Jardine Jadel Legere
PICTURES COURTESY JP MUSIC GROUP
PICTURES COURTESY JP MUSIC GROUP
Jadel on a mission in soca music
“2020 is plenty” is soca artiste Jardine “Jadel” Legere’s motto for the Carnival season.
In addition to releasing six songs in the run-up to the season, she chose to participate in yesterday’s Power and Groovy categories of the International Soca Monarch semifinals, in Arima.
Legere said she has always wanted to be a soca artiste, although she began singing in other genres. She was recruited when she auditioned and was chosen to be the lead singer for the bands Surface and Traffik. “That was my start in the soca industry.
I won the Soca Monarch Breakout Artiste for the International Soca Monarch competition in 2016. Since then it’s been straight success, with consistency and growth every year. I haven’t buss out on the scene like be a big huge name like Destra or Patrice or whoever, but I am known so far and my music is known for sure. The only issue that I have right now is attaching my face, my name, to the music. When I am called on a stage with the name Jadel, some people may not be familiar with it, but from the time the music comes on, they’re like, oh, that’s the girl who sing that song! So I’m trying to change that right now.”
Legere said one of her main obstacles to getting her name recognised and associated with her music is her resemblance to another soca artiste with a similar name who works for another radio station. However, she said she’s on a mission to prove that they are nothing alike.
Legere said many people have asked why she only does one type of music, so she has released six songs this year to appease the masses. “My first offering was Link Up, about friends and drinking and linking up and having a good time, meeting up with your old people that you could hold a vibe with. That’s produced by Motto, who is really trending right now as a producer and an artiste. The second offering is ‘Strings’’ done by Wetty Beatz. Third is ‘Hold Me Close’ which is done by London Future and Brooklyn Decent, they are popular producers as well.
Hold Me Close,’ is doing very well on the charts. Then there is the fourth contribution, Waiting, which is done by GBM which is more for after the Carnival hype style.
Then the fifth one, Closer, is on the Street Party Riddim and it’s a groovy. And my sixth offering is a power, Priority, which is the main one that is doing well and seems to be most known and most played. All my songs are getting rotation on the airwaves.
“I personally want to push the power because I have released late, well in October, based on my touring. I got all my songs released in December so I was in time with the power, so the power is being pushed, you know? It’s a popular offering this year.”
The artiste said she’s often asked how she balances her professional life with motherhood. She said: “I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl eight months after having a successful year in Soca Monarch 2018 with ‘Round and Round. I made her at the end of the year and I was able to come back and be on that stage the next year in February.
No big deal, I made it work, I made it happen and I’m balancing motherhood very well. I take her everywhere I go, I take her on tour with me. To me she opens up a lot of doors and has brought a lot of blessings to me.”
Legere has toured all over the world representing soca, including Spain, Ibiza, Germany, London, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Paris, the USA and various Caribbean islands.
Looking beyond the Carnival season, Legere has secured more bookings abroad. In addition to releasing music after Carnival, she will be travelling to Asia, Belgium, Paris and other European cities. She will also be going to Asia with Soca on the Seas. “I will be finding time to record and release songs early and that is the main motto.
Releasing early is the key. I learned that the hard way.
That is the main thing. Prepare music from May, after the Carnival, and early releases.”
Legere said young women should not allow anyone to detract them from their goals. “Keep shooting for the stars, nothing could ever hinder you once you really work for it. Remember, you are in control of your own destiny. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something, because I would have never thought I would have gotten so far with all the detractors and stuff.
People will try to hinder you from going from where you want to go. When I decided to do this whole music scene, people told me not to do it, and study law instead.
I did my law degree with the University of London and I also studied Audio Engineering.
I have those on the back burner because I choose to make soca music priority because that’s my love and my passion.”
Follow Jadel on Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud at @callmejadel, Facebook at callmejadelmusic and YouTube at JadelYouTube.
In addition to releasing six songs in the run-up to the season, she chose to participate in yesterday’s Power and Groovy categories of the International Soca Monarch semifinals, in Arima.
Legere said she has always wanted to be a soca artiste, although she began singing in other genres. She was recruited when she auditioned and was chosen to be the lead singer for the bands Surface and Traffik. “That was my start in the soca industry.
I won the Soca Monarch Breakout Artiste for the International Soca Monarch competition in 2016. Since then it’s been straight success, with consistency and growth every year. I haven’t buss out on the scene like be a big huge name like Destra or Patrice or whoever, but I am known so far and my music is known for sure. The only issue that I have right now is attaching my face, my name, to the music. When I am called on a stage with the name Jadel, some people may not be familiar with it, but from the time the music comes on, they’re like, oh, that’s the girl who sing that song! So I’m trying to change that right now.”
Legere said one of her main obstacles to getting her name recognised and associated with her music is her resemblance to another soca artiste with a similar name who works for another radio station. However, she said she’s on a mission to prove that they are nothing alike.
Legere said many people have asked why she only does one type of music, so she has released six songs this year to appease the masses. “My first offering was Link Up, about friends and drinking and linking up and having a good time, meeting up with your old people that you could hold a vibe with. That’s produced by Motto, who is really trending right now as a producer and an artiste. The second offering is ‘Strings’’ done by Wetty Beatz. Third is ‘Hold Me Close’ which is done by London Future and Brooklyn Decent, they are popular producers as well.
Hold Me Close,’ is doing very well on the charts. Then there is the fourth contribution, Waiting, which is done by GBM which is more for after the Carnival hype style.
Then the fifth one, Closer, is on the Street Party Riddim and it’s a groovy. And my sixth offering is a power, Priority, which is the main one that is doing well and seems to be most known and most played. All my songs are getting rotation on the airwaves.
“I personally want to push the power because I have released late, well in October, based on my touring. I got all my songs released in December so I was in time with the power, so the power is being pushed, you know? It’s a popular offering this year.”
The artiste said she’s often asked how she balances her professional life with motherhood. She said: “I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl eight months after having a successful year in Soca Monarch 2018 with ‘Round and Round. I made her at the end of the year and I was able to come back and be on that stage the next year in February.
No big deal, I made it work, I made it happen and I’m balancing motherhood very well. I take her everywhere I go, I take her on tour with me. To me she opens up a lot of doors and has brought a lot of blessings to me.”
Legere has toured all over the world representing soca, including Spain, Ibiza, Germany, London, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Paris, the USA and various Caribbean islands.
Looking beyond the Carnival season, Legere has secured more bookings abroad. In addition to releasing music after Carnival, she will be travelling to Asia, Belgium, Paris and other European cities. She will also be going to Asia with Soca on the Seas. “I will be finding time to record and release songs early and that is the main motto.
Releasing early is the key. I learned that the hard way.
That is the main thing. Prepare music from May, after the Carnival, and early releases.”
Legere said young women should not allow anyone to detract them from their goals. “Keep shooting for the stars, nothing could ever hinder you once you really work for it. Remember, you are in control of your own destiny. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something, because I would have never thought I would have gotten so far with all the detractors and stuff.
People will try to hinder you from going from where you want to go. When I decided to do this whole music scene, people told me not to do it, and study law instead.
I did my law degree with the University of London and I also studied Audio Engineering.
I have those on the back burner because I choose to make soca music priority because that’s my love and my passion.”
Follow Jadel on Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud at @callmejadel, Facebook at callmejadelmusic and YouTube at JadelYouTube.