Alison Amanda Hinds (born June 1 1970) is a British-born Bajan soca singer based in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. She is often referred to as the Bajan " Queen of Soca" as a result of her impact on the genre.

Biography

Alison Hinds was born on 1 June 1970 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, and was raised in Plaistow.Batey, Angus (2007)
Notting Hill Carnival: Alison Hinds ready to reign at Carnival
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', 23 August 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2010.Kuss, Malena (2006), ''Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Encyclopedic History: Performing the Caribbean Experience v. 2'', University of Texas Press, , p. 350. Both her parents were from the island of Barbados; her father was employed at the Ford's

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

plant. When she was 11 years old, her parents divorced and she moved to Barbados with her mother. Hinds competed in the Richard Stoute Teen Talent contest in 1985, finishing in third place. She was a lead vocalist in the popular band

Square One Square One may refer to: Film and TV * ''Square One: Michael Jackson'', a 2019 investigative documentary about the first allegations of child sexual abuse brought by the Chandler family *''Square One Television'', a children's television series ...

, joining the group in 1987, and recording several albums before leaving the band in 2004 to take care of her newborn daughter.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 275–6.Springer, Michelle (2010)
Back to Square One
, NATIONNews.com, 24 July 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.Soca star says farewell
,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, 13 December 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2010. Hinds won the Barbados Song Contest in 1992 with the duet with John King "Hold You in a Song", the Road March in 1996 and 1997, and the Party Monarch competition in Barbados in 1997.Collinder, Avia (2007)
Alison Hinds – Soca Mama
", '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 15 July 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2010.Meschino, Patricia (2008)
Alison Hinds: Coronating Her Majesty
, '' Vibe'', February 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2010. Hinds lives in Barbados with her husband Edward Walcott Junior and her daughter, on a privately owned horse farm, which her husband manages. She has her own band, the Alison Hinds Show, formed in 2005, with Hinds as the main singer and most of the other members of the band young dancers and musicians. After returning to music with a vocal contribution to a remix of Kevin Lyttle's " Turn Me On","Soca Queen Ready To 'Roll It' For Fans At Irie Jamboree 2k8 – August 31, 2008, Queens, New York"
Jamaicans.com, 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2010. . she returned to the soca scene with the hit song "

Roll It Gal "Roll It Gal" (otherwise known as "Roll It") is a song written by Shontelle, Shontelle Layne and Sheldon Benjamin, and originally recorded by soca singer Alison Hinds, taken from her debut album ''Soca Queen''. The single was released by Hinds in ...

", which praises women's independence in lyrics about Women's empowerment.Anglin-Christie, Kavelle (2006)
Alison Hinds rolls it on her own
", '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 23 April 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2010. The song was a huge hit throughout the Caribbean and was released in the UK in 2007 to coincide with the release of her debut album. "Roll It" has been a popular staple in the Caribbean culture.Caribbean Flavour Series- Alison Hinds, a soca role model
", '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 11 February 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2010.Lawrence, Eddy (2007)
Alison Hinds: interview
", '' Time Out'', 20 August 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2010. She also recorded a collaboration with Machel Montano for the remix of "Roll It Gal". Hinds' debut solo album '' Soca Queen'' was released in October 2007. Her 2010 album ''Caribbean Queen'' contains collaborations with Shaggy, Richie Spice, and

Jah Cure Jah Cure, or Iyah Cure (born Siccature Alcock on 11 October 1978 in Hanover, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae musician. Raised in Kingston, he was given the name Jah Cure by Capleton. Career His first big break came in March 1997 when he rele ...

, with whom she collaborated on the single "Team Up" in 2009.Jackson, Steven (2010)
Alison Hinds aim to top Jamaica chart
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 21 March 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010."Jah Cure And Alison Hinds Team Up"
Jamaicans.com, 31 December 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2010. . In 2011, she performed a soca collaboration called "Glow" with Trinidadian calypsonian David Rudder. She has toured worldwide and has performed at many of the West Indian Carnivals and festivals including Reagge Sumfest, and the West Indian American Carnival in Brooklyn.Pareles, Jon (2008)
Happiness Abounds, With Extra for the Ladies
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 27 August 2008. On 11 November 2011, Hinds was one of many Barbadian entertainers shown on the '' Where in the World is Matt Lauer?'' segment on NBC. On Saturday, 21 October 2023, she was awarded the

Honorary Degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of the

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

by the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest appearances

*"Something About You" - Walker Hornung ft. Alison Hinds 1999 *"Bring It Superstar Mix" – Lalchan Babwa (Hunter) ft. Alison Hinds, Andy Singh, Bunji Garlin & Ziggy Rankin *"Ah Bottle of Rum" – Lalchan Babwa (Hunter) ft. Alison Hinds, Peter Ram *"Roll Up De Tassa Remake" – Drupatee Ramgoonai ft. Alison Hinds

References

External links

*
Interview with Alison HindsHinds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinds, Alison 1970 births Living people 20th-century Black British women singers 20th-century British women singers 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers Barbadian soca musicians Barbadian women singers British emigrants to Barbados English people of Barbadian descent Feminist musicians People from Plaistow, Newham Singers from the London Borough of Newham