Everybody crawls before they can walk, but one soca baby is taking leaps ahead of the competition. Zoelah Boyde is the sassy voice behind “Go Down Low”, an instant ladies anthem shooting straight up the charts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Her steady climb to success was accelerated by winning the Best New Song competition at the recent Vincy Mas Carnival Launching at the Chamber of Commerce Car Park in Kingstown.
“At the new song competition, the crowd went crazy before she even went on stage,” said manager Alex ‘Kubiyashi’ Barnwell. Zoelah successfully crushed the opposition she has not looked back since.
“I feel it’s a blessing,” said Zoelah retracing her steps in the music industry. The 22-year-old hails from Campden Park, a suburb of the capital that is also home to former Vincy Soca Monarch and OECS Soca Monarch Bomani.
She was just 17 when she began touring as a frontline vocalist with Signal. After contributing her crystal vocals to the mix for nearly two years, Zoelah set out on her own to release 'In and Out' for Vincy Mas 2003.
Next she would move to Tortola where she continued to sing. Zoelah returned to St. Vincent with a bang in 2006. Kicking Dust earned her a place in the Soca Monarch Finals. Dressed in white, and dancing up storm, no one could deny this was a talent to watch.
“In S.V.G. Zoelah is number one and number two,” said manager Alex Barnwell. Boyde’s second carnival release 'Fly Away' perks the ears immediately due to a chorus line reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone. But make no mistake, Zoelah’s sound is completely fresh.
“I want to keep soca music cultural. When I hear a riddim, I start thinking about lyrics and melodies and real Caribbean party vibes,” said Zoelah. That was her writing process for 'Go Down Low'. Add top soca arranger/producer, Kubiyashiof Non-Fiction Recordings to the Callaloo and you’ve got yourself a hit. The rest of the recipe fell into place thanks to guitarist Zan George, whose rock inspired accents give the song its gritty edge.
“She almost sounds like a young Destra,” said DJ Chief, a Toronto-based club disk jockey co-host of the World Wide Wake Up Show on 89.5 FM. At this stage, only a handful of DJ’s outside the Caribbean have Zoelah’s music in their bag of tricks. However, her voice continues to bellow over the airwaves and in the dancehalls.
“[It] is everywhere. It’s in Canada. It’s in England. So after July I hope to be very busy travelling outside of St. Vincent,” said Zoelah. The international response indicates she may be doing just that.
For more information on Zoelah visit www.myspace.com/zoelah.
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