Ask CARIBBEAN QUEEN OF SOCA superstar ALISON HINDS what she wants her music to convey and she replies, “More than anything, I’m hoping to expose the world to my music and for people to really appreciate and say yes to it. It’s infectious, and happy but can still say something and touch lives. SOCA is what I’m known for, so I want the music to represent who I am.”
The intoxicating musical movement known as SOCA (popular dance music of the Suuthern CAribbean) is rapidly gaining popularity among music lovers around the globe. It is a sexy and uplifting music known for its infectious rhythms and spirited spicy lyrics that inspires jubilant audience participation albeit with waving hands and flags to swaying hips, all in a ritualistic celebration that exemplifies life today in the Caribbean. ALISON HINDS is poised to become a major force in the eruption of innovative urban-influenced Caribbean-based artists such as fellow-Bajan popstar Rihanna, Sean Paul, or Shaggy, who are changing the face of music worldwide.
Crowned the undisputed “Queen of SOCA” by fans worldwide, her powerful, emotional vocals and high-energy live shows are legendary to Caribbean music fans. So it’s fitting that ALISON’s much anticipated solo debut is entitled SOCA QUEEN. Featuring production from heavyweights like Salaam Remi (Nas, Fugees, Amy Winehouse), SOCA QUEEN is the album Alison was born to make. Offers ALISON,” I see myself as a modern singer. So many genres of music influenced me and my cd reflects that eclecticism.” With its mix of high energy to mid tempo and a soulful ballad “Island Girl”, SOCA QUEEN is an opportunity for ALISON to expand SOCA’s boundaries.
Among SOCA QUEEN’s standout tracks is “Roll It Gal”. An energetic dance track as well as an empowering girl power anthem, “Roll It Gal” shot to the top of the charts in Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean almost instantly upon its initial release in ‘05, “When I heard the demo I said this is it. It was meant to be; I recorded it in one take! It connected like no other song I’d done before.” The message? “I’m telling women to take pride in themselves, don’t take any abuse, look after your kids, do your studies, believe in yourself and look to God. So many women have told me that the song lifts them up.”
Along with “Roll It Gal”, ALISON reinterprets some of her previous hits including the pro female jump up “Ladies Rule”, originally recorded with ALISON’s own band and “Togetherness”, an upbeat party anthem that Alison describes as “very happy and light”.
Additionally, SOCA QUEEN contains banging new songs, among them the Salaam Remi produced “The Show” and “The More You Get”, which ALISON says is “very modern and for the girls. “I’m letting them know that on or off the dance floor we can tell the guys what to do. It’s one of my favorites, and working with Salaam was great, because he’s so versatile and laid back”.
Born in England, ALISON and her mom moved to Barbados when she was 11 years old. After graduating from high school ALISON joined Square One, a Soca band made up of long time friends. Square One toured non-stop, playing everywhere from bars, hotels and eventually bigger venues throughout the Caribbean. ALISON’s first hit with Square One was 1996’s “Ragamuffin”, which won the Road March during the Barbados Carnival. The next year she repeated that victory as well as winning The Party Monarch, with “Twister”; making her the first woman in Barbados to capture both titles. ALISON recorded eleven albums with the band, including their debut Full Bloom. The CD was huge internationally and featured the 1 single “Faluma”. Square One was at the peak of their popularity and so was ALISON, who was increasingly in demand also as a solo act.
In 2004, after getting married and having a daughter, ALISON decided to take a temporary “leave” from a grueling six years on the road. The break allowed ALISON to see her career in a new light and soon realized that going solo would be a good creative move that allowed her to determine own schedule.
Eighteen months after her hiatus, ALISON went solo and was instantly embraced by her fans, enabling her to take her dynamic live show worldwide, touring throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada and the Caribbean. The immediate acceptance confirmed ALISON’s belief that her decision was fated and what she was destined to achieve. So too was the recording of her first solo CD. “Everything I have done has been working towards this. To have the opportunity to make my own album and bring my music to my fans without watering down my sound or compromising what I am or SOCA is. Nothing makes me happier as an artist to know that I am bringing joy to new fans all over the world.”
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