Life over the past year has not been a bed of roses for Patrice Roberts.
However, despite the feelings of anxiety and stumbling blocks placed in her way, she fights hard to find a way to carry on.
“I’ll be real. Sometimes I’m not okay. I’m just winging it and other times I’m just navigating my way through life.
“I’m doing therapy and giving myself grace as time goes by. I take my time to feel how I want to feel in the moment, I smile sometimes, but I do cry a lot of the times,” Roberts said.
The soca superstar spoke candidly to the Weekend Buzz, hours after she delivered an energetic show-stopping performance at the I Am Woman concert at Kensington Oval on Mother’s Day.
Roberts, 39, made those comments in response to a question about how she was coping following the passing of her fiancé Ricardo Drue who died in late December 2023.
The couple have a daughter, Lily.
For over three hours, the Trinidadian soca star performed many of her hits, celebrated mothers by distributing roses and amidst the performances of other artistes, she found the time to switch up her costumes.
During the autobiographical Anxiety, she poured her heart out and jumped off the stage to get closer to fans.
She sang: “As I lay in my bed with my head to the ceiling. Say I’m drowning alone and I’m lost in my feelings . . . I said the soca is my therapy. It take away all of my anxiety.”
She said it’s those interactions with fans that help to keep her going.
“Being on stage performing for the fans is my therapy. Being able to go down and embrace people and see the smile on people’s faces is therapeutic for me.
“I just want to tell the fans thank you so much and for always being there for me in my lowest moments.
“Even in the times when I’m not doing okay, I know they feel when I’m not. Because I get [direct messages] from fans saying, ‘Hey, hold your head up’. Those things matter to me and they really resonate,” she said.
Patrice spends a lot of her time working on her craft and it reflected in the concert.
She is also a doting mother and works hard to support Lily, who also accompanied her to the show.
Although she works hard to provide for her family, she underscored the importance of also taking time off.
She was hopeful that the women who attended the concert felt celebrated on their day.
“I’m also an advocate for women. Sometimes we feel guilty as mums to take a day off. We feel like something will be wrong with them or that we are not being good parents, but it’s imperative to take that time off to unwind and have a good time,” she said.
Patrice has also been developing her event-producing skills since the I Am Woman show began over five
years ago.
Although there are some challenges, she said it’s a risk she’s willing to take.
“The challenge is not knowing the number of people who will be showing up, but if you don’t take a risk in business, then there’s no reward,” she said.
Her goal is to continue developing the brand.
“I am working tirelessly to make sure that I Am Woman becomes a festival where I don’t even have to perform. But I can give artistes like Faith [Callender] and artistes coming up in Trinidad who are young and hungry an opportunity and a platform to be seen and heard.”
While her plan is to help propel younger acts, she also has her sights set on furthering her music career.
She hopes to collaborate with afro-beats artistes and work with hip hop star Nicki Minaj again.
“I would love to do something else with Nicki Minaj away from what we did. I believe that if I get the opportunity to collab with people like her and Skilli Beng and the afro artistes, we’d be on to something great,” she said.
