Biography of
Lady
Leen
- "Leen" as she is
affectionately referred to by her friends and fans, made her debut as a
calypsonian in 1990 and was an immediate success, becoming the first female
to make it to the finals of the Calypso Monarch competition and gaining a
3rd place in that competition.
-
- That same year she entered the Queen of
the World Calypso competition, which was held in Dominica, placing
6th. She was then invited to New York to perform at the pre-labour day
show.
-
- In 1991 she represented St. Lucia at
Expo-'91 in Antigua, and following this, in 1992 she was off on a tour to
St. Marteen, Dominica and back to Antigua performing with Singing Sandra,
Denise Plummer and Natasha Wilson, the cream of the Trinidad and Tobago
ladies. In 1993 she was invited to perform with the United Sisters and
afterwards it was off to New York again.
-
- Following this was her entrance in the
CBU competition in 1994 where she was a successful finalist, proving her
versatility as an all-round singer and not just a calypsonian. That
same year she was back in Dominica with her calypso tent "The
Ambassadors" singing in a 'Clash of the Tents' "Stardom" and
won the Most Improved Calypsonian Trophy.
-
- In early 1995 she placed 2nd in the St.
Lucia Calypso Queen competition and then followed that up later in the year with
another great performance in the first Buy Local competition in St. Lucia
placing 4th.
-
- In September 1996 at the Cultural Centre in
St. Lucia, she had one of her finest hours when she performed along side one of
the legends of calypso, David Rudder.
1997 saw her consistency moving in the
right direction, as she was once again able to secure 4th place in the Calypso
Monarch competition in St. Lucia. By November of that year she was back on
the airwaves with her first Christmas CD containing eight (8) tunes, becoming
the first female artiste to release a full length CD of original Caribbean
music. In 1997 she was also the recipient of the Outstanding
Achievement Award for International Women's Day in St. Lucia.
In February 1998 she placed 3rd in the Soca
Monarch competition and the following night placed 4th in the Calypso Monarch
competition, proving that her previous successes were no fluke. Later in
May 1997, she was off to St. Croix to perform with Imagination Brass of St.
Thomas. She has performed alongside many of the top guns in calypso
including Crazy, John King, Calypso Rose, Red Plastic Bag, Pe'lay, De Invader
and Chalkdust, and top groups such as Krosfhya and Square One.
In 1999 Leen was one of the three
calypsonians selected by the St. Lucia Tourist Board to represent and promote Jam
Time '99 (July Carnival) in New York.
In February 2000 she was a nominee for the
St. Lisi Par Excellence Award, becoming the first calypsonian to be
nominated. That same month she represented the Ambassadors' Calypso Tent
in Trinidad with Specktacular. She again made it to the finals that
year. In December 2000 Leen performed in St. Croix alongside the United
Sisters and other female calypsonians from the Caribbean, backed up by
Imagination Brass of St. Thomas.
On 17th March 2001, Lady Leen was the first
to receive the award for Vocational Service in Calypso at the Prime Minister's
residence. In 2001 she also placed 5th in the Calypso Monarch competition.
On January 21st 2001, Lady Leen was
honoured in Trinidad and Tobago for her outstanding contribution in the arts,
especially calypso in the Caribbean and Internationally.
Leen is destined for great things and St.
Lucia can only hope that her career is not interrupted in any way so that she
can become a calypso legacy such as
other great St. Lucians before her.
