A former national hockey player, 25-year-old Arielle Cowie is now aiming for the stars as a singer. A solo artiste, Cowie is doing her first major public performance on Saturday at the Fiesta Plaza, MovieTowne, Port-of-Spain, with its series of concerts—Discover Me—held monthly to showcase new and upcoming artistes.
“I have always been singing,” said Cowie. “As a child I sang with my primary school, Dunross Preparatory School in Westmoorings. I did music festival, the whole works. For some reason, after primary school and entering secondary school at Holy Name Convent, I went into a shell and concentrated on playing hockey.”
Cowie, a Capricorn, is the youngest of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. “As a child growing up in Diamond Vale, I had a great childhood,” said Cowie. “I was spoilt and always had my own way. I grew up in hockey. I played the game in primary school and got serious about it in secondary school. I eventually joined Ventures Hockey Club, the club my late mother, Caryl Cowie, was president of.
“I got a full scholarship to the Ohio State University in Columbus. It was a fantastic experience. At first, I was very nervous about it, especially as it was my first time residing away from home, not to mention not knowing anybody in Ohio. When I joined the university team, the girls and I just clicked beautifully. I spent four years at Ohio and actually captained the team in my last year.”
Missing family and friends in Trinidad, Cowie returned home in 2014. Now back on Trinidad soil, she decided to begin doing music. She said: “When I returned, it was a little bit slow to link with the people in the music industry. Last year, I made my debut on a big stage, playing Cinderella in the Baggasse Company stage production at Queen’s Hall.
“This just gave me a lot of confidence and made me realise that I could really pursue singing. Since then I have met so many people and I have been writing and in the studio producing music. I have been working with System 32 and Johann Seaton of Ultimate Rejects.”
Cowie’s favourite artiste is Beyonce mainly because of her “chameleon ability to change, not just physically, but the various veneers of her music.”
Cowie composes her own material, described by her as “music that is always relatable,” pertaining to her personal experiences.
In an upbeat note about her Saturday night performance, she said: “It is going to be a fun night as I will have a really amazing band named Overdrive and my repertoire will comprise of several beautiful upbeat songs with some slow ballads as well. I will be singing songs for everyone.”