Singing Sandra

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Sandra DesVignes-Millington (10 December 1957 – 28 January 2021^[1]), better known as Singing Sandra, was a Trinidadian calypsonian who won the Calypso Monarch title at the 1999 and 2003 carnivals.

Sandra DesVignes-Millington was born in 1957 in East Dry River, and raised in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago.^[2] She was born into a poor family and faced many hardships through her early teenage years. Sandra never met her father, and she was the only child of the family. Her singing talent was evident from an early stage, given that her grandmother was the best singer in her village in Tobago.^{[3][unreliable source?]} She was baptized in a spiritual Baptist church when she was fifteen years old. She began practicing Orisha later in life.^[3][4]

From an early age, she sang and acted, performing a few small productions named 'Best Village' productions.^[4] She was unruly at school and began missing class as she felt that a job was necessary to better support herself.^{[citation needed]} As a result, Sandra never finished her education, instead working a variety of low-wage jobs throughout her twenties.^{[citation needed]} However, during this same period in 1984, she was approached by calypsonian Dr Zhivago to perform two of his songs. In the following year, Sara was recruited to the Mighty Sparrow's Youth Brigade tent at the carnival.^[5] in 1987 she was crowned National Calypso Queen.^{[citation needed]} As a result, her career accelerated exponentially. Sara went on to win the Carifesta Monarch and Calypso Queen of the World titles in 1992 where she also performed at the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival.^{[citation needed]}

Later, she formed the group United Sisters along with Lady B, Tigress, and Marvellous Marva. She continued to perform as a solo artist and consequently won the 'Best Nation Building Song' award, along with a $5,000 prize, at the 1997 carnival for the song "One Destiny One Heart".^{[citation needed]}

As a result of her achievements as an artist, she became a well-respected musician of Soca music. Sandra was the second woman to win Trinidad's Calypso Monarch title, winning in 1999 with the songs "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto".^[6] She finished in third place in 2000 and fifth place during 2001's festival.^{[citation needed]} In 2003 she won the title for a second time, with "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Ancient Rhythm", winning a Honda Civic car and a $70,000 cash prize, becoming the first female calypsonian to win the title twice. She placed third in 2005 and second in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, Singing Sandra became the second woman to ever win the Calypso Monarch competition after Calypso Rose's win in 1978. This was an important feat. By being crowned the Calypso Monarch at this annual Calypso competition, that took place at Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, she reaffirmed the place of women in Calypso music and society too. This was especially significant to this genre, where lyrics had a primary focus on social and political commentary. The two songs that put her in first place were titled "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto", songs that speak on poverty and racism.^[7] The socio-political topics of these songs, were very critical towards social issues present in Trinidad and Tobago which persist to this day. Specifically, "Voices from the Ghetto" focuses on the hardships that come with growing up in a poor, crime-filled neighborhood. This was considered a very personal song to DesVignes-Millington, herself having grown up in the East Dry River area which is known to be a socio-economically poor neighborhood.^[8] Thus, competitions like the Calypso Monarch, are very important platforms for musicians that allow artists like Singing Sandra to artistically voice their political experiences to both local and global audiences because many tourists from around the world flock to Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival celebrations each year.

In 2003, Singing Sandra became the only female Calypso genre artist to ever win the Calypso Monarch title twice.^[4] This repeated win marked her legacy within Calypso music and also helped to bring further attention to the importance of female voices within a male-dominated competition and genre. The two songs that Singing Sandra performed for this specific year's competition were also full of strong political ideas and were titled "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" and "Ancient Rhythm". The latter song relates to the specific experiences of the African diaspora community in Trinidad and other places, and also reflects how Singing Sandra finds her freedom within her music that help her embrace her diaspora identity.^[9] As prizes for these socially important songs Singing Sandra reportedly received a brand new Honda Civic along with a $70,000 cash prize.

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Calypso artists communicate their thoughts and comments about the world mainly through their lyrics.^[7] Although the music is important, the words are crucial for a successful career. The topics vary from singer to singer and can contain any and every type of criticism, opinion, etc. As one of the pioneers in the Calypso industry, Singing Sandra's trajectory has empowered many listeners, especially women. She hoped to influence people positively by giving them something to think about.^[10] This is clearly, exemplified in one of her most famous songs, “Voices from the Ghetto.” This song speaks of the misery and pain circulating in a community, due to the effects that poverty has on its inhabitants. Recurring themes and messages such as this one, surround Singing Sandra's music. Another song that displays such beliefs, is “Sexy Employers,” which talks about sexual harassment in the workplace.^[8] As a result of the dissemination of these social, racial, and feminist ideas Singing Sandra has given Calypso a new face which has begun to pave the way for women in an industry made up predominantly by male figures. Her music has also crossed over other genres such as soca music.^[7] The legacy of Singing Sandra is represented not only by the many awards she has received throughout her successful career but by also touching on topics that mainstream music rarely talks about. In conclusion, Singing Sandra can best be described as a role model and artistic socio-political figure.

Born in East Dry River, and raised in Morvant, DesVignes sang and acted as a child, including performances in 'Best Village' productions.^[2] She left school at the age of fifteen, taking on a succession of low-paid jobs.^[2]

She was approached in 1984 by calypsonian Dr. Zhivago to perform two of his songs, and the following year was recruited to Mighty Sparrow's Youth Brigade tent at the carnival.^[2] She won the National Calypso Queen title in 1987.^[2] She went on to win the Carifesta Monarch and Calypso Queen of the World titles in 1992.^[2]

She performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1992, and subsequently formed the group United Sisters along with Lady B, Tigress, and Marvellous Marva.^[2][11] Sandra continued to perform as a solo artist and won the 'Best Nation Building Song' award, along with a $5,000 prize, at the 1997 carnival for the song "One Destiny One Heart".^[2]

Sandra Des Vignes-Millington – more commonly known as Singing Sandra – stands as Calypso's biggest female icon thanks to her achievements in and contributions to an art form that was once dominated by men and machismo.^[12] Although it is challenging to state just one song as her most famous due to the nature of the progression of her music and popularity, it is certainly easier to say that she has indeed come a long way since her debut at Sparrow's Young Brigade tent in 1984.^[13]

While at Young Brigade, she earned both the local National Calypso Queen and St Maarten Queen of the World titles in 1987 with “Sexy Employees”, more popularly known as “Die with My Dignity”. The song mirrored Sandra's image and spiritually strong moral standing, and was an immediate hit with women in society who identified with the images of male chauvinism in the workplace.^[13] Sandra moved on to greater accomplishments and won the National Calypso Monarch in 1999 by singing her two megahits “Song for Healing” and her trademark rendition “Voices from the Ghetto”.^[12] She created history in what was definitely the year of the women. Another famous song of hers which was an immediate hit with the soca faithful is entitled “Lie Lie".

Therefore, even if one particular Singing Sandra song is difficult to claim as being the most famous, it is evident that she has numerous hits, each popular in their own respect due to the audiences they appealed to and the social dialogues they addressed. Simply stated, as her career advanced, the songs she released progressively gained fame along with her status and development as a musician.

• Singing Sandra discography at Discogs
• Singing Sandra at IMDb

• List of calypsos with sociopolitical influences