André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

Ricardo 'Chicago' Gayle. - Contributed

Last year, Ricardo 'Chicago' Gayle made a bold pronouncement that his fellow contestants "should not be comfortable if I come even second in online voting".

He was talking about the nine other contestants, he was competing against in the Jamaican Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song Competition. He did not come second or first in the online voting; nor did he win the competition. Instead, Chicago had to settle for third position. He dare not make the same statement this year, but is quietly counting himself yet again as the man to beat.

"Last year I was young, and it was my first experience. Even the (most) humble artiste, when di hot lights hit dem will mek you go off and do and say things. A different ting this year," Chicago said.

He said his sister, who lives in the United States, gave him a good talking to when she read some of his comments from last year, pointing out the importance of being humble.

With the time between last year's and this year's competition, Chicago believes he has made the necessary adjustments to stir some worries this time around. He said he has matured and grown as an artiste. Appropriately, in ways more than one, the title of his song this year is Been There.

Been There speaks about a woman who is his "centrepiece and backbone". As it was last year, he is dominating the road shows, along with the man he said is his closest rival, Gundy.

Chicago wants to make it clear that he did not enter the competition entirely to walk away with the million-dollar prize, but so that he will benefit significantly as an upcoming artiste.

Career path

"I want to be accepted in the music business. It is not just to win the competition but to win a career. Mi a guh up guh sing suh dat Europe can love me and Japan can request me," he said.

He has not quite figured out what exactly went wrong last year as he really thought he had a chance. One thing is sure, though, he can depend on much of the support he got in 2006.

"People know mi from last year and when mi guh on stage di people dem love mi. It is also like seh a Mavado on stage," Chicago said.

Still, there is no prediction coming from him. He plans to just ride the waves and hopes that when the final tally is announced he will be the winner.