Sweet Patrice is no glamour girl

Forget Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera, TT can boast of its own powerhouse of harmony, Patrice Roberts, who blasted onto the Soca stage in 2005 with her heart-pumping “The Islands,” in which she collaborated with mega-star Bunji Garlin.

After tasting the sweetness of success, there was no stopping the ambitious teenager who rallied alongside none other than Machel Montano to take home the Road March title last year with a song called, “Band of the Year.”

Carnival 2007 appears to be another year in which Roberts’ songs are heard at every fete, concert, through every car and home stereo system.

The sprightly songster is also getting ready to draw arms against some of the best in the industry at the upcoming Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch competitions. Many feel she stands a great chance of capturing the title in the Groovy category with her melodious “Sugar Boy” that she wrote herself. People of all races and ages have fallen head over heels for this particular tune, and when asked about whether the lyrics pertain to some part of her own life, Roberts laughs, “I just decided to write something that would sort of big up the guys. Many of the female entertainers have made it big with male-bashing songs and I wanted to do something different.” Needless to say, her little experiment worked.

In the other category, Roberts’ “Light It up” featuring Machel Montano, is written by Kernal Roberts who also penned Road March contender “Jumbie” and last year’s mega-hit, “Scandalous.” Although the 19-year-old is intent in her bid for those crowns she says, “I’m just really happy that I made it so far in the competition. My aim now is to enjoy myself while I do what I like best.”

But it’s not just her finalist spot in the Soca Monarch stage that is currently giving this young artiste a sense of pride and fulfilment. She says, “Being part of the Carnival experience and the music that I love so much is a great honour. To work alongside guys like Machel and Kernal is absolutely amazing.” Sometimes it’s a challenge in working with Kernal as she describes him as a bit of a perfectionist but adds, “I know he has the best of intentions and is only trying to mould me into a success.”

As far as her relationship with Montano goes, that’s a different story. “At first I found it very difficult trying to keep up with him but after singing alongside him for the past year I find myself drawing on his dynamic spirit and electrifying performances when we’re on stage together,” Roberts confesses.

It’s more than just a show for this youngster; it’s her road to a brighter future. Not that her path is in total darkness by any means, but she does see herself taking Soca music to another level on the international stage. In fact, the girl who once thought of a career as a flight attendant plans “to go where no other female Soca star has gone before.” And when she gets there, we’ll all know.

It’s tough being a celebrity and contrary to the image she portrays on stage as a diva in her own right, Roberts admits, “I’m really a simple, timid and plain regular girl going after my dreams.” Like most of the stars today, she always dreamed of being an entertainer since she holds a passion for people and making them happy.

It just happens that singing is a gift that she has been blessed with and is intent on sharing it with everyone. If it turns out to be a lucrative career then so be it. One of the toughest challenges she faces on a daily basis is her image. She says, “I have to alter my entire lifestyle to survive in this industry and sometimes I feel very uncomfortable.”