Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – The world will know the name, Sabrina Francis. On May 25th, the striking, young, confident songstress graced the stage at the Big Black Box, in Trinidad. It was the first time the Grenadian singer had ever performed in T&T and she certainly made a tremendous first impression.
Sabrina’s an Afro-Caribbean pop singer. She has been making inroads onto the international music scene, touring the UK and other countries, in recent years. She however desired breaking into the Trinidad and Tobago mainstream market, sharing her music with the people of neighboring T&T, with high hopes.
Last Saturday, Sabrina presented an acoustic showcase alongside four members of her Treehouse band. The intimate event brought a hearty audience of persons undoubtedly desirous of soul-touching music. Opening for
Sabrina was fellow Grenadian singer, Laura Lisa who set the tone for what would come.
Building a Strong Fanbase
Ahead of the showcase last Saturday, Francis shared her hopes for her music. “I would like my music to be sustainable. I’m working on building a solid enough fanbase and writing impactful songs, so that in 20 years, I will still be able to get on stage and perform my best work to people who’ve been touched by this music.”
Her choice of Afro-Caribbean music, she explains, was quite the “organic development.” “I’ve experimented with a few genres in my time, but I’ve always had a deep connection to traditional African music, and by extension, traditional Caribbean folk music.”
Sabrina took a trip to South Africa in 2019 while working on her second album and she says on that trip, she met and worked with great musicians, among them, Young Mbazo from South Africa, Frank Mavhimira from Zimbabwe and Matchume Zango from Mozambique. “That changed my life on a spiritual level,” she said.
On her trip to Trinidad, the singer explained that her aim is to build her Caribbean audience. “I think it’s a powerful thing to have your own backyard cheering you on. I also sense a shift in our tastes in music as Caribbean people an openness that wasn’t fully there before. I think the people are ready,” she said enthusiastically.
At the Big Black Box, Francis, dressed tantalizingly elegant in a long, figure – complimenting dress, took the stage with a level of confidence that could only come from within. She introduced herself eloquently and thanked her
audience for sharing their time with her. She expressed her humility, noting the number of people who had shown up. Her song list then commenced and rolling one track into the other, the Grenadian songbird told of her writing process, highlighting that all of her music comes from personal experience.
Song Selection
Songs like, ‘Magical Life,’ ‘Overflow,’ ‘Cocoa Tea,’ ‘I Feel Amazing,’ ‘Mama Say,’ and many others, delivered a truly appetizing musical array that everyone present enjoyed. “I want my music to be a soundtrack to people’s lives. I have music you can listen to when everything is right in the world. Additionally, I have songs for when everything is wrong. I have music for when you’re in love, and music for when your heart is broken,” she shared prior to the showcase. On show night, she proved it.
Over the hour or so that she had impressed her sound and energy on those gathered, Sabrina Francis offered a refreshing taste of just what blossoms out of the Caribbean. Her hope is that islands across the region, will take the time to hear her and others like her, doing what each island can, to promote and sustain the Afro-Caribbean sound that is intrinsically ours.
