
Biography
A Musical Journey
Early life
Born in the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago, musical director, vocalist and musician, Candice Corbie (a.k.a. Candy Kay), places a special touch on any project she is exposed to. Her father Glenurvon Narine, very talented, self-taught guitarist and pannist who often composes creative jazz melodies, had a huge influence on her musical abilities. This led to her playing steelpan at school and participating in various school events and calypso competitions.
Music Career
Having already built a reputation as a talented performer, at 17 years old she was approached by the parang group Voces Jovenes to become the lead vocalist of the group. Self-taught in playing the cuatro and guitar, she became the group’s Musical Director and Administrative Assistant, a few years later. This paved the way for her songwriting abilities and she has composed many of the group’s original Spanish songs which play on radio frequently during the Christmas season. During a Voces Jovenes recording session in 2001, she met music producer, Jason Dasent, who identified her talent and invited her to provide background vocals on several albums and jingle projects at his recording facility (Studio Jay Recording Ltd) for many years.
In 2007, they formed the band Overdrive and their performances were featured at many corporate events, local concerts and international music festivals. Candice was exposed to various genres of music which gave her the inspiration to write her own songs. One of her compositions with the band is a pop/reggae song entitled “Forgive Me”, released in 2010. Candice became the vocal director as she has an uncanny ability for blending and arranging vocal harmonies. She has developed into a noteworthy arranger and prides herself in being able to transform any musical ensemble. In fact, she played a significant role in the band Overdrive placing second at a Pop Rock Competition held in 2010, as well as her parang group Voces Jovenes winning the National Parang Competition in 2016.
Family, Education & Work life
Candice holds a Canadian Honours Diploma in Music Business from Metalworks Institute of Sound and Music Production and a Bachelor’s degree in Computing & Information Systems from the University of London and was employed in a telecommunications company for sixteen years. She got married in 2008, has two daughters and performs with two bands.
Projects
Candice thrives on maximizing the overall stage experience. She enjoys providing background vocals for live shows and supporting artists. True to her commitment to developing new talent, she was an integral part of her band Overdrive’s project in Trinidad called DiscoverMe Artiste of the Month (2016 – 2018). This project involved preparing new artists for live performances and provided a stepping stone to launch their music careers internationally. Music genres ranged from pop, reggae, soul to jazz and Overdrive was showcased as the supporting band for the artists. Candice also volunteered at COTT (The Copyright Organization of Trinidad & Tobago) for two years (2018 – 2019), which involved logging the music played at events, that provides local artistes with an additional platform to earn more royalty income. She was recognized by the Volunteer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago and received their Inspiration Award in 2018 for her work done with COTT.
Goals
Candice is driven and fully committed to excellence especially when music is involved. Her deep passion for this artform eventually led to her creating her own brand - Candy Kay Music as a singer, songwriter, musician, musical director and music producer (specializing in vocal production) in 2021 to help realize this dream. Whether it’s performing on stage with a live band, songwriting, producing or becoming an advocate for artiste development, she is determined to continue improving her skills and looks forward to collaborating with many artists, producers and game changers in the industry.