Born in England but raised in Barbados, singer Alison Hinds joined the soca band Square One as soon as she finished high school. After 11 albums and numerous Caribbean hits and tours, Hinds took a break from the band in 2004 to get married and start a family, but soon thereafter she appeared on a remix of Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On.” When Lyttle’s song became a massive worldwide hit, taking soca places it had never been before, the opportunities became obvious and Hinds began considering a solo career. Her first solo track, the empowering woman anthem “Roll It Gal,” appeared in 2005 and topped the charts in Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica. ~ David Jeffries