BELIZEAN soca queen Ernestine Carballo is in Jamaica and doing the rounds with a view to promote her music and break into the local market.

“I am hoping to do collaborations with some local acts,” she said. On the top of her list is dancehall deejays Busy Signal and Aidonia.

Since her arrival a week ago, she has appeared on two live shows.

“I performed at an Inkline event in Bog Walk, alongside I Wayne. I went to a dance with Johnny Handsome of Turbo Crown at an event in Kitson Town. I performed five songs including my big hits, Soca Party and the carnival road march song, Carnival Di Cum,” said the 30-year-old.

“I loved Jamaica even before I came here. I had to come here to promote my music because Jamaica is the heartbeat, the hub of music in the Caribbean. I love how you all dress, the culture, the style, from I was a little girl, seeing Shabba Ranks, Patra, all the way up to Sean Paul coming to Belize,” she said.

Carballo said she discovered reggae and dancehall music through her father, who is a sound system deejay in Belize.

A Digicel brand ambassador in Belize, she was recently awarded the Female Performer of the Year trophy at the annual Krem Awards 2015 in Belize. She also won the Carnival Road March Song of the year with Carnival Di Cum, a song from her latest album, Soca Party.

“When people see me first, they think I am quiet and unassuming, but I transform onstage. I want to introduce Jamaicans to the punta, a Belizean cultural dance, fast-paced Arawak-mixed with Carib dance,” she said.

In May, she heads to St Lucia while June will see her performing Barbados. The soca queen is also slated for New York Park Fest in the USA in September.