The “Queen of the Band” is the Queen of the Road! And Vanilla says this accomplishment is just the first jump of the leaps and bounds she plans to make in the soca arena.
The bouncy 24-year-old with an infectious personality says she is enjoying singing soca even though five years ago she would have never imagined herself doing so.
Her song, “Queen of the Band” was adjudged the most played song on the road on Mashramani Day. Vanilla was unable to hear how often her song was played as she herself was tramping with Digicel, one of her sponsors. In the song, she sang that she didn’t want to ‘mashing’ alone this year and she certainly didn’t. And she says although it may appear she is singing about getting a man to ‘mash’ with her she is actually singing about wanting a costume to ‘mash’ in. The song was written by Burchmore Simon of Kross Kolor Record.
“It feels good to have won the Road March title. Members of the public seem to be happier for me than I am,” the smiling Vanilla told The Scene. This is the first singing competition she has won, even though she was part of the Carib Soca Monarch competition this year. She said although she did not place in that competition she enjoyed herself and she knows the public enjoyed her from the reaction she received. She promised that next year she would definitely be back in the competition.
Born Melissa Roberts, Vanilla said she started using moniker, which is also an ice cream flavor name in 2006 after it was given to her by her boyfriend. “But I wouldn’t go into the story behind him giving me the name. It is a secret we would have to keep to ourselves,” she said slyly.
There are actually different personalities behind the names, she re-vealed. According to her, Melissa is a cool easy-going person, who is laid back and likes to take back stage and that personality is with her all the time until she takes the stage and then Vanilla comes alive. Vanilla is all about enjoying herself and performing and that person comes alive when she is on stage or before the cameras. “It is Melissa all the way when I am at home or walking down the street but Vanilla comes alive when I am performing,” she said.
She told The Scene that she was never into singing although she was into the arts as she loves dancing. She is also into graphic designing.
Vanilla was born in Hopetown, Berbice, but moved to the city at age 13. She likes ballroom and classical dancing and was once a member of the National School of Dance, but is currently with the Let’s Dance Company. This is a far cry from the tomboy who lived in Berbice and who was always climbing the trees with the boys.
In 2000, Vanilla joined Kross Kolor as a graphic designer. But even then, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined herself singing. One day, Simon needed a female to do a jingle and could not find one quickly, so he drafted her in to do it.
“I was like, ‘What? I can’t sing’, but I did the jingle and then another and another. Then I started being a back-up singer [for other artistes recording at the studio]. And then I started singing on my own. I still cannot believe that I am singing songs by myself,” she said with a hint of incredulity in her voice. It will no doubt sink in now that she has the Road March title on her belt.
“Singing was never part of me even though I artistic,” she says.
Today Vanilla does a lot of singing but she has a lot more happening in her life as she still does graphic designing at Kross Kolor. She is Simon’s assistant and she is a contracted dancer for X2.
“I love everything I do. I am really enjoying myself and when I am not doing all those things, I am either at the gym or relaxing at home.”
She is very pleased with her achievements and her only regret is that her mother is not alive today to see her. She passed away when Vanilla was 17 years old.
She is very proud of Kross Kolor. She is also grateful that the studio gave her the push she so obviously needed to find her true self. She says it is her dream to see the studio remain at the top of the music scene.
Vanilla wears her hair in dreadlocks, but she is not a Rastafarian although she is a vegetarian. It just so happens that chemicals do nothing for her hair and “knotting up was the next best thing.”
One day, she plans to pursue studies in graphic designing and audio engineering. She is the second of four children, two boys and one girl, and she and her sister share a home.
She said she loves soca because it is easy to catch onto and to promote at home and regionally.
At the moment, Vanilla is enjoying the sponsorship of Digicel, Kross Kolor, Colours Boutique and Rayon House of Fashion. She is currently working on the video for her song “Cocoa Stick”, which is actually one of several sung by different artistes under the Kross Kolor rhythm ‘Kapadula’. It is similar to last year very popular ‘Koction’ rhythm that featured the likes of X2, Lil Man, Big Red and Vanilla.
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