Ebuzz News
Archived: The Queen Rises. Denise Saucy ‘Wow’ Belfon Tells It All.
Three years ago, the Caribbean’s wining queen, Trinidad and Tobago’s, Denise ‘Saucy Wow’ Belfon, took up residence in the United States. She boarded a plane, prepared to work hard, to better herself in the music industry. She had not foreseen a pandemic.
In an EXCLUSIVE interview with Ebuzztt, Denise admitted to the tumultuous experience she’s had in the past three years, but in the same breath, says she’s grateful for it all. “Being out here taught me how to get my life in order,” she told us, further highlighting, among other things, the shortcomings of the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago.
WHO IS DENISE SAUCY WOW BELFON
Denise started a career in the soca music industry 26 years ago. Her first solo recording was the soca single “Ka Ka Lay Lay”, this after having been discovered by the bandleader of the Roy Cape band in 1990. She has record countless hits, among them, “Hard Wuk”, “De Jammette”, “Saucy Baby”, and “Indian Man.” She’s even delivered alongside fellow female Caribbean artistes, Destra Garcia and Alison Hinds on the track, “Obsessive Winers,” a song and stage performance loved the world over. song and stage performance loved the world over.
Known for her incredible, and some would say, truly unrivalled wining skills and blatantly unapologetic stage shows, Saucy’s name has been branded solidly among the female greats in Caribbean culture. Three years ago, she turned to the United States, ready to pursue more, even committing to a 500 city tour across the US, Europe, parts of Africa and Canada, just prior to the pandemic. “It was so sad to see how the world was impacted overnight. One minute everybody was living their lives as normal and the next minute we were locked down and we didn’t know what the hell to do,” she said.
Thankful for the support of good friends in the US- people like King Royal, Big Skipp, Patch, DJ Princess Young Chow, DJ Spice, DJ Young Chow, Askel Redsquare and her children, Denise admits it’s been no easy ride, but she has assumed a position of assertive power and proudly attests to some major accomplishments in recent time. “I must say thank you to the people who stood in my corner when things were going haywire in my life,” she said as we kicked off the interview. Gratitude in her heart, she quickly checked herself and said, “I can’t forget Iwer George. He has stood in my corner for as long as I can remember and always has my back, fighting the battles that I sometimes don’t see when people try to tear me down.”
Her relationship with Big Skipp – a mainstream DJ who works at New York’s urban radio station HOT97, has led to interactions with young Hip Hop artistes like Capella Grey who has been signed to Capitol Records, Young Devyn, Mr. Chicken and others, and for Denise, the ‘newness’ of the energy, as she calls it, is exhilarating. “It’s a good vibe rubbing shoulders at this time with these young greats. They do Hip Hop and me being a Soca artiste, it’s a good feeling to be around newness. I’m getting a lot of inspiration hanging around them and doing a lot of things with them. We are not working together per say but we have the mutual person with us, which is Big Skipp.“
The new energy Denise describes transcends mere interactions and networks. Outside of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, Saucy’s eyes have opened to the business of her worth. “America is a place that can open your eyes quickly. I’ve had to learn fast. Music royalties I had been missing out on internationally, I have been able to collect and sustain myself during this period. Not knocking COTT, but the type of money you would make out here where your royalties are concerned, I have no idea what COTT has been doing over the years,” she said.
The former model and best village dancer has certainly seen the light and is doing all that is necessary to secure the bag as she moves forward. “I had money pending worldwide for the past 15 years. I have like 47 songs pending at the moment,” she explained, encouraging her fellow artistes to do what is necessary to secure their music royalties.
Ebuzz News
Denise Belfon Thanks Drake’s ‘OVO’ Team for Inclusion of Her ‘Work’ on New Track.
Canadian rapper, Drake is once again teaming up with Caribbean entertainers, delivering a brand new album called, ‘Maid of Honor,’ which is now available on all streaming platforms. It was one of three albums the artiste simultaneously dropped on May 15th – the other two being ICEMAN and HABIBTI.
One of the singles on ‘Maid of Honor,’ called ‘BBW’ features the work of Trinidad and Tobago entertainer, Denise ‘Saucy Wow’ Belfon – her 1998 track, ‘Work.’
The lyrics, ‘Put Yuh Back in It’ became a trending expression on TikTok in 2020 when it became a challenge on the popular platform. That viral opportunity six years ago, led to the song’s resurgence and Belfon’s name being called by younger generations whose parents, aunts and uncles would’ve more than likely grown up on her music and performances in the Caribbean. Fast forward to 2026, and Belfon is once again enjoying a viral moment as news broke that her song had been sampled by Drake. “Everything is legitimate and I want to thank the team – Fabian Alfonso, a copyright specialist out of Trinidad and Tobago ; He was very instrumental in making this deal become reality, said Belfon in a chat with Ebuzztt, before expressing gratitude to several other instrumental people, and Drake’s OVO team.
In 2022, dancehall artiste, Shenseea and rapper, Megan Thee Stallion also sampled ‘Work’ on the single, ‘Lick.’ Belfon, who lives in New York, had, at that time, attended a release party at a nightclub in New York, where Shenseea acknowledged the Soca artiste’s influence on the new release.
The Maid of Honor album delivers 14 singles and added to T&T’s Denise Belfon, Jamaican artiste, Popcaan is also featured on a single called, ‘Amazing Shape.’
Denise Belfon’s personality and charisma has, for a very long time, made her a fan favorite in the Caribbean. A vocal powerhouse and unique stage performer, she has stood the test of time in the Soca music industry, having created massive soca anthems like ‘Work,’ ‘Wine and Bend Over’ and ‘Wining Queen’ among countless other flavorful singles.
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