i ever cross your mind when you're making your choice tell me how strong is my voice telling you girl that i want all your time baby can't you see the signs
Why are you crying over guys who don't understand you? If you let me be your man, I promise to make all your fears disappear. I wonder if you even consider me when you make decisions. Can't you see that I want to be with you all the time?

Ouu, they don't treat you like you should be treated you're the one that i see, i love you know i mean it My patients is running thin, think it's time you let me in to your heart
They don't treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You're the one I see in my future, and I truly love you. My patience is running out, and I think it's time for you to let me into your heart.

Contributed by Isabella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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