SINGER Michaella “Mykela” Jacob is willing to do the gruelling work it takes to become a well-known artiste, locally and internationally.

The La Horquetta resident has two releases for Carnival 2025: Heated and Tsunami.

Although she knows there are many talented people competing for a spot, she does not mind doing shows for free to gain the needed exposure.

Her journey in music began early.

“When they realised I could sing was in primary school. I attended La Horquetta North Government Primary and they had a soca/Carnival competition which I won.

“Prior to that we had a field trip at City Hall and the music engineers who hosted that field trip told me I should look into music and writing. They saw some qualities,” she said in a phone interview.

Mykela, now 27, stunned many when she won the school’s competition.

“They knew me to be this quiet, doing-my-work, not-loud kind of person.

“So when they saw me waving, performing, jumping and having the crowd get on, they wanted to know where this side came from.”

She also participated in music competitions at her alma mater, Bishop Anstey High School East and won.

“That just solidified and locked it in. I said, ‘For sure, I want to do this.’”

Some better-known artistes, writers and producers would often sit on the judging panel at these competitions.

Some of them would pull her aside, after the competition, and say, “‘You should really do this. Why are you not in Junior Soca Monarch doing this thing?’

“My parents did not really know much about it and they wanted me to focus on school and then, after, then I could divert to that direction.”

Mykela later pursued a degree in business at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. During that time, she researched how she could get into the music industry.

She had no help and searched social media, looking for networking contacts.

On Facebook, she discovered Warren Civic, a member of Patrice Roberts’ team, she said.

He often gave information about the industry through his posts. She decided to message him one day and express her interest in music.

Civic guided her to Precision Productions’ Audio Essentials Workshop. The workshop helped people navigate the music industry.

“That was before the covid19 pandemic and that was the last one. I got in and that was where I made connections and learned to understand the business a little more.”

There she met songwriter and producer Jelani “Pops” Shaw and they soon began working together.

She later signed up for a songwriting course with songwriter/producer Darryl Gervais. Participants were required to write a song for a Gervais-produced riddim, where five of them would win a free demo. She was one of the winners and also met System 32’s Kevin Beharry.

While there was no immediate success from the demo, Mykela now had something to share with industry specialists when she met them.

Through this she also met songwriter/producer Shumba Mahluli and Don “Iko” George.

She messaged George and sent him her demo.

Her first soca, Multivitamin