Singing Sandra

Sandra DesVignes-Millington, also known as her title Singing Sandra, was a Trinidadian calypsonian, renowned for her voice and lyrics. She was born in 1957 in East Dry River, Trinidad. She won the title of National Calypso Queen in 1987, and the Calypso Monarch title at the 1999 and 2003 carnivals.
Sandra DesVignes - Millington was born on 10 December, 1957, in East Dry River, Port of Spain, Trinidad, and raised in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago. She was the only child born to her mother and never met her father. Her grandmother was renowned as the best singer in her Tobago village. At fifteen, Sandra was baptized in a spiritual Baptist church and later began practicing Orisha.
From an early age, she sang and acted, performing in small productions. Due to behavioral issues and poor attendance, Sandra never completed her formal education. She worked a variety of low-wage jobs throughout her twenties. In 1984, Sandra was approached by calypsonian Dr Zhivago to perform two of his songs. The following year, Sara was recruited to the Mighty Sparrow’s Youth Brigade tent at the carnival. Her career accelerated in 1987 when she was crowned National Calypso Queen. This led to her winning the Calypso Monarch and Calypso Queen of the World titles in 1992 including a performance at the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival.
Later, Sandra formed the United Sisters group along with Lady B, Tigress, and Marvelous Marva. She continued to perform as a solo artist and at the 1997 carnival she won the 'Best Nation Building Song' award, along with a $5,000 prize, for the song "One Destiny One Heart".
Sandra's achievements as an artist made her a well-respected musician in the Soca music scene. On February 16, 1999, Singing Sandra became the second woman to win Trinidad's Calypso Monarch title with her performances of "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto". She remained a strong competitor in subsequent years, securing third place in 2000 and fifth place in 2001. In 2003 she won the title for the second time, making history as the first woman to achieve two Calypso Monarch victories. She continued competing in the festival in later years, regularly placing among the top performers.
In 1999, Singing Sandra became the second woman to ever win the Calypso Monarch competition after Calypso Rose's win in 1978. By being crowned the Calypso Monarch at the annual Calypso competition at Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, she reaffirmed the place of women in Calypso music and society. This was especially significant to this genre, where lyrics focus on social and political commentary. Two of her songs were titled "Song for Healing" and "Voices from the Ghetto", shedding light on the struggles of marginalized communities. These songs were very critical to socio-political issues present in Trinidad and Tobago that persist to this day. Specifically, "Voices from the Ghetto" focuses on the hardships of growing up in a poor, crime-filled neighborhood. This was considered a very personal song to DesVignes-Millington, herself having grown up in the East Dry River area which is known to be a socio-economically depressed neighborhood. Competitions like the Calypso Monarch can provide an opportunity for local artists to spread political messages globally as many tourists from around the world flock to Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival celebrations each year.
In 2003, Singing Sandra became the only female Calypso genre artist who won the Calypso Monarch title twice. This repeated win marked her legacy within Calypso music and also helped to bring further attention to the importance of female voices within a male-dominated competition and genre. The two songs Singing Sandra performed for this specific year's competition were also full of strong political ideas and were titled "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" and "Ancient Rhythm". The latter song relates to the specific experiences of the African diaspora community in Trinidad and other places. It also reflects how Singing Sandra finds freedom within her music to help her embrace her diaspora identity. Singing Sandra reportedly received a brand-new Honda Civic along with a $70,000 cash prize as prizes for these socially significant songs.
Calypso artists communicate their thoughts and commentary about the world mainly through their lyrics. The music means a lot, yet the words are crucial for a successful career. As one of the pioneers in the Calypso industry, Singing Sandra's trajectory has empowered many listeners, especially women. Her notable songs include "Voices from the Ghetto", which highlights the struggles of marginalized communities, and "Sexy Employers", critiquing workplace sexual harassment. Through her music, she challenged societal norms and helped pave the way for female representation in a male-dominated genre. As a result of the dissemination of these social, racial, and feminist ideas Singing Sandra has given Calypso a new face which has begun to pave the way for women in an industry made up predominantly of male figures. Her music has also crossed over into other genres.
Beyond her musical achievements, Singing Sandra was a devout Spiritual Baptist and was deeply respected in the Calypso community, often referred to as the "Mother of the Calypso Fraternity".
Born in East Dry River, and raised in Morvant, DesVignes sang and acted as a child, including performances in 'Best Village' productions. She left school at fifteen, taking multiple low-paying jobs.
She was approached in 1984 by calypsonian Dr. Zhivago to perform two of his songs, and the following year was recruited to Mighty Sparrow's Youth Brigade tent at the carnival. She won the National Calypso Queen title in 1987. She went on to win the Calypso Monarch and Calypso Queen of the World titles in 1992.
She performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1992 and subsequently formed the group United Sisters along with Lady B, Tigress, and Marvelous Marva. Sandra continued to perform as a solo artist and won the 'Best Nation Building Song' award, along with a $5,000 prize, at the 1997 carnival for the song "One Destiny One Heart."
Sandra Des Vignes-Millington – more commonly known as Singing Sandra – stands as Calypso's female icon thanks to her achievements in and contributions to an art form that was once dominated by men and machismo. Although it is challenging to state just one song as her most famous due to progression of her music and popularity, it is certainly easier to say that she has indeed come a long way since her debut at Sparrow Young Brigade's tent in 1984.
While at Young Brigade, she earned the local National Calypso Queen and St Maarten Queen of the World titles in 1987 with "Sexy Employees", more popularly known as "Die With My Dignity". The song mirrored Sandra's image and spiritually strong moral standing and was an immediate hit with women in society who identified with the images of male chauvinism in the workplace. Sandra moved on to greater accomplishments and won the National Calypso Monarch in 1999 by singing her two megahits, "Song for Healing", and her trademark rendition "Voices from the Ghetto" She created history in what was the year of the women. Another famous song of hers which was an immediate hit with the soca faithful is entitled "Lie Lie".
Therefore, even if one particular Singing Sandra song is difficult to claim as being the most famous, it is evident that she has numerous hits, each popular in their own respect due to the audiences they appealed to and the social dialogues they addressed. As her career advanced, the songs she released progressively gained fame along with her status and development as a musician.