Roberts inspired by Beyoncé

Patrice Roberts looks like a glamour model but she insists that her best asset is her fabulous voice.

The whole of Trinidad and Tobago has followed her journey since her talent emerged in school calypso competitions in the Nineties. Roberts was born on April 14, 1986 and in the 31 years since has crammed in an extraordinary amount of achievements.

Growing up she was heavily influenced by Beyoncé Knowles. She aspired to be just like the American superstar as Roberts’ goal in music is to break tradition and be an independent female in every aspect while still being respected by all. Roberts’ biggest struggle when she first started out on her career was learning to perform in front of large crowds and interacting with the audience. Raised in an extremely religious Muslim household in a fishing village of Toco, Trinidad, Roberts had always been shy before she began singing.

She began to sing at 8 and also played the tenor steelpan. There was gradual progress as she won many talent competitions and monarch titles.

Roberts claimed the National Junior Calypso Monarch title in 2001. She came to national attention in 2005 with the huge hit collaboration ‘The Islands’ alongside her cousin Bunji Garlin which was used in promotional commercials by the Ministry of Tourism.

Her next big achievement was taking the Road March title alongside Machel Montano for their collaboration ‘Band of the Year’ in 2006. Her rise increased substantially after that. Last year’s ‘Big Girl Now’ in which she expresses her independence and growth as a woman and mother, is another smash hit.

She is already on fire this year with the runaway hit ‘Sweet Fuh Days’, widely touted as a serious Road March contender after huge crowd reaction at recent fetes.

She currently performs alongside soca maestro Machel Montano in his band Machel Montano HD. Roberts has a long way to go to reach Beyoncé’s level but she will never give up trying.