Schoolteacher looking to make it big with Ragga Soca

Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 28-year-old Coranie Davis-Chandler is a teacher by profession. However, after hours, she discards her teacher image and transforms in to a Ragga Soca diva.{{more}}

A Grade 6 teacher at the Kingstown Anglican School, Davis-Chandler is married and has a two year old daughter. She says she has a passion for music and has embarked on a journey which she hopes will lead her to becoming a full time artiste.

Coranie said she has been involved in music from an early age, having had the early influence of her parents.

“I’m musically inclined since I was a fetus,” she joked.

She explained that when her mom Sylvia Davis was pregnant with her, she used to watch musical programs on television and wished for her daughter to one day become a musical star.

Her father, Douglas Davis, on the other hand, used to sing calypso back in the early 80’s.

Coranie said she began taking a deeper interest in singing while she attended the Mountain View Adventist Academy.

Upon completing secondary school, the young singer became a member of her church choir and later joined the Bequia gospel music group “Desire”.

“While with the group, we released a number of gospel CDs. After leaving Desire, I joined a band called Expressions, where I had the opportunity to perform at the Blues festival for three consecutive years.

“I later joined Akcess, owned by Junior Sutherland, and with them, I also performed at the Blues Festival as well…” she said.

Unfortunately, Coranie said she had to part ways with the group, and although she continued singing, it was not in public.

In 2008, Coranie met the music and video producer and leader of De Kamp music group, Colville Shady Layne, who was at the time a guest at her wedding.

Shady told SEARCHLIGHT that it was at the wedding that he had the opportunity to hear Coranie sing and he was “impressed” by her vocals.

He explained that before the wedding, Coranie had met him and told him about her interest in furthering her musical career.

“After the wedding, everything just fell into place. We kept in touch and it was a few months ago she became the newest edition to De Kamp,” he explained.

The producer further explained that Coranie was more of an R&B singer, as that’s where her interest laid.

According to him though, because there is limited opportunities for local artistes in the R&B genre, he steered her in the direction of Ragga Soca.

“I felt that soca music is our thing and since she’s been with us (De Kamp), she has already recorded a number of Ragga Soca tracks …”

“Can’t wait for Carnival”, which also features Shady, is one of the songs that has been released for Coranie for this year’s Carnival and according to the artiste, the song has so far received favourable feedback from the public.

“Even the kids I teach tell me they’ve heard it and like it,” Coranie said.

Another of her tracks is “Drunk before the fete”.

Coranie says her intention is not to sing smutty songs, but to produce music that persons can relate to while having a good time.(AA)