Nadia Batson

Last updated

Nadia Batson
Born
Nadia Batson

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Other namesSASS Queen
Occupations
  • Singer
  • Soca Superstar
  • Songwriter
  • Dancer
  • Businesswoman
  • Band Leader
  • Banshee
Years active2005–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Website sassnation.com

Nadia Batson is a Trinidadian singer, songwriter, producer [1] and model. She was a runner-up in the Power Category at the 2007 International Soca Monarch with her song "My Land" with Kees Dieffenthaller. [2]

Contents

Raised in Barataria, Trinidad, she spent years behind the scenes as a songwriter, producer and a background vocalist, before becoming a notable songstress. She also assists other artistes behind the scenes, having written and co-produced the popular single "Go Ahead And Do Dat" for Soca diva Michelle Sylvester.

Early life

Nadia Batson was born on December 7, 1976, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and raised in Barataria [ citation needed ], a small commercial town on the East–West Corridor outside Port of Spain City. Singing and writing since the age of eight, Batson started singing Quseedas, Muslim ballads, while attending the St Joseph TML School. As a teen she became part of an all-girls group called Silhouette which won the popular Party Time show with an a cappella version of En Vogue's remake of the Beatle's "Yesterday".[ citation needed ] She also attended high school at St. George's College until her graduate year in 1993. Batson began singing professionally at the age of 17. [3] Batson joined Andre Tanker's One World Contraband where she stayed until his death in 2003. She then became the lone female voice in Kes the Band until 2011, when she left to form an all-female soca band called SASS in July 2011. [3] She is of Afro-Trinbagonian descent and has ancestry in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Batson has stated in interviews that she is of the Christian faith.[ citation needed ]

Competition history

Nadia contested the 2007 International Soca Monarch held on Friday February 16, 2007. She competed in the Groovy category with her song "Caribbean Girl", and in the Power category with her song "My Land" alongside Kees Dieffenthaller. [4] She placed 2nd in the Power category behind Iwer George and 3rd in the Groovy category. [2] Nadia was also a finalist in the 2012 [3] and 2014 competition in the Power category. [5] She also competed as a finalist at the 2015 Chutney Soca Monarch competition held on January 31, 2015. [6]

Career

2014–15 Digicel Rising Stars

On September 14, 2014, it was announced that Nadia Batson had joined the judges' panel for the eight season of Digicel Rising Stars Trinidad and Tobago with fellow new judge 1st Klase and returning judge Sheldon Ramgoolam. In the fall of 2015 in September, Nadia Batson's contract was renewed for the ninth season of Digicel Rising Stars T&T, to continue her job being a part of the judges' panel alongside new judges Neval Chatelal and Nigel Rojas. [7]

Kes The Band

In 2005, Batson joined the pop band, Kes The Band as a leading female vocalist, and has gone on world tours to the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with the band. In the Summer of 2011, Batson announced that she had left the band to form her own band. [3]

SASS Nation

In the fall of 2011, Batson announced the launch of her all-female soca band, SASS Nation, lies alongside lead vocalists Terri Lyons (the sister of Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez) and Megan Walrond. SASS Nation is now one of Trinidad and Tobago's premier soca bands and Trinidad and Tobago's only established female soca band. [3]

Related Research Articles

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The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music, chutney music, and steelpan. Calypso's internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.

Chutney music is a fusion genre of Indian folk music, specifically Bhojpuri folk music, with local Caribbean calypso and soca music, and later on Bollywood music. This genre of music that developed in Trinidad and Tobago is popular in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, other parts of the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, and South Africa. Chutney music emerged mid-20th century and reached a peak of popularity during the 1980s. Several sub-genres have developed.

The culture of Trinidad and Tobago reflects the influence of Indian-South Asian, African, Indigenous, European, Chinese, North American, Latino, and Arab cultures. The histories of Trinidad and Tobago are different. There are differences in the cultural influences which have shaped each island. Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking country with strong links to the United Kingdom.

Drupatee Ramgoonai is an Trinidadian and Tobagonian chutney and chutney soca musician. She was responsible for coining the term "chutney soca" in 1987 with her first album, entitled Chutney Soca, which included both English and Hindustani versions of the songs. She had her biggest hit the following year when her "(Roll Up the Tassa) Mr. Bissessar" was a Road March contender. She was instrumental in tassa and chutney soca finding its place in Carnival and her efforts later led to competitions such as Chutney Soca Monarch.

Sundar Popo HBM, born Sundarlal Popo Bahora was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian musician. He is credited as being the father of Chutney music, beginning with his 1969 hit Nana and Nani.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, chutney soca music is a crossover style of music incorporating soca and calypso elements and English, Hindustani, and Hinglish lyrics, chutney music, with Western instruments such as the guitar, piano, drum set, and Indian instruments such as the dholak, harmonium, tabla, and dhantal.

Ravi Bissambhar, also known as Ravi B, is a Trinidadian chutney musician.

Heeralal Rampartap is an Indo-Trinidadian entertainer. He has repeatedly produced hits and has won numerous awards both locally and internationally. He is a three-time International Chutney Soca Monarch — in 1997, 2003 and 2005 – and the National Chutney Monarch of 2002 and 2003. He has also taken first place in the Indian Cultural Pageant for three consecutive years and won the first Tuco Chutney Monarch in 2005 followed by two further wins in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He received the National Humming Bird Silver Medal for Culture in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machel Montano</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kes (band)</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrice Roberts</span> Trinidadian soca singer (born 1986)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Wickham</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay-Ann Lyons</span> Musical artist

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International Soca Monarch is an annual soca music competition/fete event, the finals of which are held on every Carnival Friday in Trinidad and Tobago. Contestants in the event vie for two separate crowns or titles, the International Soca Monarch for uptempo songs, and Groovy Soca Monarch for slower-paced songs. Between 2016 and 2018 a change in format meant that contestants vied for only one award but this one category changed was reversed in 2019. In 2016 an additional award was added, called the People's Choice, then subsequently removed, which involves text message voting by Digicel subscribers. Subscribers could have voted multiple times for their favorite artist during the competition and the artist who received the most votes was given an additional cash prize. The International Soca Monarch competition has become the mecca event for soca artists in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) where the event has been hosted since its inception; and also the rest of the Caribbean region, as many artists who have competed on its stage have moved on to successful soca careers. Dubbed the "Super Bowl of soca music" it is a highly anticipated and well-attended event that has been graced with internationally acclaimed recording artists such as SuperBlue, Machel Montano, Fay Ann Lyons Superblue's daughter and Bunji Garlin's wife, Kevin Lyttle, Rupee and Fay-Ann's husband Bunji Garlin.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudette Peters</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erphaan Alves</span> Musical artist

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References

  1. ↑ "Blaxx a man of the people". Trinidad Guardian. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "TnT Carnival 2007 Results". TriniJungleJuice. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nadia feeling No Pressure for Soca Monarch". Trinidad Guardian. February 11, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Shurwayne draws lucky 8". Trinidad Newsday. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ "$2m battle for Power title". Trinidad Guardian. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Chutney Soca Monarch finalists announced". Trinidad Express. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Judges revealed for Digicel Rising Stars". LOOP. Trend Media Inc. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
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