By Mark McGowan
An initial encounter with 19-year-old Rochelle Maxius reveals a confident, though reserved individual, with a pleasant personality and a truly captivating smile. From the way she speaks and her humble manner, very few would be able to guess that she is an extremely talented young lady.
She possesses a truly amazing voice and this is no exaggeration. Simply ask anyone who has been fortunate enough to have heard her sing. Blessed with such a rich melodious voice, excellent control and remarkable clarity, it is no surprise that she leaves an audience awe-struck when she sings. This was the case when The Scene saw her perform at a recent event. As soon as she sounded her first note, the audience was stunned into immediate silence, and remained so until the end of her performance, which was acknowledged with resounding applause. Apparently, this is usual.
Rochelle says she has been singing for as long as she can remember. The fourth of five children born to Lennox and Ethlene Maxius, she says that while growing up, singing was something she and her siblings were encouraged to do. As such, it should come as no surprise that all of her siblings are musically inclined. She also recounts the influence of an aunt who was part of their household while they were growing up. According to her, whenever she or any of her siblings asked the aunt for anything, she would insist that they sing first before granting any of their requests. Rochelle’s talent was afterwards harnessed in church, where as the daughter of a pastor, she, along with her siblings, was provided with several opportunities to sing. “At first singing was just a talent, but now I see it as ministry,” she says.
Deeply religious, she writes and sings only gospel and intends to do so for the rest of her life. She says a lot of her personal experiences have influenced her relationship with God and also the types of songs she writes. So far she has composed four or five songs, and likes to experiment with different genres, whether soft rock, reggae or soca.
She is a worship leader in her church, and she also performs at concerts and in church competitions. She recently captured first place at the inter-church singing competition held among the Assemblies of God churches in Linden. She is expected to represent her district in the national competition, which will be held next month.
In addition to singing, she enjoys dancing and anything to do with music. Although, she plays the piano, she says that she would really like to learn to play the guitar. “There’s something about box guitars that I really love,” she said excitedly. But her real interest in learning to play the guitar is because she feels it will add something to her delivery while on stage.
After being born in Linden and spending her childhood there, Rochelle subsequently migrated to St Lucia with her family in her early teens. After spending six years in St Lucia, she returned last year to commence studies at the University of Guyana. While she is currently pursuing a degree in Biology, it is her deep desire to become a dentist, an area which she described as being one in which she is deeply interested.
As far as it concerns a career in music, Rochelle remains open to whatever opportunities God gives her, but says she is not concerned with making a career out of it. She told The Scene: “If God chooses to bless me financially through my talent, I will accept it, but my aim is just to sing and allow God to minister to lives through me.” (alastair23@yahoo.com)
