Anika Berry: Nursing her love for soca

Anika Berry has been singing her whole life. The US-based nurse initially began singing R&B but has since segued into soca.

Berry performed at various spaces and events during Trinidad and Tobago’s recently concluded Carnival. Her 2023 single is Jammin.

She also wants to use her music to delve deeper into TT’s health industry and build her own health institution here.

For her, the shift from R&B into soca was not difficult and, in fact, her R&B background is also a part of the soca that she sings.

She described her style “an old-school” woven with “new era flavours.”

In 2021, she had her first single, Lash Up. That came out of needing to de-stress during the covid19 pandemic’s height.

“When covid19 pandemic hit, I was right in the source and centre. In order to balance my mental health in that time, I was singing, music was my go to,” she said.

She said for her and her family – her mother is also a nurse – they would come home and use music as the destresser.

During that time she also wrote a lot of songs.

She was a night-shift worker and, after caring for her patients, she would write everything that she was feeling.

In My Dreams, one of her singles was inspired by one of her patients.

“His family members called and asked, ‘We would like to see him one last time? Can you make that possible?’”

She used her phone to FaceTime and it was the last goodbye for the patient and his family.

“As soon as I came out of the room I cried and that was how I came up with, ‘In my dreams the last time you would see your loved one again is probably in your dreams.’”

Entering the soca field, Destra Garcia is a major musical influence for her as well as Patrice Roberts and Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez.

After doing her first single, her desire to sing soca kept growing.

During the pandemic she performed on soca artiste Aaron “Voice” St Louis’ Vibes with Voicey Instagram live competition.

“For me being the states it was a way for me to show my brand, show my talent online for everybody to see and that was another break from what was happening.”

She did not win the competition but made it to the finals and it opened opportunities for her such as opening up for him in Miami.

Performing in TT’s Carnival for the first time this year was exciting for her.

“The last time I was here, I just had one song and I was not an established musician/singer. I had one interview and I was thankful for that.

“This year I came back and I had the opportunity to be a part of this transition,” she said.

Berry said she was focused on soca but it was not difficult to tap into her R&B roots again.

She also feels like all genres fit into her music.

“I merge all those elements together,” she said.

She added that she was not afraid of fusions or afraid of collaborating with any other artiste.

Lyrikal, Nadia Batson, Nessa Preppy, Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez and Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez are some of the people with whom Berry would love to collaborate.

She does nursing part-time and is licensed in four different states.

“Depending on where I am, I can always go in the hospital and work. I am on night shift. Eventually I hope to open my own health facility, whether it be here or across all islands.”

She wants to help implement a better health care structure in TT.

Initially Berry wanted to address health issues like diabetes, dementia and mental illness. However, she now believes she has to take some time and research on the country and region’s major health concerns.

But she thinks growing her brand musically will aid in her work in the medical field.

“The more I promote my brand and my name, the more I would have eyes, viewers and supporters. So once you gain that fan base and support, it is easier to convince people of what you’re doing,” she said.

She intends to return for Carnival 2024 and release music throughout the year.