May 1, 1985 – Tian Winter was born to Glendon Winter and Margaret Jarvis of The Point and Ottos, respectively. He spent his formative years between the Ottos and Johnson’s communities.
He received his primary and secondary education at the 7th Day Adventist School and was involved in church activities.
As a young boy, Winter was complimented on his ability to sing. He began performing in church and school when he was 10.
Tian entered the job market as a full-time entertainer, singing both backup and eventual lead for Da Bhann and Lejah Band in hotels and nightclubs. His smooth vocals would infuse the R&B, Reggae, Pop, and other genres. He would eventually move on to his band, the Nu Edition, and then as a solo artiste. This proved a wise business decision as he went on to become a dominant force in the Antigua and Barbuda music industry.
Winter soon morphed into the soca genre due to the growth and opportunities in national carnival events.
Winter’s first official soca monarch competition saw him walking away with one of the top three positions in 2007. By 2009, he copped both the groovy and jumpy crowns with his renditions ‘Soca Rebels’ (jumpy category) and ‘Baby I’ (groovy category). Winter repeated a similar double crown victory once more in 2012 with songs ‘Raving’ (Jumpy) and ‘Cyah Fail Me’ (Groovy). In 2009, Winter claimed the first runner-up spot in the road march with ‘In Yuh Face’. His overall performance at the groovy, jumpy, and road march level has earned him more than ten crowns.
Winter proved his versatility in the industry by making it to the finals of the 2019 calypso monarch as a first-time contender. The following year, he won the Bacchanal Round of the Calypso Monarch Competition with ‘In De Dance’.
His successes in the annual carnival competitions and his ‘iconic status’ earned him the leading artist status for most of the fetes embedded in the Antigua and Barbuda entertainment landscape. Beyond the shores of home, Winter has performed at Atlanta Carnival, New York Labour Day Carnival events, as well as in Notting Hill, London, and Canada; the Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, and other Caribbean countries. He has also collaborated with internationally acclaimed soca artists, including Antigua and Barbuda’s King Onyan, Trinidad and Tobago’s Patrice Roberts, and national calypso legend King Obstinate.
He is also a songwriter.
Complementing his Icons brand was the introduction of Icons T-Shirt Mas (2017), dubbed ‘a place where everyone is a VIP’, and the annual T-Party, an event usually organised around the celebration of his birthday.
Tian serves as a cultural ambassador for the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. The strength of his Iconic Winter brand brought commercial success with ambassadorial partnerships with FLOW Telecoms for 10 years, Harney Motors, and INET, the sole locally owned telecoms company.
He is renowned for his competitive spirit in the art form and consistent quality delivery. His many epic rivalries with fellow artistes have been responsible for keeping the energy and fans in many of the national soca monarch. Many credit his crossing into the National Calypso Monarch Competition and his ‘beef’ with De Bear for breathing a freshness of energy and audience, the two years he participated, and leaving a legacy of some younger fans.
Speaking with his senior advisor and business associate, Neil Cochrane, former Chair of the Carnival Development Committee, one gets a glimpse beyond the on-stage Winterman. In response to a query on their relationship, Neil said, “I have never seen myself as a manager, to be honest. We are family first, then business partners, and I do my best to provide guidance where necessary. He is very strong-willed and knows what he wants. He likes to be on top of things, so he doesn’t just leave you with the task; he follows up. He has strong beliefs, especially regarding the value of his talent and the work he puts out. He advocates for better compensation for national artistes. He is not afraid to approach someone if issues are to be resolved. Once he considers you to be a genuine person, the relationship is good. He does not take the results of competitions personally. Once he gives of his best, that’s that.”
Recently, he has openly supported the development of young artists in his homeland, contributing to the industry’s continued growth.
The Iconic Winterman remains among the top tier of Antigua and Barbuda professional artists, usually backed by his Iconic Band. Many of his songs over his two-plus decades of song releases are considered timeless, including Heaven, Crash, Ms. Set Good, Roamin’, Pressure Waist, Body Up, Ravin’, It’s Your Wine, In de Middle, Roamin’, Oath, and Alive and In the Dance and Time Ah We Life!
What is your Favourite Tian Winter song? Just one!!