At 19, Vita Chambers displays immense confidence in her musical ability as an up-and-coming top-shelf pop artiste.
And her articulateness belies her teenage years.
“I am very confident in my music and very satisfied with the direction my career is taking now,” Vita told the WEEKEND NATION.
“I always had a strong vision of what I wanted.”
She has every reason to be sure of herself and satisfied to boot.
Her single Fix You is now No. 17 on the national airplay chart and No. 20 on the Pop ITunes chart in Canada and is rising. It is closing on becoming a gold single there as well. Just as important, the song garnered a Juno Award nomination, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. It was nominated for the Best Dance Recording.
Evan Rogers, an American record producer and co-owner of SRP Records, spotted the teenager in a video posting on Vita’s My Space page and flew to Barbados from New York to hear her sing. He immediately signed her to a contract with SRP/Universal Motown.
“I flew to Barbados and had dinner with Vita and her parents, Bob and Joy Chambers. I just felt this girl could be a star and she is absolutely one of the most natural born stars I have been around,” Rogers declared.
Rogers was the producer who heard Rihanna when she was an unknown 15-year-old student at Combermere School, signed her to a contract, brought her to live in his home in Connecticut with his Bajan wife Jackie and launched her career. Rihanna is now a music icon.
“Vita and Rihanna are very unique artistes but musically they are very different. What I do say they have in common, along with having star quality as far as talent goes is the drive and the willingness to work relentlessly to achieve goals,” Rogers said. “They are perfectionists. Rihanna and Vita share those qualities. ”
Vita was born in Vancouver but grew up in Barbados, living in St Philip where the family has a home.
“We are completely different people, of course, but I consider Rihanna to be an incredible artiste, a very successful person. She has done so much for Barbados, it’s amazing,” said Vita.
“I admire her for talent and how much she has achieved. It’s wonderful. I don’t mind the fact that people link us and associate us with Barbados.”
Vita’s road to musical success has taken her from Barbados to New York and now back to Canada where she is touring, performing for tens of thousands of adoring young fans, doing newspaper, radio and other media interviews and telling the world that she is a Barbadian.
“I consider myself to be a Barbadian and a Canadian,” she said in an interview from Alberta where she is appearing.
“My Bajan accent is there and I have been influenced by the Barbadian culture and the experience of growing up there.”
Vita, who attended St Winifred’s School and Codrington High School in Barbados before heading to the Big Apple to pursue her career, has had several amazing experiences. Two years ago she was invited to open for Justin Bieber on his My World Tour, performing before 30 000-plus screaming fans.
It was at that point in Vita’s journey that she hit a bump on the road as Motown was folded into its sister label Universal Republic. Vita was one of the very few artistes kept in the merger, but the process put things on hold for SRP and the Barbadian.
“The time allowed her to grow and evolve as an artist,” said Rogers.
Talk to the teenager and inevitably she refers to her parents and the support, guidance and confidence they passed on to her.
“I have unbelievable parents who support me every step of the way. They believed in my dream of being a singer . . . . They uprooted themselves and moved to New York and now I am back in Canada and my mother is with me on this tour.”
Her mother Joy took the mountain of praise in stride.
“We are very proud of her and grateful for the response of people,” said Joy. “Vita is enjoying herself and her music.”
What next for the talented teen?
“The single . . . should be launched in the United States in late May,” Vita said.
Rogers agreed with her forecast.
“We are anxious for the record to cross over from Canada this summer. It is time for the US to know Vita Chambers,” he said.
