Iwer George will release a new version of his 2024 Carnival offering ‘Happy People’ choosing to omit the use of the national anthem in the original track.

In a statement shared to fans today, the Water Lord said he had been waiting and paying attention to what he called “healthy discussions” about the song, which he explained was meant to inspire patriotism.

But after Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley earlier this week voiced his own concern about the use of the national anthem, George said he knew it was time to respond to the people.

“The first word of the song is ‘attention’ and that was deliberately put there to signal people the expectation to stand at attention while the national anthem is being played… However, based on people’s perception of Iwer George, I could understand that persons may think that when I hit the stage, people will be jumping up when the anthem is playing. In light of that I decided to release on Friday a new version of the song removing the national anthem,” George shared with fans.