A haircut is always a sign of drastic changes to come and if you haven’t seen soca artiste Hypasounds lately, then you are in for a shock. The soca artiste who has swooned his way into the hearts of hundreds of ladies with singles such as Sugar Rush, Dip and How She Like It has changed his look. His signature hairstyle – cornrows – was left in 2018.
Hypasounds, whose real name is Damian Etienne, entered the new year with a new look and a new focus.
“I’ve had braids for 20 years and this is my 13th year [in the entertainment industry] and I always believe that in entertainment you have to keep reinventing yourself,” said Hypasounds who gave quite a number of his fans whiplash with the sudden change. However, the new look has been enthusiastically welcomed by his fans.
Having started his career as a soca artiste in 2006 with the single Sunshine Girl, Hypasounds has been working non-stop to build the Hypasounds brand into a household name. Presently, he is a brand ambassador for KFC and for the Holetown Festival. Over the past 13 years he has travelled throughout the Caribbean, North and South America with the Sugary Tour, Hypasounds X Tour and the Soca For Her Tour. This year, he has announced that he will be hosting the inaugural Soca For Her Live Concert in Barbados on June 29.
“I worked on the songs and I took it to the tour. . . and the next thing was to do my own concert. We’re going to start 2019 basically doing everything now. This is something we have been waiting for, for years. We’re going to start it in Barbados and plans are to take it to different countries as well,” Hypasounds told Bajan Vibes.
Speaking on his development throughout his career as a soca artiste and his success, the former deejay contended that he still had a long way to go.
“The growth is still not where I want it to be but I am very happy even if is a toe step,” he said, adding, “For me, it [being a soca artiste] is long-lasting. I wasn’t studying competitions, I wasn’t studying having hit records, I just wanted to stay in the wave; riding the wave to carry me throughout the years and the growth. Words can’t explain the feeling… coming from a deejay to now being an ambassador for KFC and travelling the world.”
As he prepares for his Crop Over 2019 releases, the Barbadian who has Lucian heritage told Bajan Vibes he has no plans on changing his distinct style anytime soon. The sound which is inspired by his “Bar-Lucian” roots is all he knows as he grew up on WCK from Dominica and Jam Ban from the Virgin Islands.
“My style of music is not the Bajan soca – I’m Barbadian and Lucian, that is why the music has an island feel to it. I remember when I started, and I did the island feel nobody was on to it and now it is the biggest thing going on,” he explained.
“I would fuse but you would still find my sound. There is a unique sound about Hypasounds that I worked very hard to create,” he added.
