Soca vets Kerwin Du Bois, Destra Garcia heat up I Love Soca
Published:Wednesday | April 3, 2024 | 12:10 AMKwela Cole/Gleaner Writer
Following a four-year long hiatus from the music scene, acclaimed Trinidadian soca artiste Kerwin Du Bois made his official big stage return to Carnival in Jamaica at the I Love Soca (ILS) Easter weekend staging in Kingston on Monday.
The night would be celebratory for many reasons, with the Too Real singer’s performance marking not only his return to the big stage in Jamaica but his birthday as well. A satisfaction only achieved by the rest of a much-needed break marked the face of Du Bois as the crowd, in a tender moment, sang the artiste happy birthday as the opener to a set that had them unwilling to see him end it.
As if in preparation for the workout for the road march, Du Bois raised pulses in a fiery set, taking patrons through his extensive catalogue of legendary hits. From 2014’s No Apology to his recent release Benderella, he reminded fans exactly who they had been missing from carnival seasons and soca line-ups since 2020. It was a rest well deserved and well used.
Next on the agenda, before more masquerading for the star: his birthday. Post-performance, Du Bois spoke excitedly about the plans he had locally which would take him to the white sands of Jamaica’s famed north coast beaches. “Everybody goes to the coast. The north coast, that is where I going. I going down to spoil myself,” he says with a grin.
Du Bois was one of two headliners of I Love Soca. Before his appearance, patrons were treated to a fiery set by Queen of Bacchanal, Destra Garcia. The soca songstress has become a legend among loyal ILS revellers lucky enough to have witnessed the artiste performing at a number of fêtes to date. No waistline was safe from the infectious energy Destra brought and the crowd pulsed in time to classics such as Lucy, Carnival and Fly. Ever one to deliver an interactive show, Destra invited ladies from the audience on stage to participate in a ‘wuk-up’ competition to her 2023 collaboration with rising soca artiste Yung Bredda, Roses.
To Destra, it was a performance that had her grateful to be back on Jamaican soil for another carnival season. “It’s always nice being in Jamaica. Jamaican people have always loved soca and Destra. This is my 25th year in the industry and I’ve been coming [to Carnival in Jamaica] since the first one. It’s refreshing to see that [Jamaicans] still love Destra. After all these years they love all the songs and they sing all the songs. Especially [as a woman] having as long a career [as I have] in my industry. I feel so good.”
Destra’s love of Carnival in Jamaica culture was mirrored by supporters of the I Love Soca music festival who melted under the influence of the party’s expert DJ line-up. Set after set, dis jockey/MC duos such as Richie Ras with Copper Cyclone, Bloodline Franco with Brush1 The Road Marshall, and The Hypeman with Jus Jay King had the crowd under a spell of soca, dancehall and even EDM to create an unrelenting high-energy experience.
The trance-like mood was only enhanced by the design of the venue which boasted iridescent photo-ops begging to be the backdrop of memories and storeys-tall screens reminiscent of holograms adorning the sweeping stage. Revellers seeking a break from the audio and visual stimuli need only to walk to the back of the venue to find food offerings from sponsor booths such as Popeyes, Little Caesars and event-staple Bad Dawg Sausages.
As of now, masqueraders have only a few days until road march. For Du Bois, while not giving a definitive answer about road march day, he hasn’t ruled it out completely. “I might be on the road in Jamaica. It’s possible, but I mean if I’m not here, I’m here in spirit. But if I’m here, I going fulljoy myself because Jamaica Carnival is a vibe! Jamaica has something special of their own to offer. It’s not like to say they take a blueprint from other islands. They do it in their own little swag, their own little vibe.”