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| Destra Garcia | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Queen of Soca; #1 Caribbean female Soca Icon |
| Origin | Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Genre(s) | Soca, RnB, Gospel,Alternative Rock, Euro-Clubmix |
| Years active | 1998 - present |
| Label(s) | Bamboo Entertainment |
| Associated acts | Atlantik, Roy Cape All Stars |
| Website | www.mydestra.com |
Destra Garcia (born July 8, 1975 in Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Soca singer and songwriter based in Trinidad and Tobago. Destra is noted for her high energy performances, harmonious vocal skill and eccentric fashion style[citation needed]
Contents |
Biography
Childhood and early career
The eldest of four siblings, Destra was raised in the community of Desperlie Crescent, Laventille in eastern Port of Spain, and attended Woodbrook government secondary school and St James Secondary School where she discovered her passion for singing and music. She not only won the her school's Calypso Monarch title for five consecutive years, she composed every one of her songs. Her musical roots came from her grandfather the late Frankie Garcia(Bourg Mulatresse, Santa Cruz) an island jazz musician.Her father Lloyd Garcia is an accomplished guitarist and singer.
She joined a quartet called PSYKE which disbanded after only one year. Following the demise of the group, Destra attended the School of Business and Management earning a diploma in Sales Management.
Music and recording career
In 1999 Roy Cape took notice of her single album titled - “Ah Have A Man Already” with the group Third Base and invited her to join the Roy Cape All Stars Band as one of the lead vocalists.
She pursued a solo career briefly, but eventually joined the band Atlantik in late 2002. She remains the frontline singer for Atlantik and has forged a successful songwriting partnership with Kernel Roberts (until 2005 inclusive), churning out hits such as "Wha Yuh Want", "Negative Vibes" and "Bonnie & Clyde".
In 2003 Destra released her first album “Red, White, Black” which included her hit duet “It's Carnival” with fellow Soca artist Machel Montano. The song became the virtual anthem of Trinidad and Tobago carnival that year and is widely known throughout the Caribbean.
Career highlights
Destra won the Road March title in 2003 at the Labour Day Carnival in Brooklyn[citation needed], and also placed second in the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Monarch competition in that same year.
She is yet to win either the Carnival Road March or Soca Monarch title in Trinidad although she has come close in the Road March race, placing second in 2003 and 2009. Despite this, she has become success in the local music industry, specializing in pop-sounding soca compositions as well as fusion music encompassing aspects of East Indian culture.
In 2006, Caribbean Beat magazine described Destra's music as "the kind of sound that a young person, living at the crossroads of cultures and technologies that is Trinidad and Tobago today, is likely to produce, and the breeziness of her music may well act as an antidote to the hard edge which often characterises life not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but in many other corners of the globe.
Also in 2006, the Digicel mobile telecommunications group named Destra as its spokesperson in a two-year endorsement deal.
Image
Destra is famous for her style. Due to her radical clothing choices consisting primarily of revealing clothing such as tight, short pants, and low-cut bra tops, she has captivated audiences during her performances. On stage, Destra is wild and explosive in her movements and vocals, sometimes seemingly performing in her own world due to her passion. Destra has expressed her music and fashion choices as a merger between American punk rock and Soca. This mix is evident in the instruments used in Destra's music, as she frequently utilizes rock guitar acoustics with underlying Soca rhythms.
Her 2006 look "soca fabulous" has been created by local designers such as Meiling and Peter Elias. From a new "glam" hairstyle, to her bold, risqué wardrobe, Destra's new look has been described as one which "is going to rock the town and will be a fashion force to reckon with." [1]
Albums and notable singles
Destra's released her first CD in 2004, entitled Red White & Black. Her second CD, Laventille pre-release which featured her Bonie and Clyde hit song, was released in 2004.
Destra is well known for one of the most popular soca anthems "It's Carnival" (featuring Machel Montano)which was released in the 2003 Carnival season. Some of her later popular releases are "Come Beta" (featuring Shurwayne Winchester),and 2005 singles "Fly" and "We Say So". She also paid tribute to her home town in 2005 with a track entitled "The Hammer Revisited", a duet with Calypso veteran David Rudder. In 2006, Destra contributed her vocals to the song "Aur Chale" in conjunction with the band Dil E Nadan, and released popular songs such as "Max It Up" and "Independent Ladies." She also released a song called "Jumpin'" later that year for her album "Independent Lady" which seemed to have signalled the start for women's shout for independence.
For 2007, Destra has released the following singles thus far; "Las Lap" featuring Naya George, "Soca or Die", "Sign", "Situation" with MultiSymptom, the 'made-for-pan' production, "We Luv Carnival", the most popular song of her 2007 releases, "I Dare You" (The song in which she began utilizing the ever popular dance created by Reggae Superstar Tony Matterhorn, "Dutty Wine"), all of which now form part of her "Soca Or Die" album released in 2008. Hott(2008) It was released for Barbados Soca.
Discography
- Red White & Black (2003)
- Laventille pre-release (2004)
- Laventille (2005)
- Independent Lady (2006)
- Soca or Die (2008)
- Hott (2009)
Collaborations
- "Carnival" (featuring Machel Montano) (2003)
- "Come Beta" (featuring Shurwayne Winchester) (2004)
- "The Hammer Revisited" (featuring David Rudder) (2005)
- "Aur Chale" (featuring Dil-E-Nadan) (2006)
- "Las' Lap" (featuring Naya George) (2007)
- "Situation" (featuring Multi Symptom) (2007)
- "On the Floor" (featuring Mr Vegas) (2008)
- "Free it Up" (featuring Sean Paul) (2008)
Trivia
- Garcia's song, "Bonnie and Clyde", was featured as the track for the Parrot Bay alcohol commercial.
References
External links
- Destra's Official Website.
- Destra's Official Myspace page
- Destra's Official Facebook Fanpage
- Destra's Official Youtube Channel
- Destra's Official iLike Page
- Destra's Official Imeem Page
- Destra's official ReverbNation Page
Destra Is of Indian and African decent also known as "Dougla" a term in Trinidad to describe decent.
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