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| Peter Runks releases new song |
Krystel Rolle
Guardian Staff Reporter krystel@nasguard.com
Published: Sep 15, 2012
Bahamian artist Peter Runks is on a mission to change people's consciousness. But it wasn't so long ago that he was on the opposite end of the spectrum - needing a guiding light himself. Runks, who is best known for his hit song "Badness Outta Style", said all of that has changed now. His new song, “Fathers Take Care of Your Children”, released on Saturday, gives a peek into his troubled upbringing but also offers sage advice. "The song is about dead beat fathers who have kids and don't take care of them," he said during a candid interview with Pulse yesterday. "So I came from that angle because I grew up kind of rough like that so I want to give them a glimpse of my world." "I grew up in a broken home. My mother was always on the go and my dad was always in and out of prison. So I sat down one day and I was thinking about that. So I wrote. One of the things I feel that is contributing to that is because fathers are not in the home. The song talks about my life and about fathers who are not there for their kids. And to really encourage them to know that when we're not there, this is why we have the chaos that we have now. The guns, the violence. Everything is stemming from that anger from [abandonment].” The first verse of the single goes straight to the heart of the song. “As a kid growing up I got this first hand; “In a dysfunctional home what was so broken; “Mother on the go father in and out of prison; “But the seed that you beared was left abandoned; “How do you feel knowing that you have a seed and you're not really there; “The time you take with your addictions if this time was only spent with your seed it would be much appreciated.” Explaining the message further, Runks said, “for example, everyday some people go into the numbers houses. They put so much focus and attention into that, they neglect their kids. And it’s wrong.” Runks said he always constructs his music the same way. “What I try to do when I write the first verse, I give you the problem and in the last verse I give you the solution,” Runks explained. He ends the song with a simple message: “Take care of your children; don’t neglect them.” Runks whose real name is Tawanto Saunders, said the first time he hit the stage he knew he wanted to be a performer. The 34-year-old had his debut performance when he was eight or nine. He said he sang a song about drugs in front of his fifth grade class. Back then, he said throngs of kids followed him home. "The kids were running me down. To them I was a star," he said. Runks said that moment changed his life. His destiny was clear. “I always loved music and I always loved to write. You have to have the love for it. When I started I wasn't thinking about the money but you also need to know the business side,” he said. That’s especially important, according to Runks as the business isn’t as lucrative as he‘d like it to be. While performing is his first love, it’s also his second job. Runks works full time at the Ministry of Public Works, where he works as a mechanic. And while he did receive some notoriety because of his music career, he still considers himself a “regular” guy. He said that neither money nor fame motivates him. “My mind isn't focused here. Most of us (performing artists) are into fame and that kind of stuff… for me I just do it because I love it,” he said. As for his latest song, Runks said he has received a lot of feedback so far. “So far it’s been pretty well received,” he said. “It happens too much in The Bahamas, parents neglecting their children. A lot of people can relate to it.” Runks said he recently told his father about the song. He said he hopes when his father hears it he will realize his mistakes. His mother passed away in 1994. Asked what message he wants to convey to the Bahamian people, Runks said he wants Bahamians to be able to live peacefully. "My thing would be to try to live and love. Live as one and honestly I’m tired of hearing on the news about a murder and it shows that we're not getting along as a people. If we have more love we'd have less murder, less crime.” “I love knowing that something I wrote can inspire people. I want them to know that just how God did it for me, He can do it to them. I want to inspire people and change their consciousness,” he said. Runks said he is in the process of making other songs. One of his latest, “Watch How the System a Gwan,” is a collaboration with a Jamaican artist. Additionally, he’s working on a few more singles for a producer in Europe, he said. He is also working on his third album. He named his first album “Divine Vessel”, and his second album “Words of Truth”. Most of Runks’ music can be found online at www.cdbaby.com or at the online iTunes store. Runks has been married for seven years. He has three kids, one son and two daughters. |
