'Sweetheart of soca' Rae changes her tune

Rachel Purcell says she’s motivated by not just her love for music, but her dedication to family and growth.

Known as Rae and also called "the sweetheart of soca," she has several songs released for Carnival 2025.

She is maintaining her focus and is grateful for every blessing she’s experienced along her journey, a media release said.

In 2019, Rae had a chance for a breakthrough in Trinidad and Tobago’s soca music industry after struggling to find her path in music, the release said.

“I’ve always loved to sing. I learnt to read music during my earlier years when I played the violin and after that, I attended the Frank Sinatra School of The Arts in the US,” she said in the release.

Travelling during her earlier years between TT and New York and now, between Maryland and TT, Rae says those years were filled with moments of uncertainty and bouts of fear.

“I had made the conscious decision to focus on music in high school and I had been mostly involved in the classical side of music, but it didn’t feel like it was enough for me.”

Even being aligned with a young group of singers, and recording at Murder Inc studios in New York, Rae felt something was missing.

“The feeling just wasn’t there and I decided to put a pause on it for a while at one point,” she said.

She took time out of music professionally but would perform with friends at karoake clubs and even made an attempt to enter American Idol.

“I signed up and on the day of the audition, in the cold, I lined up. Eventually though, fear kicked in and I changed my mind.”

A chance opportunity presented when she received a phone call from a relative, that changed Rae’s trajectory.

“My cousin called and told me he had connections with a songwriter who worked with Kees (Dieffenthaller).”

That was Darryl Gervais, a well-known songwriter and producer who would eventually become Rae’s manager. Despite having never recorded soca music, Rae’s conviction to make this opportunity count, led to her persuading Gervais to write two songs for her for the 2020 Carnival season. Added to that, with the help of another producer and singer, Rae made a breakthrough even she did not see coming.

“Darryl had contacted Motto on my behalf, telling him about me and asking him to consider me to be on a riddim for the season. Motto had asked to hear my music but I had none. It was unbelievable; Motto took that chance on me, adding me to the Toatin Riddim alongside artistes like Nadia Batson, Lyrikal, Nessa Preppy, Shal Marshall and himself. That was where it all started for me. That’s when I got my break.”

Now, five years later, Rae is standing strong and empowered.

“During the pandemic when many of us were confused about the direction we should go in, I did not give up. I did a lot of virtual performances and maintained my presence,” she said, crediting the challenging global situation with her sudden rise.

Her latest release Throw Waist comes on the heels of her other releases such as Wining Degree and Come Over – a collaboration with Azaryah. The new single offers visuals and delivers a different sound from the singer who many often consider to be strictly groovy, the release said.

“Everybody calls me the sweetheart of soca, but I feel like that puts me in a category where people think I can only do ‘sweet’ songs. I don’t want to get boxed in; I’m versatile, and I am capable of multiple variations when it comes to soca music.”

In 2024, she entered the Antigua Soca Monarch, placing second, and that for her was a major success.

“I felt like I had won because I was an artiste nobody had known– with a song nobody had heard much of. That meant a lot to me.”

It is her aim to deliver stronger vocal performance in the season ahead. Rae says she is dedicated to connecting with the people through strong visuals online and authentic engagement.

“It’s not enough to just release the music anymore. People want to connect, and visuals help with that. Bringing the content and the personality with the music, is the way forward,” she said, adding that this year, her aim is also to show off more of her personality.

Throw Waist was written by Darryl Gervais and produced by Papoo.

“This song is about the ladies and the energy is all about dominating, empowering and strengthening the women all season long.”

On Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Rae will be on the road with Paparazzi mas.