Sheldon Alfred

Sheldon “Shelly” Alfred was born on September 1, 1995 in Goodwill. At the tender age of eleven, he participated in the Saint Mary’s Primary School 2006 calypso competition as De Professor performing Give de Youth a Break, and placed second. This spurred him to venture into the Junior Calypso Monarch competition where he won three (3) consecutive crowns in 2009 - 2011 with songs Paros Everywhere, Vacancy, and My Exposition written by teacher and renowned songwriter, Ian Jackson. By 2015, Shelly had advanced to the National Calypso Monarch as one of the competition’s youngest finalists with his songs entitled God of Calypso Kingdom and Good Professor both written by Pellam Jno Baptiste. He was crowned Stardom King of the Tent 2015. In 2016, he did not take part in the competition; however, he wrote and released Dominican Houses which was one of the more popular calypsos of that year.
In Shelly’s teenage years, he had great enthusiasm for the drum machine and the guitar. He has produced many drum machine beats for Triple Kay, song productions for Asa Bantan, and has worked with many other artists and DJs in the producer capacity. As guitarist, he was featured as guitarist for Signal Band, Triple Kay and Gordon Henderson & Exile One.
Shelly’s transition from Calypsonian to Bouyon artiste was not clear-cut; but the shift came with the realization of the opportunity for bouyon to utilize the talent of trained songwriters and musicians like himself on its quest for internationalization. He dubs his style of composition as “Bouyon Love” and asserts that this love is one of many layers; it is love of community, love of country, love of self, love of music, and of course, the love of romance. Shelly designs his music through these lenses, and as part of his creative process, he is always open to adjusting or retaining the tempo and mood based on the form of love being expressed and its respective formula for triggering emotion from the consumer. Shelly’s most successful singles to date, Ani Ba Yo Love, Local, and Baby Come Back, are true testaments to the passion and craft that goes into his songwriting and composing. His more recent releases, Inside and Happy Place, have also received much media traction for their diligent design. Over the years, he has written songs for various artistes, collaborated with regional artists such as Marvay (Barbados), Riddla (Guadeloupe) and local ones such as the Original Bouyon Pioneers (formally WCK), Mr. Benji N2o, Tazzy, King Dice, ShadowFlow, and many more artistes and musicians.
Locally, Shelly has been recognized for his stellar contributions to the music industry. In 2015, he was awarded Dominica's Outstanding Youth in Music at the National Youth Awards. Five years later, he was awarded The Young Artiste 2020 Award by the Cultural Division and National Cultural Council during Dominica’s 42nd Celebration of Independence. In 2021, he was voted in as President of Dominica’s revamped Association of Music Professionals.