Who is Vanilla?

Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts is one of Guyana’s top soca artistes. After winning 8 Road March titles, and consistently placing in the top 3 of Guyana’s Soca Monarch competition, Vanilla is a woman poised to take the soca scene by storm.

The name Vanilla was given to her by her boyfriend and she says it describes her perfectly as she is usually very easygoing. However, you would never know this by her passionate performances or unyielding drive to push Guyanese music to the world.

The Berbice-born singer won her first Road March title in 2005 with the song “Queen of the Band.” She would go on to win six more and place in the top three spots of the Carib Soca Monarch Competition. In 2019, her patriotic song "One Voice" won her the coveted Soca Monarch crown. The song is personal for Vanilla as she sees the people of Guyana living and working together, but being torn apart by political agendas.

National unity has been in jeopardy after recent events surrounding Guyana’s 2020 elections. The incumbent David Granger of the National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) party seeks reelection while the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) aims to regain power during the time of the nation’s greatest wealth. The political fighting has spilled over to Guyana’s populace, causing a rift between Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese.

However, every national was seen waving and belting out “I Am 5-9-2!” during Mashramani, a parade commemorating the cooperative work of the people. The song was created with this in mind. According to Vanilla, Guyanese people are very patriotic and they love to have a good time, which is why the song has resonated with the people and landed her in the top 3 of Guyana’s Soca Monarch.

Guyana is a country where radio is still king. If a song is not heard on the airwaves, it likely will not be heard anywhere else. Many citizens do not search for Guyanese music online, so radio deejays have a lot of power in what gets heard. However, with deejays gaining popularity, they are focused on their own brand and being in the spotlight. “I don’t know if there’s a competition between the artistes and the deejays.” They used to support the artistes and make sure that the music makers were getting recognition. Before, the deejay was promoting the music - now he’s promoting himself.

For her part, Vanilla is consistently putting out music to ensure she stays on the airwaves even after Mash. She feels that the newly instituted Guyana Carnival helps by giving artistes another opportunity to get their music played.

When she is not making music, Vanilla makes time for her other creative pursuits. The high-energy performer uses quiet moments to write scripts for films. Her interest in being behind the camera began in 2005 when she started producing music videos. In 2009, Vanilla graduated from UWI Errol Barrow Center for the Creative Imagination in Barbados with a certificate in Motion Picture Arts. Since then she has directed over twenty music videos and discreetly written scripts for films that she is excited to produce. She is also involved with the Caribbean Film Academy (CaFA) and the Timehri Film Festival. Although she was not ready to share details of particular films in the works, Vanilla did say that she wants to go behind-the-scenes of costume creation. She feels that knowing what it takes to produce costumes for Mashramani will give Guyanese people a greater appreciation for their culture.

On a typical day, Vanilla manages the Kros Kolor Records studio in Georgetown and teaches fitness classes four days a week at Space Gym. However, it is clear that singing is still her priority and she will continue creating music for her fans and her country.

Find out more about Vanilla on her website vanillagy.com where you can find the latest releases, music lyrics, videos and even download her music from Soundcould. You can also follow Vanilla on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook.