Destra Garcia

Destra Garcia, Trinidad born Soca Artist, remains #1 leading Female Soca Artist of the Caribbean. She is the one of the most requested internationally for her signature high energy performances since her 1999 debut as a Soca entertainer and is showing no signs of slowing down — challenging herself every year, taking her music and her fans along for the exciting journey.

Her music has already proved its staying power and its ability to captivate multiple markets. Destra has won fans the world over and has set the mark for high energy live sets that leave audiences wanting more.

She firmly believes that you learn more as you grow. From experiences you learn from your mistakes. You have to do what you have to do to make yourself happy.

She barely has time for herself, completing gigs with her band Atlantik as well as handling solo performances.

That’s just one of the sacrifices she’s had to make for her success. Another is spending quality time with her family and friends.

But she’s determined to achieve her dream of taking soca music to international markets.

A guaranteed hit with music loving audiences everywhere, her energetic performances and eye-catching costumes commanding cameras, you might think, it’s easy for all her success to go to her head but Destra knows the ropes in the competitive music arena. Audiences and critics always have their noses in the air for the next best thing, but she is prepared and her maturity is evident in her demeanor, her command of the stage, her writing and her sense of self.

“I’m a lot more relaxed and focused. I’m not worried about stuff that has nothing to do with what I’m doing. I’m concentrating on maintaining my voice, using new vocal techniques. I am engaging in a higher level of spirituality in my preparation. At Carnival you are studying so much more: the music, audiences, what people are saying about what you are doing, what you are wearing — so I am taking it all in stride because with God anything is possible,” she explained.

“Everybody is experimenting to see if we could all take soca to another level. I think soca is already good, I’ve decided to see if I can make it more marketable. I’m all for experimenting but I want to keep most of the elements that already exist.”

• She started singing calypso at the early age of 10 years old, at her then Primary school St Crispin Anglican. She participated in many interschool calypso competitions in her first competitive year, and actually won her first competition.

• Her talents propelled her into the Junior Calypso Monarch competitions nationwide, where she emerged victorious at the Burrokeets Junior and Senior Monarchs at the age of 14 and 15 years old, and was a finalist at the NJAC Junior Calypso Competitions and NCC Junior Calypso Monarch.

• She was also no stranger to new audiences … being a member of the NCC Junior Roving Tent. She attended St James Secondary School and The Polytechnic Sixth form government secondary.

• Destra performs with Third Base on the Link Up Productions hit, Ah Have A Man Already. The track, which was spawned from the Pigtail Rhythm produced by Ken Holder, is a runaway hit, audiences clamor for more from Destra.

• Destra became the First lead Female vocalist of Roy Cape All Stars. Still holding down her job at Mc Enearney Business Machines. In 2001, Destra shook the airwaves with her third single, Tremble It. She placed fourth in the Soca Monarch competition, and third in the Road March race. The band travelled to gigs in North America, Europe and other parts of the Caribbean.

• The next year she recorded three singles, off the Roy Cape CD, titled Set it off, Sex Appeal, and Wrong Bam Bam, she was all over the radio and setting fire to the clubs. After spending three and a half years with the band, Destra resigned her position as lead female vocalist of the Roy Cape All Stars, she immediately started work on her debut album Red White Black and became the female lead vocalist for the band Atlantik.

• In 2003, Destra releases Red White Black. The album spawns the massive hit — It’s Carnival — it sweeps masqueraders through the streets on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. The track also features vocals by Machel Montano. Whey Yuh Want and Choo Choo are also crowd favorites.

• Her sophomore effort Laventille embraces a subject close to her heart. “That’s where I’m from and it’s to express the view of Trinidad from Laventille … the parallel between the two,” she explained. It’s to give back to my people and produce something good called “Laventille” to combat all the negativity associated with the place. I would be nowhere if Trinidad were not so supportive of me. I wanted to go deeper and I wanted to show that I’m proud of where I came from.” Laventille contains tracks like Bonnie and Clyde, Up in the air, Come Beta (with Road March King, Sherwin Winchester), Negative Vibes and a club remix of It’s Carnival. It also features Rollercoaster, a song for pan written and produced by Andre Tanker and a gospel track. The album features production by Ken Marlon Charles (KMC), Junor “Ibo” Joseph, Brian Morris and Ricardo Ramishwar.

• She performs in schools nationwide on a tour sponsored by FritoLay.She completes a successful tour of North America and the Caribbean on the strength of her growing repertoire of hits.

• The makers of the internationally known Captain Morgan’s Rum use Destra’s Bonnie and Clyde in their North American ad campaign. The ad is featured in prime time spots on all major US cable music channels.

• International recording artiste, Kevin Lyttle introduces MTV’s 10 Spot to Destra when the DJ plays a recording of It’s Carnival while he dances with the crowd.

• 2006 – Destra signs up with telecommunications giant, Digicel to become their first female spokeswoman in Trinidad and Tobago.

• Destra releases her fourth album Independent Lady, which features the hits Independent Lady, Aur Chale (with Dil E Nadan), Colors, Jumpin’, Out Ah Time, and Max It Up.

• The Max It Up video spends several weeks in the weekly video countdown program, De Scene, on Synergy TV.

• Destra has shared the stage with international superstars like the Heather Headley, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Ja-Rule, Rihanna, Mary J Blidge, Patti La Belle, Natalie Cole, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.

• For the past five years Destra has won many awards and accreditations some of which include 13 Soca Awards and five COTT awards three of which were best female songwriter from 2004-2007 and best pan song 2006. She remains the most requested female Soca artists of the Caribbean and the world.

• 2008 Destra released her 5 album which was a compilation of 2007 and 2008 songs which features collaborations done by world famous Jamaican artists -Free it Up with Sean Paul, On the Floor with Vegas, Wine It and Saddle on the Banjo Riddum.

• Destra's new album and music videos were release in February 2009.Hit soca songs this year being Bacchannal, Sassiness and Hott... Three music videos released Wine It,Hott,Bacchannal.

• Shared the stage with internationals acts Rick Ross, Jayz's DJ Khaled...