Living Barbados Magazine November 2014 Edition April 2014 edition | Page 90

musical inclination but also eventually make her realise its importance in her life. “At
the time, music didn’t even cross my mind as a study option because I didn’t think it
would be socially accepted as a good choice for a career path,” she explained. Debbie
finished her studies with a degree in Computer Information Systems, very little to show
music wise, and reeling from the loss of her mother who died of cancer during her last
few semesters of school.
She decided to stay in the U.S. and look for work. “It was a bad time in the U.S. job
market,” she remembers. “I spent about 7 months just doing jobs I was over qualified
for.” Her break came when she was asked by a friend to help her company write proposals for their bidding season. “I drove down to DC and stayed there all weekend. On the
way back home I got a call from their HR department offering me a job,” she recalls.
She quickly climbed up the ladder and in a short time she found herself contracted to
work for the U.S. Department of Defense, next door to the Pentagon, as an Information
Security Analyst, a highly sensitive position as it relates to U.S. national security. “I still
have to be careful when I talk about it, but what I essentially did was design and enforce
policies to ensure that sensitive information within a system is kept safe,” she explained.
Even though the job required grueling hours, sometimes averaging 90 hours a week,
Debbie could not ignore the call of her first love, music. She would carve out time to
visit a friend in Philadelphia who had a studio. “At the time I wasn’t dreaming of a career
as an artist. I was just going for the sheer love of writing and recording songs,” she said.
It eventually got to a point where, according to her, her whole day revolved around the
thought of music. “I decided that happiness for me was about contentment, not a six
figure salary. It was about spending time with the people I love and doing what makes
me feel most content, which is music,” she explained. “Music is the one thing I was born
to do.”
Debbie moved back to Barbados to pursue her musical career full time and hasn’t
regretted the decision. The past few years have been busy ones and she has quickly
made a mark on the music scene. She recorded an EP, Hearts Like Mine, featuring the
song Amber, which was recently picked up by the international non-profit organization
The Pixel Project for use in their global campaign to stop violence against women. She’s
written for the critically acclaimed local movie, Chrissy and her music is featured prominently in the film’s score. She was chosen from a field of thousands to perform last year
at Canadian Music Week, Canada’s premier music showcase and she also headlined a
show at the legendary Red Bones Café in Jamaica. At the beginning of this year Debbie
was nominated for best new artist at the Barbados Music Awards.
Currently, Debbie is working on putting together songs for a new album due for release
later on in the year. She’s excited about working with legendary musician and producer
Clive Hunt, whom she met and formed an instant connection with in Jamaica. Clive has
produced for the likes of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Cliff,
Beres Hammond, Dean Frazer and the Wailers. “Working with him reminds me of how
much this is about creating works of art. I never want to stop,” Debbie said of Hunt. She’s
also focused on growing her catalogue of music in hopes of getting placement in more
films and on TV, one of her major career goals.
Despite her successes so far, Debbie remains driven by the fact that she still has a long
way to go. “I don’t think I’ve even scratched the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I really
want to achieve,” she stated humbly. “For someone who started so late, I’ve made great
strides.” “For me, it’s about the music. I feel like I still have so much growing to do. I’m
always just striving to put out the best version of the music that’s inside my head.”

Q: Where can our readers hear your music?

A: My songs Amber, We Are Love and Til I Die are on rotation on local radio
stations and I perform live every Wednesday night at Cin Cin by the Sea restaurant.

Q: What do you in your spare time?

A: Hmmm. Do I have spare time? I’m almost ashamed to say this but I catch up on
Reality TV. My show is Braxton Family Values. I also like going to the beach and
reading. The last novel I read was The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory.

Q: What is on your playlist right now?

A: So many songs, but my favourites right now are Have No Fear by Bird York;
Over the Love by Florence and the Machine; and Samba Na Sola by Ceu.

Q: How would you describe your personal style?
A: Bohemian, classic, quirky!

Q: What do you want your legacy to be?

A: Great music. Timeless music. Music that touches, heals and inspires change.
You can find out more about Debbie at www.reverbnation.com/debbiereifer, www.facebook.com/debbiereifermusic or follow her on twitter or Instagram @debbiereifer.