Caribbean Beat — November/December 2018 (#154)

own words
“It doesn’t
matter
where
you come
from”
I
went St Gabriel’s RC School in San Fernando,
and was in choir participating in the Music
Festival and SanFest. I had a love for
music, and was very good at it. I believe it
helped my school work, so I began entering
examinations for piano, up until professional
studies level.
Our lives changed when my mum had to move
to Port of Spain for work. I transferred to St Joseph’s
Convent, Port of Spain. The choir director there and
my piano teacher said to me, “You know, you could
have a career in this.” One thing led to another, and
Jeanine De Bique, Trinidadborn
classical singer, on
how her upbringing has
shaped her career, the
importance of a solid
support network, and her
breakthrough performances
of the past year — as told to
Caroline Taylor
Photography courtesy Jeanine De Bique
I got into the Manhattan School of Music. I did my
undergrad, master’s, and then one year of professional
studies. And from there it started.
I think my journey is completely different
from anybody else’s, especially somebody who’s
coming from here. I grew up on St John’s Road,
St Augustine [east of Port of Spain]. My mother was
single, with three kids. It wasn’t easy for her, but
she wanted each one of us to have our own idea
of who we were, and what we wanted to be, and
create the space to be able to achieve those things.
One of us is a doctor, one is a physiotherapist, and
one is an opera singer.
I always try to remind people that it doesn’t
matter where you come from — it matters your
support network, the energy that is around you.
My team is my agency, my teacher, my mum and
family, and my partner. Work, family, and love.
All of this comes together. They always say keep
your eye on the target, but there’s more to that. It’s
really your whole being, your whole self, knowing
you have something bigger for yourself. Your whole
being, the universe, feeds off of that energy, sucks
it in, and gives you back exactly what you give out.
Nobody’s said “you can’t do it” to me. I wouldn’t
even allow that. I’ve never faced any major blocks
in my development, other than from myself — me
fighting against myself, which is kind of the worst
struggle to be in, because you could just be going
around and around. I told my agency maybe five
or six years ago, “Look, if I’m not making it . . .” I
said maybe I should go back to school for business
or something. And they said, “Jeanine, just wait
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