Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2018 | Page 99

I never knew the
true capacity of my
voice till I received
vocal training in
Cuba in 2005! For me
it was like a brand
new beginning. A
year later when I
met my producer
Mr. Eddie Bullen, it
was the opportunity
to establish myself
as a solo artist with
my own unique sound. Eddie saw me perform at
a Barbados Jazz Festival show in January 2006.
I was doing background vocals for Mr. Wayne
Poonka Willock. (Pooka is an amazing teacher,
percussionist and major proponent and advocate
for Barbadian indigenous music. It is because of
him that "tuk" is kept alive in Barbados!)
My first and second albums were done in Canada
with Mr. Eddie Bullen. The first Submit 2 LOVE was
produced as an introduction of Marisa Lindsay,
to Eddie's fan base in Canada. I was well received
according to the reviews, sales and radio play. For
me, the official launch of my career was performing
my own original music with my own band, directed
by Eddie Bullen on the Barbados Jazz Festival stage
in 2007!
Her mentors/role models
Aretha Franklin , Natalie Cole and Stephanie Mills
are responsible for my earliest experimentation
with my voice. My passion for singing increased
with my growing
appreciation of jazz and
artists like Ella Fitzgerald
who approached music
with a fearlessness
that came from her
KNOWING her voice and
all the amazing things
that her voice could
do. The emotionality of
Billie Holiday and Sarah
Vaughn always struck
me to the core. You
really feel them when they sing. Later on, I would
be influenced greatly by Kim Burrell and Rachelle
Farrel who opened up my imagination even more
with their phenomenal vocal skills. By this time,
I would have received the vocal training in Cuba
which gave me the technique which would help
me accomplish the sounds these vocalists inspired
in my mind.
Her other intrests
Since 2010, I have found myself focused primarily
on teaching and writing. I have 3 Childrens books,
books of poetry, 2 novels (incomplete but insistent)
and a Vocal training manual. The process of
illustrating the children's books resurrected a talent
for art and graphic design that I was surprised to
find I still had.
Specific to the local music scene, I consider
my contributions are being made through my
students. Teaching for me is truly fulfilling. My
students are all amazing and wonderfully multi-
talented. It is thrilling to watch them grow.