| |
|
|
| |
Sanell Dempster
Written by : Cassandra Peters
Location : London
Photographer : DJ Vern
Posted : Jun 20, 2007 : 10:14:00 AM |
|
| |
|
|
| |
It’s been five years since the Trinidadian born soca artist Sanell Dempster was last in the UK. Many will connect her name with her former band, Blue Ventures, and a string of successes with several hit songs. However, Sanell has had her own individual achievement through becoming only the second woman in Trinidadian history to win Road March, in 1999; she performed De River and it was a huge smash. Soon after that, she released thought-provoking songs like Chocolate and Nothing For You, which also caused a stir amongst the male fans.
Following the highly charged performance at Tudor Rose on Saturday 16th June, Sanell was in good spirits, having thoroughly enjoyed the positive vibes from the crowd. The energy of the revellers displaced her nervousness, and they gave signs of adoration as they sang in unison to her familiar songs.
“The night was nice, I didn’t know what to expect at first, in terms of the crowd because some crowds are different in certain places. The last time I was here, I came with the band and this is the first time on my own, so there were some butterflies,” said Sanell.
In the years that we have not seen her, Sanell has been exceptionally busy in the studio, touring the Caribbean Islands and constantly working within the music sector. Having gradually made the transition from performing with a group to becoming a solo artist, she is now used to it. “When I was with the band, I used to do my solo gigs, so the musical support of these twelve people was no longer there. It’s a bit different but I get to meet loads of musicians who have a new feel. The band that backed me up on Saturday was real good; when I went to the rehearsal I was quite impressed.”
Sanell enjoys being fit and healthy when at home, and stamina is something which every artist needs to have to be able to entertain on stage. “I am a gym freak, and I am always giving my personal trainer trouble - as a client that’s what I’m supposed to do! We set a goal and work towards it, as it’s all about looking a certain way on stage.”
Nothing for You was co-written by Sanell and her husband Terry, who was a band member of the soca group Taxi. When this song first came out, it was an anthem for women: it gave them the courage to stand up and say what they wanted. As the lyrics say, “Nothing for you until you make up your mind, don’t bother come from behind, I’ll give you piece of my mind.” Having the same effect as Kim by TC, it created an impact and a situation where men were given the wagging finger by women singing in chorus.
“Terry comes up with some of the ideas and I just put together some of the words and things. So long we work together, that he can read me and I can read him. So, if I go somewhere else to do my music, I want him there, but he doesn’t like to oversee other people’s projects.”
When writing songs, Sanell likes to put herself in the patron’s shoes, so she understands what the listener wants to hear from the artist on stage. To get into a party mood, she would think of the type of instructions or commands that an artist might sing in order for her to dance.
Music is just one of Sanell’s many talents. She has also designed for the mas band TriniRevellers. For two years, Sanell worked on the designs and themes; she found it fun, but a lot of hard work. For the first time she also played mas and said the experience was “Great!” As much as she enjoyed working on bringing the section together, she would prefer to be on the road with the rest of the people.
The next step for Sanell is to go back to the studio and work on more songs in preparation for the up-coming carnival season. Meanwhile, she’ll continue to work with her husband to ensure that we continue to jump up to the soca vibes. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
![]() |
|
|
|
