Trini girl who sings US anthem

MEET Arlette Roxburgh-Scapino, a former resident of Diego Martin who now sings the United States national anthem for the New Jersey Nets (basketball) and the New Jersey Devils (hockey).

Yes, that’s true. The management of these teams have gone for a Trinidadian girl to sing the US anthem prior to all their games. Arlette also whips the crowd into a frenzy during matches. Arlette, 31, was born to teachers Phyl and Irma Roxburgh, now retired. She attended Mucurapo Girls RC School, St James, before moving on to St Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain, where she became Head Girl. She left Trinidad in 1992 for the US which has now become her permanent home. She graduated from the Long Island University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, and one week later, she was married to Italian Lou Scapino in a civil wedding ceremony. However, seven years later — September 20 this year — the couple will have a big wedding ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica. Arlette is hoping to meet Pope John Paul II there. Back in the US, Arlette has been with the New Jersey Devils for the past five seasons.  Dressed in the official colours of the team, Arlette is no Jason Kidd. Her manicured hands are not made for slam dunks and layups, and there is no way she could sprint down the basketball court in her red, high-heeled boots.

But this Staten Island-based entertainer has something that gets the Continental Arena crowd cheering. As the official anthem singer for the NBA team, Arlette interacts with the audience during the pre-game show and sings the national anthem at almost every home game. Half an hour before a recent playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Arlette had a teenage girl singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I will survive” and grown men waving their arms to the rhythm. She also sang “God Bless the USA” with Sgt Shannon Dyer, stationed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. After the spirited performance, the pair did an encore during the time-out session. Arlette has been described as “the glue that holds the team together”. She sang at 30 of the 41 Nets home games and the team won 24. Arlette, who also sings the anthem before New Jersey Devils hockey games, admits that she was not much of a sports fan before being hired by the teams. Now, in her fifth season with the Devils, she has become a die-hard hockey fan. As a second-year singer with the Nets, she says she is starting to warm up to basketball. But Arlette got her early training in Trinidad. She sang in a church choir and talent shows as a child. As a young adult, she was recruited to sing backup for one of the island’s most popular singers, but she made education her priority. She then attended Long Island University. While there, Arlette sang with a wedding band. After graduation, she began seriously pursuing her musical career. With her husband Lou Scapino being manager, producer and accompanist, Arlette performs twice a week at Baldoria restaurant in upscale Manhattan. For these gigs, they are known as Luigi and Arlette. They also released two albums — America, Stronger than Ever and We are on Fire, dedicated to the Devils.

The album America, Stronger than Ever was produced following the events of September 11, 2001. One of the songs on the album is entitled “My America - One September Morning.” Arlette’s mother Irma recalled the events of September 11. “I remember ringing Arlette and telling her that America was burning down. Arlette was asleep at the time, and did not know that there was this terrorist attack on America. “It is in light of this that Arlette decided to write this album. She wrote all the songs, but dedicated one particular song to America.” At the game, Arlette and her husband communicate through wireless headsets. Scapino produces a full-blown band sound from his key boards, perched in one corner of the arena. When Arlette is not performing, she joins him there to watch the game. Arlette chooses her pre-game songs based on her mood and the audience’s. But she usually goes with something upbeat, because when it comes to getting pumped up for the game, Arlette likes to lead by example. “You have to be psyched up yourself,” she added. “Get a good beat out there, or something that speaks to you like the patriotic song. I never get tired of singing or feel like ‘oh boy, here we go, singing the anthem again,” she added.