Photo credit: Trinidad Guardian
Long before the stage lights, the tours, and the chart placements, there was a little girl in Toco singing at the top of her lungs during family praise and worship.
The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reports that Shakema Rowe, known in the Soca world as Miss Cali, has crafted a career that bridges Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. Still, her story is deeply rooted in the quiet, coastal village where her grandparents raised her.
Toco shaped her. The Atlantic Ocean breeze, tight-knit community life, and the steady presence of her grandmother, Geraldine James, affectionately called “Granny,” formed the emotional foundation she still carries today. Her mother, Betty Ann Rowe, remained an important figure in her life as she transitioned between Trinidad and Canada.
Music was never forced, it flowed naturally. While cousins teased her during family gatherings, she sang anyway. “I’m a feeler,” she says. “I feel the music before I even write it, and I want people to feel it too.”
She migrated to Toronto after form two. In Canada, she attended West Hill Collegiate Institute anf adjusted to a new culture while holding tightly to her Caribbean identity.
In Toronto, she began developing her songwriting skills.
Determined to build momentum, she entered the International Soca Monarch in 2016. Since she did not have a major financial backing, she created her own outfit for the semi-finals.
Her career has continued to expand internationally. She has featured on Toronto’s Flow 98.7, completed a Canadian summer tour and performed at the TD Bank Toronto Jerk Festival and won the first-ever Soca category. In 2024, she launched her inaugural Toronto Caribbean Tour and performed at events like the Taste of the Caribbean, Toronto Chow Fest, and Afro-Carib Fest.
