Soca Siblings Soaring

Jay and Bronxx Follow Their Musical Passions

KEVIN and Jernell Victor have a few things in common. They are siblings, love and seem determined to continue learning their way through the music scene and become as bright as the musical stars they have emulated over the years. This brother and sister collaboration hopes their music reaches far beyond their native Faux-a-Chaud and the Pavee community they now call home.

Nineteen-year-old Kevin, whose stage name is Bronxx, said he grew up idolizing soca stars Ricky T, Mongstar and Ambi making their mark on the scene. He spent a few years of watching his idols do their thing through the support of his mother, Janice, who made sure that he got exposed to music.

“My mother is a Carnival lover, so every year she would try to get us tickets to go to Soca Monarch My sister and I enjoyed going to those shows and always got involved in various activities there, including running on stage when the winner was announced because the winner would most likely be Ricky T. Since we’re from Faux-a-Chaud, we would always support our own.”

Kevin has been a member of Take Over Tent since 2014. That year, he joined in with the Cam Dancers when that group appeared on stage during one of Ambi’s performances of “Free (Hold Your Contract)” in 2014. He also joined J-Mouse onstage that year for a performance of “Hurt It”.

That same year, Ambi came up with a vibe that made Bronxx an instant hit with fans. The song, “Talon”, featured Bronxx singing his first unrecorded song laced with lyrics like:

“I like your nose, your eyes
Your lips, your thighs
I love it when you wine on that
You got me hypnotized
I like your shoes, your socks
Your hair, your locks
But what I like the most
You know, I like your talon…”

After seasons of rubbing musical shoulders with the likes of Ambi, Kevin said he came to the point where he felt he just had to do his own thing. After all, it’s one thing to be supportive. But when you have musical game, you also need to play your cards.

“I actually got the vibe to get into soca from just being around them,” Kevin said. “I mean, being around them and laughing with them is one thing. But whenever they get on stage, you feel like you’re missing out. You get that feeling that you want to be on stage, maybe not to sing a song but at least dancing as part of the performance.”

Last year, he came out with another song, “Stamp”, which he admitted was “not really a hit” because of poor lyrics due in part to the song being written in a rush. He chalked that experience up to the learning curve and hopes to redeem himself this year.

His latest song, “Move We Body”, written by his sixteen-year-old cousin, Giovanni Charles, is a groovy track that speaks about having a good time by “freeing up ourselves at carnival time.” Apart from describing the song as one that fans must groove to this season, Kevin said he wants people to recognize the abundance of young talent Saint Lucia has and assist in the process “by pushing us forward”.

“This is going to be the year that I’m looking forward to doing better things, especially better writing,” the teenager said.

For now, Kevin prefers sticking to the soca genre. While he does have some experience at it, he said part of taking the business seriously this year had to do with his sister wanting to enter the music industry.

“We decided to collaborate on the song after listening to the rhythm at home and catching a vibe. It’s basically more about bringing her into the business. I mean, she’s been into it longer than me,” Kevin explained.

Jernell, 24, goes by the stage name Jay, said soca music is her kryptonite, her weakness. However, after years of “just being among my cousins and brother watching de vibe” and running on stage to greet soca champs, she has already christened her soca singing career by teaming up with her younger brother, performing “Move We Body” for the first time publicly at this year’s NCF Telethon.

She explained how the song came about: “I was just in studio with a friend of mine when the music just hit me in my veins. That’s when I really realized how much I really love soca music. So I decided to write a track.”

After returning home and listening to the rhythm of what would eventually become a component of the song, she and Bronxx wrote down a few lines and sent them off to Giovanni and asked him to finish it up. Within twenty minutes, the song was put together.

The talented siblings say they also have unreleased music that fans will be introduced to as the season unfolds, including party soca tracks. While each would be focusing on individual goals this season, one common goal seems to unite them: letting their fans know that the Victor duo is out to be victorious.

“We’re looking forward to performing at as many shows we can,” Jernell said. “For me, it’s all about exposure. For my brother, it’s easier because he’s already accustomed to performing on stage. We’re also targeting Road March, Groovy and Party Soca Monarch – everything.”