This Week We Feature Young Professional Alvin R. Matthew a sales clerk and budding artist. Photo: VINO

Today our Young Professional for this week is currently working on his mix tape. He has released his first single on Soundcloud called, “Me against the world” and it is likely to hit the local radio in the coming week hopefully. “The mixed tape is titled the heart of a MC – basically taking about me how I feel from the heart." Photo: VINO

“Please don’t be doing the drugs. There are many other outlets in life, please you will only destroy your life, don’t do drugs, there are many other things you can find to do because at the end of the day all you be doing is destroying you and the people who love you.” This was the deep plea and heartwarming call by our Young Professional for this week Mr Alvin R. Matthew. Photo: Provided

Starting exactly one year ago himself along with a close friend Terry Charles started the group called Team Turn Up. “He knew I love music, I always free styling at home and we had started working on a song back in October of that year called heaven or hell, it’s like a remix and that’s where we could say we really started writing music and we started a group.” Photo: Provided

Just now budding into his adult life at the age of 20 years old Alvin R. Matthew is a young man with a dream. Better yet, dreams; all with plan A, B and even plan C. Though this young he is one youth that is not confused or caught up with the trends of lots of youths his age.

Today he is a gainfully employed as a Sales Clerk at the Bargain Centre but is using that job as his stepping stone for life. He has not grown up ‘with a silver spoon in his mouth’ as finance has never come easy for him. Mr Matthew said that it has been to the extent that he was unable to continue college mainly because of the lack of finance but that college level education is not going to pass him by without a fight.

He said that while there are several dreams that he wants to pursue in life, being a pilot is one, he is currently working to save every possible dollar to get himself into the best college that suits his dreams. In the initial stages he does not intent to go after the dream of becoming a pilot as he knows the cost but will pursue studies in the area audio engineering which will afford him the opportunity to make the kind of money that would allow him to eventually follow the other dreams of his.

“As a musician I want to go to a place to study where I could benefit in a two or tri fold way, do academic and at the same time advance in music studies. I started studying computer science and I really want to finish that too…..”

“I like to try my best at everything I do, so like I said about music, that’s what I have full passion about right now and that’s what I really want to do but also I want to be a pilot, it’s very expensive so in the meantime I am trying to improvise and music has always been there,” he said.

His outlet in life comes through his passion for music and rather than sit a enjoy those composed by famous artists he speaks to himself and those around him by putting his thoughts together in lyric and he sings.

“Alvin is a young guy, very young guy that is passionate about music. An outgoing person who has big dreams and aspirations born in St Lucia but has been living in the BVI all my life from pre-school or even younger,” he said when asked who he is in brief.

His passion for music is deep as he said it’s a place where he finds comfort and the will to stay strong and positive especially in a society where he sees so many young people making poor and bad choices. He admits that music has done for him something no counseling session could have done, it built his self esteem.

“At this point yea I was wanting to make music but it wasn’t a big thing then for me because I was thinking if people would like me and what would they say about me.. I’ll be honest I have a kind of low self esteem, it kinda held me back in the past but today I am more motivated and decided I am going to do what I love the most despite the challenges and today I can safely say music has really helped to build my self esteem,” said Mr Matthew.

Starting exactly one year ago himself along with a close friend Terry Charles started the group called Team Turn Up. “He knew I love music, I always free styling at home and we had started working on a song back in October of that year called heaven or hell, it’s like a remix and that’s where we could say we really started writing music and we started a group.”

That original group has gone through some changes in its membership but non-the-less they are together today and has one of their songs just released on the airwaves call ‘I Remember’. His artist name is ‘Younga’ and his and group work can be followed by the links below.

In the not too distant years ahead Mr Matthew said that he wants to see himself living his dream as an artist. “Just doing my thing going around and being a positive influence to the people around me, those who have the same dream as me and just being a positive focused person,” he said,

One thing that has not been said by too many males his age is that having a family of his own is one thing he desires as he values the family life style. He wants to be the husband to one wife and grow a family together. He wants to be a father that his children will look up to and a husband a wife would be proud to stand by his side and hold hand as they go through life.

“I would first like to be educated and financially stable first of course. I want to have my own studio and I hope to see my group moving forward as we take things to higher levels.”

When not busy with his music and at his job, take a sneak peak and you’ll be sure to find him watching the TV programme anime. “I love to play video games to be honest. I am not the most sociable person so I’ll mostly be home. Yes I go out every now and again but most time I am at home on the internet doing research and so on.”

Today our Young Professional for this week is currently working on his mix tape. He has released his first single on Soundcloud called, “Me against the world” and it is likely to hit the local radio in the coming week hopefully. “The mixed tape is titled the heart of a MC – basically taking about me how I feel from the heart.”

Listen to samples of Matthew's music at the following links: