Calypso music grew together with Carnival. The music drew upon the West African Kaiso and French/European influences, and arose as a means of communication among the enslaved Africans. "Kaiso" is still used today as a synonym for "calypso" in Trindad and some other islands, often by traditionalists, and is also used as a cry of encouragement for a performer, similar to "bravo" or "olé". Highly rhythmic and harmonic vocals characterized the music, which was most often sung in a French Creole and led by a griot. As calypso developed, the role of the griot (originally a similar traveling musician in West Africa) became known as a "chantuelle", and eventually, "calypsonian". Calypso was popularized after the abolition of slavery and the ensuing growth of the Carnival festivals in the 1830s.