Eighteen-year-old Vinel Hinds is the talk of the town as the new Junior Calypso Monarch, third-place finisher in the Junior Soca Monarch contest and Best Newcomer in both competitions for this year.
Her winning song, “Yuh Lie”, was composed by CEO of Kross Kolor Records Burchmore Simon and Vinel’s performance found favour with the crowd, and more importantly, the judges.
The song warns about the men who take advantage of women through lies and advises women not to fall for the lies, to be independent and not to rely on those men.
Vinel told The Scene that her first audience was the congregation at her church; she was just five years old. In the years that followed, she became a regular and people picked up on her talent. She was subsequently invited to record songs at Ruff Kut Productions Studio.
By this time, Vinel had moved to the R&B genre and released “Need You”. She has done a cover of “Mary Did You Know?” Both songs have since been posted to Selector Andre’s YouTube page. She also did harmony for singers recording at the studio.
Vinel participated as a back-up singer for Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts at previous competitions and Vanilla served as a mentor for Vinel in the run-up to this year’s competitions. Together, they worked on her vocals and the importance of stage presence.
The opportunity to participate at the national level meant so much to Vinel that she became frustrated. She shared that many nights she cried as she only wanted to give her best and at first she was not too sure she could do it. It was Vanilla and her small team of supporters who had her back, telling her that she could.
Performing “Yuh Lie” at the monarch competition is one of her favourite memories to date. According to the singer, she is not one for drama and having to include that in her performance was out of her comfort zone. Nonetheless, when she was finally able to pull off the performance for the show, she could not be more thrilled to know that her hard work paid off.
While it felt great knowing that her song was selected, Vinel said, she was nervous. Asked why she was nervous, the singer said she knew she was going up against competitors who participated in the competition before. She named Omaiah Hall and last year’s monarch Osei ‘O.K.C.’ Clarke who finished second in the competition this year.
“I didn’t expect to win. That was a surprise especially because I was new to the competition,” Vinel said. Since winning, she has been over the moon. “My phone has been ringing all the time for interviews. Being in the spotlight is a new thing for me,” Vinel laughed.
Performing for the Junior Soca Monarch Competition, she said, was another challenge as she had to learn how to connect with the crowd and be able to encourage them into following dance instructions she gave while performing. Her weeks of practice certainly paid off when she performed “Vibes Up” for the Junior Soca Monarch Competition.
Vinel, who works full time at call centre Midas BPO, shared that being successful at both competitions was as a result of her performing every minute of her free time.
A songwriter also, Vinel enjoys writing R&B songs. She is not yet ready to write Soca and Calypso songs, but she is working towards learning how.
A former South Ruimveldt Secondary School student, Vinel represented her school at a number of Mashramani Competitions as a dancer. Dancing, she shared, took her to many places around Georgetown and at one time, as far as Suriname. Yet, if she had to decide between her two loves – singing and dance – the former would take the number one spot.
An active track and field athlete while in school, she was once selected to sing the national anthem at the Synthetic Track and Field Facility at Leonora for a sports event she participated in.
Sports aside, the singer shared that music is also her passion. Among her inspirations are Celine Dion, Vanilla, Beyonce, Rihanna and Tennicia ‘Nekeita’ De Freitas.
“I just want to travel all over Guyana and sing at places like Bartica, Linden, and Lethem. I see myself becoming an international singer collecting Grammy Awards one day,” she said.
Once a member of an African Gospel group called Peks Band, the Junior Calypso Monarch shared that experiences like that helped to pave the way for where she is today.
“Thank you to my team for helping me with my self-confidence and thank you to all those who contributed to my growth,” Vinel said.
Vinel, who is now attached to Kross Kolor Records, is currently working on some inspirational songs. She hopes to have them released by the end of the year. Additionally, the singer is also looking to get more acquainted with the Soca genre. Musically driven, she also hopes to learn to play the piano and guitar.
Though not studying at the moment, the singer is working towards being financially stable so she can eventually pursue her academic dreams of obtaining a degree in social work and/or psychology.
Vinel enjoys writing new R&B songs and watching movies featuring drama, dance and music.
The singer can be followed on social media @i_am_vinel on TikTok, Itz Vinnie Boo on Facebook and @vinnieboo_2003 on Instagram.
