Shazelle
Talented, Glamorous, Fresh…and ready to conquer the world!

Shazelle never expected to have a career as a performer. She grew up in Chaguanas, Trinidad, and like most of her friends, graduated from high school, finished her Marketing Management degree, and applied for a job. She was en-route to her workplace in Port of Spain, sandwiched between taxi driver and passenger, when imagining catapulted her into something new. She wished herself to be somewhere else, anywhere else, when she heard an advertisement by the Copyright Organization of Trinidad and Tobago, for an event at the Crowne Plaza, bringing together influential members of the international music industry.

She immediately changed her route and arrived at the seminar on the last day. There were various panelists talking about aspects of the music industry – songwriting, copywriting, career management etcetera. It was there that she met Kittitian music executive, Ivan Berry.

“We became friends…everyone at the seminar…we kept in touch. I did song writing, and Ivan was trying to show me the business, as I’m very business minded and fascinated about how it goes down.

But even then, I never seriously considered being a songwriter. In Trinidad the accepted genres are soca, reggae, chutney or dancehall whereas I write alternative vibes.”

“I did send Ivan a few songs which he thought were ‘okay’, but when I was changing jobs and going to Canada for a period of time, he suggested that I meet up with him then. He was previously vice president for Sony/BMG, before he branched off into his own business, and he’s very good at what he does, so I took up the opportunity. Then I met Rupert Gayle, his business partner, and songwriter. They are both wonderful, successful people who never show themselves up.”

Shazelle, and songwriters Rupert Gayle and Derek Brin, first worked on the single, Elevator. Shazelle never thought she’d be singing the song but was just building her skills as a songwriter when she caught her producers’ attention: “Ivan says ‘you know Shazelle sounds really good.’ Right there and then it happened.” She was what the producers were looking for: someone young, dynamic, Caribbean, and entirely fresh.

She returned home to start a job at an advertising agency, but within two months her mentors were ready to shoot the video for Elevator. Finding it difficult to ask for time off, Shazelle worked till Friday evening then jumped on a plane, shopped for the photoshoot on Saturday and filmed the video on Sunday.

“It was surreal…After Elevator I would fly back and still do songs with Rupert and other producers. Pick Me Up was my second single with video; then came Stronger and Faster.”

In her home country, Shazelle has a growing audience: “People are now starting to see and know me.” Hot93 and 95.1 play her songs, and she has videos on local television stations including Synergy, Tempo and WinTv.

Internationally, her producers are lining their dots in place, and setting the right foundation. To be sure that Shazelle understood the dynamics of the business she went on tour with a superstar in the Middle East, Massari.

They toured in Australia and Lebanon as well as Egypt and Bahrain; Shazelle performed as his opening act: “When you go you’re not sure what to expect, Egypt was the biggest show we did and I felt like a superstar.”

She clarifies: “Being on the road is far from glamorous. You have to always be prepared. You want to stay fit. You travel in so many different time zones; so you have jet lag the next day and you have to perform and you have to know if you can handle it. I’ve travelled and seen how they manage other artistes and that has been so important to me. They teach me and I learn. They show me options.”

Shazelle is currently back in studio collaborating with some top songwriters and producers from Canada and Romania; a new single is set for release in February: “It’s a wicked dance track but you are going to feel a little soca influence coming in as I'm trying to maintain the ‘trini’ roots in me.” 

Universal Canada and Middle East and other global partners will market her campaign. The goal is a global impact: “We are planning to have the song available through all of the download sites and mobile companies worldwide...my team is working really hard to taking this all the way to the top.”