Cara Renee overcomes self-doubt

• Artiste takes the tough road of producing Jamaican music from overseas

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

Female musicians in Jamaica tend to have a harder time getting recognition than their male counterparts.

Cara Renee knows that and her particular situation makes it even harder for her. She lives in New Jersey, thousands of miles away from Jamaica, the target market of her music.

This does not daunt her, however, as she is determined to go the extra mile to pursue her dreams.

From a young age, Cara Renee's love for reggae music began to bloom.

"Throughout my entire childhood I would dance around the house-singing. My mom would get so annoyed when I would take off her Christian records and put on my grandpa's old calypso records. I would sing along to them for hours while choreographing dance routines for my little shows. My parents patiently sat through hundreds of hours of my performances. I even made my poor little brother do countless duets with me and perform at local talent competitions. The problem I kept encountering though was that all I was interested in singing was reggae, and no one seemed to understand why or support my love," said the artiste.

At 18, Cara Renee had had enough.

"I was fed up with the States and was ready to venture to Jamaica to make some real music," said Cara Renee.

That did not materialise immediately as she allowed other people's scepticism to keep her from doing music.

"Despite my obsession with reggae music and my love of performing, I allowed others' pessimistic opinions and critiques of my goal to sidetrack me. They had me convinced that I was chasing a pipe dream that would never amount to anything. I was persuaded to go to college and pursue a 'normal' profession," she said.

Inspired by success

After three years of sitting behind a desk, she was ready to 'stab her eyes out'. The only time she felt truly invigorated was when she was singing. She began to realise the stage was where she belonged.

"I still work the same job, out of necessity, but the majority of my spare time is spent writing, recording and rehearsing. Fitness is also an essential part of my week and I work out at least an hour a day. When I need some down time, I grab a good book and a bottle of red wine. The simple things make me happy," she explained.

Cara Renee's primary inspiration is success.

"The idea of doing something that I love and succeeding at it is extremely motivating. Personal growth as an artiste is encouraging as well. As my vocals and songwriting skills continue to improve, I am receiving internal confirmation that I am on the right path," she said.

Describing herself as a reggae artiste with a unique sound, she said mixes of several different genres can be heard in her music, but it is mainly reggae with undertones of soca, dance and pop.

She also added that she possess a versatility that allows her to comfortably jump on a low-key culture track, wail on fast-paced soca beats or deejay on a dancehall rhythm.

Samples of this versatility, she said, can be heard through tracks such as Hold You, Sunshine Place, Reggae Boys and Carefree.

Due to her time-consuming work on her album, she said she has had little time to book shows. Her goal for this summer however, is to work at the popular Reggae Sumfest stage show among other local venues.

Although Cara Renee is forced to pursue her musical dreams outside of Jamaica, due to her current job, she believes that once she builds her brand to a suitable point, she will work hard on becoming a household name.

"As much as I would love to launch my career in Jamaica from Jamaica, I am tied down with my job for now and am forced to do it from New Jersey. I think, like any new artiste, I will have to prove myself in order to obtain a loyal fan base. Once my songs are in regular rotation and I am consistently booked for shows, Cara Renee has the potential to become a household name," she said.