Lil’Bitts

Who would have fathom, coaxing Shivonne Churche to model a pink and black bikini as a tiny tot, would have been the catalyst in the creation of the individual who is known today as Lil’Bitts. Attired in the cherished item of clothing given to her by her godmother, Giselle Pinard, Shivonne made her grand entrance on stage; a moment which defined for all who saw her, where she was destined to go.

Subsequent to this was her performance at her school’s Christmas Concert, where she played the role of “Oscar the Grouch” from Sesame Street. Such a memorable performance it was, that jokingly the name became stuck to her; her peers and past classmates being the pioneers for this re-christening.

Her calypso career began at the age of nine when she started singing Social Commentary on a small scale, eventually leaving Sacred Heart Girls RC with the title of “Calypso Monarch” in1996, after passing her Common Entrance Examinations.

Evidence of Lil’Bitts plethora of talents was realized at Woodbrook Government Secondary. She attained her Brown belt at the level of Martial Arts and was also a pannist with Woodtrin Steel Orchestra (1998-1999), in the year that they won the Junior Panorama Competition. At Woodbrook Government Secondary, she was also enlisted on the roster to perform the National Anthem at Morning Assembly. She was a lead vocalist and member of her School’s Traditional and Folk Choirs, singing a mixed repertoire, from Gospel, Folk, Calypso, Rhythm and Blues to Traditional Songs.

Lil’Bitts entered many competitions during her tenure at Woodbook Secondary, winning in the North, and securing second and third places in the others. It is when she entered Trinzuela Secretarial College, that Lil’Bitts decided to widen her focus further, from the sole concentration on the slower, melodic vibes of Social Commentary to singing the sweet, fast-paced vibes of Soca, with the tune “Spin Yuh Towel”; a song written by Kernal Roberts. She placed 5th in the Junior Soca Monarch 2002 Competition with that composition. She had her first “Soca Launch” at Cordials November 2002 with guest artistes Maximus Dan and Billy the Kid, singing her 2003 composition “Groove Mih” also written by Kernal Roberts.

The year 2003 was a turning point for Lil’Bitts, as this was the year she persevered to learn more about the business and to put her name “out there”, so to speak, confident that she was armed with the basic foundation of voice training, which she undertook at The Brass Institute, and the experience of writing and voicing commercials (the Lead Actress in the Cannings Tangerine Advertisement) at the Institute of Broadcasting and Careers. She became involved in the Long Circular Gym to build fitness and stamina, because she embodies the ideology that physical fitness is one of her main assets to triumph in the business. This set the tone and foundation for her next set of releases “Doh Leh Go” and “Carnival in My Country (In My Country)”her 2004 Compositions which she wrote, and the latter she sang with Bunji Garlin.