Nequita's Destiny

The R&B singer is determined to put Southampton's Holyrood Estate on the musical map - for the second time.

The estate is already famous for being the place where Craig David grew up. Now Nequita wants to give music-lovers another reason to celebrate its name.

Bursting with positive energy, there's every chance she'll succeed.

"I'm definitely hoping to follow in Craig's footsteps," said the 30-year-old, who has fond memories of Craig's time in Southampton.

"He even sang a cappella to me once, just before he got his record deal. I had to tell him to stop because I thought I was going to start crying.

"I'm so mad about singing and music, I'd always be asking him questions like 'What comes first - the melody or the lyrics?'"

But it was only two years ago Nequita realised that singing and performing was what she wanted to do more than anything else.

And despite her association with the urban superstar, it was Beyonce, not Craig, who inspired Nequita to give it her own shot at stardom.

"I'm a big fan of Destiny's Child. I went to see one of their concerts and it was just absolutely amazing. It was such an electric performance.

"Before that, although I liked to sing and people liked my voice, I didn't have the self-belief to think I could make it as a singer. But from that moment, there was no looking back for me."

Nequita immediately set about writing her own songs, drawing on personal experiences for numbers such as Are You Feeling Me and Last Night, which she has just recorded on a demo CD.

She has received advice and guidance on developing a singing career from New Deal for Musicians, a government initiative designed to give aspiring singers and musicians the benefit of music industry wisdom.

Nequita, who is now courting record company interest and has begun singing at local clubs, grew up surrounded by music - but for years lacked the confidence to think she could make a career of it.

"My mother, Antonia, was an avid music fan and listened to everything from Diana Ross to Abba and the Beatles. My late father, Rudolph, loved jazz music.

"When I was a child, I was music mad and my mum would always encourage me to dance.

"I used to love people like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and would dance all day long to their records."

Nequita was also inspired to write her own songs by the film Sister Act 2, which starred singer Lauryn Hill.

"The film says that if you wake up and all you think about is singing, you're meant to be a singer.

"I didn't have much confidence back then, but Lauryn's performance really inspired me."

Nequita has had a string of unfulfilling jobs, but is now concentrating full-time on realising her dreams.

"I wasn't happy doing any of my jobs. I'm a creative person, but I wasn't being creative because of my lack of confidence."

Nequita certainly does not show any lack of confidence now. In fact, she's brimming with self-belief.

A cherished memory from almost 20 years ago has helped keep her heading towards her goal.

"When I was 11 I lived in Bermuda for six months and attended gospel church every Sunday.

"The most important part of the church service for me was when the choir sang. One of the soloists was a girl of my own age called Tonya. Her singing was so beautiful I started crying. I just thought 'I wish I could do that'."

Well, she's certainly going the right way about it. And I'm willing to bet one former Holyrood resident would be very impressed.

You can see Nequita performing live at the Afro-Caribbean Centre in Southampton on Friday, July 30. For more information on New Deal for Musicians, visit www.newdeal.gov.uk.