About Jadel

Who Is Jadel?

Jardine Cherelle Legere, known professionally as Jadel, is an award-winning independent female Soca artist, singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, performer, entrepreneur and mother from Trinidad and Tobago.

Blending Soca with R&B, Dancehall, Afrobeat and Calypso, she has developed a distinctive crossover sound built around powerful vocals, Caribbean storytelling, melodic songwriting and an energetic live presence.

Across two independently released albums and subsequent singles, Jadel’s catalogue has generated more than 21 million combined streams and views. Her career includes more than 500 live performances, five consecutive annual tours and three Caribbean Music Awards nominations, with performances spanning the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Asia.

Early Musical Beginnings

Growing up in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Jadel discovered music at the age of nine through school and church choirs. She also learned to play piano through church, strengthening her ear for harmony and developing the foundation for her songwriting.

Raised on R&B and Calypso, Jadel drew inspiration from Calypso Rose, Alison Hinds, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Their vocal strength, stage presence and musical influence helped shape her ambitions as a singer, songwriter and performer.

After relocating to the United States, Jadel entered the public music scene in 2009 as a backing vocalist for Barbadian Soca artist Biggie Irie. She later became the lead female vocalist with Surface before joining Traffik as a frontline singer.

In 2011, Jadel released her first Soca single, “Wine On Meh,” produced by Val Musik Productions from Traffik, beginning her journey as a solo recording artist.

Mentorship and Hardship

In 2012, Jadel met renowned Trinidadian producer Kernal Roberts, who became an important mentor in her development as a songwriter and recording artist.

Their creative relationship led to Jadel co-writing Machel Montano’s 2014 single “Haunted.”

Despite that achievement, Jadel’s own music career was not generating enough income to sustain her. After years of investing her time and limited resources into music, she experienced severe financial hardship and became homeless in 2014.

Toward the end of that year, Jadel stepped away from actively pursuing a performing career and began studying toward a bachelor’s degree in law locally through K. Beckles & Associates Law Tutors in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the University of London law program. She continued her studies into 2015, viewing law as a possible path toward greater stability.

Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, Soca was more than music to Jadel. It was woven into everyday life and the country’s Carnival culture. Having grown up surrounded by that connection, she found it difficult to separate herself completely from music while pursuing law as a path toward stability.

Music remained central to her identity, and she eventually made the decision to recommit herself to writing, recording and performing.

Return to Music and International Breakthrough

In 2016, Jadel broke onto the international scene with the Chutney Soca release “All of It.” The song earned her the Carib Breakout Artist Award and helped launch her first European tour, with appearances in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Spain.

In 2018, “Round N Round” earned Jadel a place in the International Soca Monarch finals.

She created the melody, wrote the lyrics and built the original demo at home using her keyboard before producer Rishi Maha completed the final production.

Following the song’s success, Jadel began receiving international performance opportunities. However, she was pregnant with her daughter and stepped away from touring for the remainder of 2018.

After giving birth, she returned to the studio for the 2019 Carnival season, often bringing her baby to recording sessions. Motherhood shifted her focus toward music ownership, financial stability and building a sustainable future for her family.

As her international career grew, Jadel also began bringing her daughter on selected tour dates, allowing her to experience new countries, cultures and opportunities that Jadel did not have access to as a child.

In 2019, “Jam Day” secured Jadel a place in the International Soca Monarch semifinals. She also opened for Kes The Band at New York City’s Best Buy Theater, now known as Palladium Times Square.

Building Her Own Sound and a New Direction

Following earlier management representation during the early stages of her career, Jadel entered a new chapter. In 2020, Jadel signed with JP Music Group, the artist management division of Julianspromos Worldwide, led by Julian Hackett.

The partnership introduced a year-round international strategy focused on consistent music releases, annual touring, independent ownership, brand development and expanding Jadel’s career beyond the traditional Trinidad Carnival season.

Hackett worked alongside Jadel to develop a long-term approach centered on international market growth, financial planning and building a sustainable independent career.

The strategy also reconnected Jadel with the foundations she had developed through choir, piano, R&B and Calypso. While she remained closely connected to the high-energy side of Soca, her musical direction expanded to include groovy Soca, R&B fusion, Afrobeat and contemporary Caribbean sounds.

That year, she independently released her debut album, Call Me Jadel.

The album introduced listeners to her blend of Soca and contemporary Caribbean sounds. On “Hold Me Close,” produced by London Future, Jadel showcased her R&B background for the first time as a recording artist.

“Hold Me Close” reached #35 on the Canada iTunes Reggae Chart and helped secure confirmed bookings for the Bahamas Carnival Concert, Soca in Japan and Tomorrowland Belgium’s Harbor House Stage. Those appearances could not proceed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Call Me Jadel has generated more than 3 million combined streams and views. The project featured fan favorites including “Hold Me Close,” “Round N Round,” “Dominate” and “Jam Day.”

In 2021, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Jadel continued developing her crossover sound with “Deserve It All.”

Jadel created the melody and concept for the song. It was produced by Cherrod Lewis and co-written with Kit Israel.

The Soca and Afrobeat fusion became an immediate success in Trinidad and Tobago and attracted a growing audience in South Africa.

Performance opportunities in South Africa began emerging, but travel restrictions and lockdowns prevented the appearances from taking place. For the first time since recommitting fully to her career, Jadel was unable to tour internationally.

Still, “Deserve It All” continued to grow. The song generated more than 8.1 million combined streams and views and received rotation on MTV Base Africa, BET Jams and MTVU.

It also became a major financial breakthrough, helping sustain Jadel during the lockdowns and reinforcing the importance of music ownership.

The Beginning of Five Consecutive Tours

In 2022, Jadel released “Up In The Party,” which reached #17 on the Switzerland iTunes Reggae Chart, #32 on the Suriname Apple Music Reggae Chart and received rotation on BET Jams.

The song led her 2022 Up In The Party Tour, the first of five consecutive annual tours. Jadel completed 54 performances, including 27 shows in Trinidad and Tobago and 27 international dates across markets including St. Kitts, Antigua, Toronto, London, New York, Miami and Singapore.

In 2023, “Shake Up” gained international momentum before being officially remixed with Jamaican dancehall artist Demarco. The song reached the Top 100 on HOT 97, climbed to #2 on the Norway iTunes World Chart and earned Top 10 Apple Music placements across several Caribbean markets.

The 2023 Shake Up Tour included more than 80 performances. Highlights included the Belize International Music & Food Festival, Soca in Japan and opening for Shenseea at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.

That year, Jadel received her first Caribbean Music Awards nomination for 2023 Impact Female Soca Artist of the Year.

These campaigns began a five-year run of annual tours that continued with the Addictive Tour in 2024, the Bubbling Tour in 2025 and the Another Man Tour in 2026.

Don’t Be Mistaken

Jadel released her sophomore album, Don’t Be Mistaken, in 2024.

The project included “Deserve It All,” “Up In The Party,” “Yuh Man,” “Shake Up,” “Doh Ease Meh Up,” “Addictive” featuring Charly Black, “Calypso” and “Right Track” featuring Skinny Fabulous.

“Addictive” earned international iTunes chart placements, including #1 positions in Finland and Sri Lanka, while its music video received rotation on BET Soul.

On “Calypso,” Jadel blended Calypso, R&B and Dancehall to create a contemporary tribute to Trinidad and Tobago.

The album led into Jadel’s 2024 Addictive Tour, surpassed 15 million combined streams and views, received coverage in the Miami Herald and was promoted through a Times Square billboard campaign.

That year, Jadel also wrote “Take Yuh Time” for Nailah Blackman, expanding upon her earlier songwriting work for Machel Montano.

Continued International Growth

Jadel entered 2025 with “Jam Somebody,” “Meh Darling,” “Bubbling Champion” featuring DJ Private Ryan and “Fitness” featuring Trinidad Killa.

“Jam Somebody” reached #4 on the Canada iTunes World Chart, #1 on Itch FM in the United Kingdom and #27 on New York City’s WBLS-FM.

“Bubbling Champion” led the 2025 Bubbling Tour, which included 42 live performances, with 23 shows in Trinidad and Tobago and 19 international dates.

European highlights included Ibiza Soca Festival Malta, Swiss Soca Festival and Oh Bacchanal Weekend in Berlin.

From Hardship to Homeownership

Shortly after launching the Bubbling Tour, Jadel reached one of the most meaningful personal milestones of her life.

At the end of June 2025, after years of building her independent career and saving income earned through performances and brand sponsorship deals, she purchased her first home in Trinidad and Tobago for herself and her daughter.

The milestone reflected the long-term planning and career development she had undertaken alongside JP Music Group.

Becoming a first-time homeowner held special meaning following the financial hardship and homelessness she had experienced earlier in her life. Homeownership gave Jadel greater freedom, stability and peace of mind while providing a private space where she could continue writing, recording and developing new music.

That year, she received two additional Caribbean Music Awards nominations: 2025 Female Soca Artist of the Year and 2025 Impact Female Soca Artist of the Year.

A New Chapter in 2026

Entering Carnival 2026, Jadel released “Another Man,” an empowering Soca and Bouyon-inspired anthem produced by XplicitMevon. The single reached #37 on Trinidad and Tobago’s national radio chart and #22 on the Suriname Apple Music World Chart.

The release was followed by “Permission,” a crossover single co-written with GBM Nutron that reached #2 on the Suriname Apple Music World Chart and #10 on the Canada iTunes World Chart.

“Another Man” became the lead single for Jadel’s 2026 Another Man Tour, marking her fifth consecutive annual tour.

During the 2026 Trinidad Carnival season, Jadel also performed as a lead singer with Dil-E-Nadan alongside Raymond Ramnarine.

The experience reconnected her with the live-band environment in which she first developed as an entertainer and brought her closer to her ambition of touring with a live ensemble built around her music.

The Artist Behind the Music

Jadel performs with both professionally produced backing tracks and live bands. While tracks provide a consistent format, she feels most connected to live instrumentation.

A live band gives her the freedom to introduce breakdowns, adjust keys, extend arrangements, incorporate onstage storytelling and respond more directly to the audience.

Beyond performing, Jadel takes an active role in release strategy, distribution, A&R, marketing, financial planning and brand development.

She writes and develops most of her songs from scratch, often recording melodies as voice notes or building them on her keyboard before collaborating with producers and co-writers.

Her composition and songwriting credits include “Haunted,” “Round N Round,” “Deserve It All,” “Hot Topic” and “Permission,” alongside “Up In The Party,” “Shake Up,” “Jam Somebody,” “Meh Darling,” “Fitness” and “Another Man.”

Jadel’s favorite color, pink, has also become a personal part of her identity and branding. Once a source of comfort during difficult periods, it now represents her femininity, resilience and determination to hold on to joy.

Among her remaining ambitions are headlining a full live concert of her own and touring globally with a band built around her catalogue and artistic vision.

Today, Jadel continues to expand her audience while proudly representing Trinidad and Tobago as an independent female Soca artist. Her journey from financial hardship and homelessness to motherhood, international touring, homeownership and creative ownership reflects the resilience and independence behind her career.

As she continues growing internationally, Jadel remains committed to creating music that celebrates Caribbean culture, extends the reach of Soca and creates greater opportunities for herself, her daughter and audiences around the world.