When audience members take in vocalist Moricia Cagan at her solo show on September 9, they will be seeing and hearing the results of a life of diverse experiences.She was a track athlete talented enough to secure a sport scholarship to a US university. She was a model and beauty pageant contestant. And after testing the calypso waters this year by entering a few small competitions, she's aiming to perform in a tent next year.At the September 9 show, which will come off at the La Cantina Pizzeria on Victoria Avenue, Port-of-Spain, the performer better known for jazz, R&B and gospel will aim to satisfy a wide range of tastes."I'm doing a varied set," she said in a recent interview, "some of the current hits and some old-school reggae and calypso. I'm going to do some Swahili and Spanish (songs)–a little bit of everything."
Cagan's show is the latest in a series called Songbirds Live, which highlights artistes whom organisers believe are the best underexposed female vocalists in the Caribbean. The series began in 2009, organised by Production One Ltd, the 11-year-old live entertainment company responsible for the annual Jazz Artists on the Greens festival.The purpose of Songbirds, said marketing director Rolf Doyle, is to introduce audiences to deserving performers of whom they might not have heard."We tend to feature people who may be on the fringe, or not well known by many people," said Doyle.The series ran for two years before going on hiatus in 2011 and 2012. This year, it's running between July and December, featuring a new artist on the first Monday of every month.Cagan got into music after her track career was cut short by injury, which also forced her to give up a sport scholarship to Long Island University.She dabbled in modelling with House of Jacqui, in 2002 winning the Miss T&T Talent pageant organised by the designer and representing T&T at other pageants in the region.
She had been a vocalist for Divine Echoes, the orchestra that was at the centre of political controversy in 2010. The band, which had been formed and funded by the PNM government, had their funding cut and their instruments confiscated by the new People's Partnership government. The group has since changed its name to Echoes the Band and has been trying to fund itself, but it's been difficult."That political cloud is still there," said Cagan. "It's extremely difficult to secure as many gigs as we would like. We had a couple gigs booked the other day, and coming closer to the date, when they realised it was us, they cancelled."Cagan earns a living solely through her musical performances, which makes opportunities provided by the Songbirds series particularly important."In Trinidad the industry is saturated with performers," she said. "I'm trying to get my name out, and shows like these are certainly giving me that kind of advertisement, for want of a better word."I'm being seen by the public and showcasing my talent," she said.