January 22nd 2011
This Is Ce’Cile
By Kendell “Scady” Eugene

…… nothing is ever put down with your name on it! If you want to be great then you will have to do great things and greatness does not come simply! Be careful of who u aspire to be and whom you emulate! Only great people should be looked up to! And never ever do drugs! No matter where you come from Power, Money and Fame is only ambition and hard work away! -Ce’ Cile

Last December, she was the headlining act for Fantasy Glow, Snapper’s annual Christmas Eve party held at the Gaeity on Rodney Bay. She is no stranger to St. Luica or the stage. The people love her and she loves them right back, so much so that she performed with the flu. She isn’t the kind of celebrity who will deny a fan a photo or an autograph as a matter of fact one individual found out on Twitter that you don’t disrespect the Bad Gyal’s fans. She quickly set that user straight professionally and with much respect. It’s not a front or a put on, this is who Cecile is!
Ce’ Cile grew up in a large family with a total of twelve brothers and sisters. As a child she loved reading, poetry and writing, that was her thing. She admits she wasn’t the best Mathematics or sport student but she was exceptional at English Language and English Literature. “I was reading at least one book a day for as long as I can remember, (which is why I always encourage kids to read) it has done (and continues to do) so much for me” she told us. Going to an all Girls School, one would think that as successful a singer and performer as she is that she may have participated in singing competitions and public speaking but surprise, surprise “I actually didn't do any sort of singing publicly; but my first record was done when I was still in high school!” she told us.
Music has been her love since high school, and she says through her love for reading she always knew the kind of life she wanted. She wasn’t the stay at home type. She wanted to travel, meet people, see places, and this is something music would allow her to do, hence the reason she pursued a career in music. If it was travel she wanted boy did she ever. I first saw her perform on BET 106 & Park with Beenieman. Back then she did Mya’s lyrics on the remix of “Girls Dem Suga.” Her imagination was also a huge plus. “I was real good at making stuff up! Stories and poems led to songs.”
Now we have heard about the stories where the most successful artistes in the world more often than not turned heads in their family when they made a decision that didn’t involve College or an office job. Ce’ Cile’s was no different but it had a little twist. “My mother was never able to control me in terms of what I wanted to do, but I was never a bad kid! I was well grounded and often chose the right stuff so she wasn't worried! When I refused to go to college I'm sure they were worried, but as I said I had a good head on my shoulder according to her. My dad was cool with it! Not so much my grandfather who was the mayor of the town we were from (Mandeville). He thought I was a disgrace to the family.” She told us laughing uncontrollably. She believes that the feeling of fulfillment of being a success when you do what you love is that much greater!

And what better feeling to have when you are success in an industry that is “run” by men. According to Ce’ Cile when the question of pressure arouse. “The pressure is more on myself to reach my personal competitive goals! I've pretty much learnt I'm my biggest fan and critic so I'm worse on myself than anyone and I like to think that my success shouldn't be based on gender issues! In Jamaica it’s just the culture for many years and I tend to like to just jostle people’s memory saying women can do what we set our minds to. We don't have to be bound by cultural constraints, and we don't have to accept that this is how any one place or culture is! We strive to win!
Consistency is one of the most important things to an artiste and the Bad Gyal has been just that throughout her career. If her Caribbean fans weren’t hearing from her it only meant that she was overseas working hard. Her biggest fan is Germany! There she had a number one song on the German R&B Charts! She opened for the biggest Urban act in Germany last year (Platinum recording artiste Peter Fox). If you have to be successful in music you have to explore out of the box. For Ce’ Cile it meant switching her style up just a little bit. “I didn't do that (getting the number one spot) by sticking to one type of style! Most of my hits in Europe would never work in the Caribbean!”
Many of you maybe familiar with the term “you don’t get to the top without making a few enemies.” For Ce’ Cile she doesn’t need to hate. “I admire greatness so if there's an artiste doing better than me instead of hating, I congratulate and try to say there's the standard right now. I need to either be on par with or overtake!” 2011 Ce’ Cile has her sights set on more music and possibly and album as well. She also has St. Lucia on the “return to list” with the intent of doing some major collaborations with a few of the artistes here.
Outside of the music she is also a huge humanitarian. While she spent Christmas here she ensured that children in her native island Jamaica, were all having a Merry Christmas. “I love kids and I love Christmas! It’s always nice to see their little faces and how innocent they are! So I do what I can to bring out the smile! I'm always in awe when they love me so much, and it takes me back to when I was little and I loved Michael Jackson and I knew how happy I'd be if I ever met him. So I try to hug them all and take pictures and make them smile and say be good in school because I know it can make a huge difference.”

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