Being one of the first female leads on stage can be quite intimidating, but for singer Raywtee Ramroop, it feels like second nature.
Ramroop said in her 20 years of music, though she had times of anxiety, she never allowed it to dictate her pace.
She made her long-awaited return to the main stage on Thursday at the Divali Nagar, Chaguanas and did not disappoint.
Her electrifying performance left the crowd in awe with her melodic voice and perfectly suited songs for the celebration.
She even rounded up a few spectators during her practise sessions and sound checks that afternoon as she sang bhajans with her band Modern Electrical Rhythms.
Before Ramroop, 43, was called to the stage, she spoke to WMN about her formative years in music. She said her first memorable experience was when she placed third at the 1996 Mastana Bahar competition.
"Since then I realised that I wanted this and I had this passion. I mean we all (band members) started off singing in religious groups and I wanted to really go, get the extra drive and go that extra mile in a musical field."
After her success at Mastana Bahar and singing with religious groups, Ramroop said she began her journey of performing with bands.
"I started to sing with at that time BWIA National Indian Orchestra. I gained a lot of experience with them and I also gained experience with a band called Philharmonics."
She said Philharmonics was a band that started in Cumuto where she grew up and she worked with them for two years. She worked with the BWIA National Indian Orchestra for around one year.
"Besides these bands, I also gained experience from Melody Stars and a small band from Cumuto called Yarana. That is also where I found love."
Ramroop her would-be husband Robert Ramroop was the drummer for Yarana and after getting married, they decided to form their own band - Modern Electrical Rhythms.
"From then to now, the band has done really well and we've be able to tour to countries like Canada, US, Guyana, Suriname, Holland, Spain and that's just to name a few. The experience was remarkable and it was truly a one in a million, that feeling on that stage especially when you have this drive and this passion for music, man you really feel like you can sing all the night."
She singled out her experience in Holland as "amazing."
"You know what really captured my heart? Me being a Trinidadian, speaking English while their language is Dutch. I really learned a few words and phrases, that's something I'll always remember. They know things like 'Put your hands in the air' and 'Wave' the crowd and the responses were amazing."
Ramroop said hearing her fans shout "I love you" in Dutch has stuck with her.
"The thing about it is that they know the music and because they know the music, a connection instantly happened."
Though the crowds at shows have minimised owing to the covid19 pandemic, Ramroop said she understands the fear, but added that people
