Just in time for the Crucian Christmas Festival season, Kalani’s VI Adventures released their first musical project, “Mama Make Yuh Johnny Cake.”
Currently ranking in the top 20 on the radio streaming platform Vivid Streaming, this song begins with a melody reminiscent of the original by the Ten Sleepless Knights. As it progresses, the lyrics celebrate the culture and history of the Virgin Islands while incorporating the sounds of steel pan and a family-friendly drumbeat.
The voice behind Kalani’s VI Adventures, 10-year-old Carter Rojas, brings life to the animated character on his YouTube channel. Carter is a student at Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School on St. Croix and a Guardian of Culture Moko Jumbie. His favorite lyrics in the song reference the beloved spirit guardians, the moko jumbies.
“Mama Make Yuh Johnny Cake” was produced and written by Grammy-nominated producer AJ Ventura and recorded by this year’s Crucian Christmas Festival Honoree Kevre Hendricks. It was mixed and mastered by V.I. music stalwart Malvern Gumbs.
“We really wanted to put out a song that was appropriate for all ages and fits what our show is about,” said Kirk Rojas, Carter’s father and the show’s creator. “We have a wealth of history that I felt we could pull from and modernize it for the youth of today to kind of bridge the gap,” he said.
“It’s fun because as the character Kalani, it’s a kids show so to emphasize the voice, it’s really fun,” Carter said about playing the character of Kalani. He said that he also emphasizes specific words when he reads in school to bring characters alive.
“It’s a kids show so we are trying to inspire the kids to learn Virgin Islands History so emphasizing those words is important,” he said. “Doing these videos I also teach myself.”
Carter has even gained a little recognition during the Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day activities and was invited on stage for his YouTube channel episode specific to this day of celebration. “They called me up to the stage and they played my video. It was really nice because at the end a lot of people applauded, and it was really touching,” said Carter. In this episode of Kalani’s VI Adventures, Kalani discusses Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day and the history behind the relationship between the islands.
Carter also said that he plans on doing more music and more episodes of Kalani’s Adventures with the help of his dad. Although Carter enjoys content creation, he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He said he would like to incorporate his love for content creation with a series entitled “Day in the Life of a Pilot.”
“Mama Make Yuh Johnny Cake” is now available on YouTube alongside the show’s regular episodes, which feature Kalani exploring other topics related to the Virgin Islands.
Kalani’s VI Adventures is a children’s YouTube show originating from the U.S. Virgin Islands and produced by Remedii Productions. The show highlights V.I. culture, history, and traditions through fun, family-friendly content designed to educate and entertain audiences of all ages.
For more information, visit Kalani’s VI Adventures YouTube channel or Facebook page.
