Valarie Hill: Hitting the Right Note

Among the performance highlights of Valarie’s career so far are this year’s New Fire Festival and the Tobago Jazz Festival in 2013 and 2015, which she played, first with Mayaro the Band and then as a solo artist in collaboration with the band Ray I.

“Tobago Jazz was my first time being on a bigger stage,” she recalled, telling WMN that she appreciated the responsive audience in contrast to those venues where the entertainment can be seen almost as background music. “It was nice to see people paying attention, sitting and taking in your voice; some might even get up and dance.” Valarie explained.

Her experience at the New Fire Festival was similar — “It wasn’t an audience of 5,000, but the people that were there stood and paid attention.” Valarie said that she found a critical streak in the New Fire audience as well. Being open to growth and constructive criticism, she welcomed the audience’s suggestions and ideas.

Valarie describes her voice as “soulful”, according to reviews that she’s heard over the years. “People have drawn similarities between me and Amy Winehouse,” she told WMN, honoured to have been compared to the late British R&B crooner, known for her hits, Back to Black and Rehab. In terms of artists she admires, Valarie listed Bruno Mars at the top of her list, praising the artist’s humility and his tendency to recall an earlier style of soul music in his more recent recordings. “He is my ultimate favourite artist,” Valarie gushed.

Vocal powerhouse Christina Aguilera and Bajan pop icon Rihanna also ranked on Valarie’s list of influences, but for very different reasons—while she remains impressed with Aguilera’s emotive singing and rich tone, the singer looks up to Rihanna’s rise to international stardom from our very own region. “It’s every Caribbean singer’s dream to be like Rihanna,” Valarie mused, perhaps revealing some aspirations of her own. With a broad and diverse range of genres in her own repertoire, including pop, rock, Latin pop and soca — “everything but chutney,” by her own admission — Valarie certainly has much of Rihanna’s eclecticism covered, with a trendy and alluring look to boot.

Valarie also enjoys performing in foreign languages — “I like challenging myself and experiencing different cultures through music, learning different songs in French and Spanish,” the eager vocalist told WMN.

What’s particularly fascinating about Valarie is that when it comes to her music, she is all in, all day, every day. That’s right — singing is the young vocalist’s bread and butter, a bold but overall satisfying choice on her part.

She told WMN that about two years ago she had begun to pursue an undergraduate degree but abandoned it after some time. “It didn’t make sense to me; I was just doing it because people tell you that you have to do a degree,” Valarie admitted. “I just felt that music was what I wanted to devote my life to and give my everything to.”

Such a bold decision isn’t exactly what most traditional parents want for their children and with Valarie, it was no different. In fact, the vocalist revealed that it was her parents’ very resistance to her musical dreams that encouraged her to persevere. “As a teenager, your parents have a strict path and you tend to rebel; (in my case), the one thing they weren’t supportive of was music,” Valarie explained. “I wanted to prove them wrong.”

The daring young singer rationalised her decision by emphasising the value of a career in music — “Not everyone can be a doctor, lawyer or manager; (those persons) take inspiration from those in the arts.” Valarie spoke words of encouragement to artists who want to walk a similar path — “if you feel that you want to do something different from everyone else, jump at it.” What’s next for Valarie? Looking back on her time in Mayaro the Band, she remembers everything she learned as a younger artist. “Joel Ali from Mayaro (the band) took me in when I had now turned 17; he taught me how to sing properly, how to sing with emotion (and) how to speak (on stage).” She would like to give back, imparting some of the tricks of her trade to up-and-coming singers.

“I’d like to help other artistes with their vocals; I’ve been told that I have a good ear.” Also, with original music on the horizon, Valarie continues to be hungry for new experiences and artistic growth.

“I want to perform for different audiences and to meet different people, just to do what I love and let it take me all over the world,” she mused.

Next Tuesday, audiences at Kaiso Blues Cafe will have an opportunity to see Valarie live as part of the venue’s Unplugged and Chill series. Featuring different artists every Tuesday night, the series aims to showcase live vocal and instrumental talent in an intimate setting.

Offering a little peek into her set list without giving it all away, Valarie admitted that the venue actually impacted a great deal of the set choices.

“(There’s) more jazz, more blues and reggae,” she revealed. Valarie listed It’s a Man’s World and I Put a Spell on You as examples of the classic soulful sound that she’s chosen as the direction for the show.

“I’d like to help other artistes with their vocals