By Michael Mondezie
“ZOË, YOU’RE TRENDING!” That’s the all-caps message flooding British travel vlogger Zoë Reeve’s mobile phone after the jaw-dropping release of her music video collaboration with local dancehall artiste Big P, titled “Come Big P”.
Zoë stuns in the video, appearing in provocative red lingerie while simulating intimate acts with Laventille-born Big P, much to the shock – and fascination- of her sizeable online following.
Even as violent crime continues to escalate across the islands and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley presents the idea of replacing Christopher Columbus’ three ships on the naional coat of arms with the national instrument, the pan, it was Zoë’s raunchy zess that dominated the social media bandwidth this week.
TikTok and Instagram lit up with heated debates as fans weighed in on the Caucasian London-based vlogger’s venture into soca and dancehall music.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the most talked about entertainer in the Caribbean,” an amused Zoë said with a laugh when the Express floated that idea.
“I would say the music video is the most viral thing that’s ever happened to me in my life,” she continued with genuine awe during our interview earlier this week.
Zoë, who was born in Surrey and operates under the handle @travelwithzoë across all social media platforms, said she welcomes both the praise and criticism her new content has sparked.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don’t really mind if some people don’t like the things I do. I was never expecting to be liked by everyone. I’m really just sharing my experiences and if anyone would like to watch it then they can, and if anyone doesn’t like it, they are also free to not watch it,” she reasoned.
An unexpected knock-on effect
Zoë first visited T&T in 2015 through a work-away programme, exchanging volunteer labour for food and lodging on a Moruga farm.
In June of this year, she made her unexpected music debut alongside soca star Aaron Duncan on the viral hit, “Single”. Duncan’s Single Riddim, which also features Lady Lava’s ubiquitous “Ring Finger”, quickly became the soundtrack of Caribbean “summer”, catapulting Zoë into the spotlight.
The viral success opened doors for Zoë, with collaboration requests pouring in from artistes up and down the Caribbean archipelago, including St Lucia’s Umpa on “Welcome”, and Bajan Jah Reddis on “New Position”.
“I always think that it’s so cool how life has these knock-on effect situations where one random thing can cause so many other things to happen,” Zoë mused.
“I love that life is unpredictable like that. Even when I made ‘Single’ with Aaron, I didn’t picture having five songs two and a half months later. I have no idea what’s really happening right now, but I’m just going with the flow and enjoying it.”
Zoë insists that what you see in the videos is just her being her authentic self, adding with a cheeky grin: “Obviously, I’ve done similar things in real life.”
Her main mission, she says, is to stay true to herself: “I just want to keep sharing my experiences honestly. For now, that’s not going to change.”
As for “Come Big P”, she admits it was something of a departure.
“It was definitely out of my comfort zone to an extent, but I like to go out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t really awkward—it was more…funny. I burst out laughing so many times throughout the shoot,” she revealed.
Zoe says calls for dubplates and more collabs are already coming in from the English capital. But, there are two T&T acts on her wishlist she hopes to take into studio before going home.
“I’d really like to collab with Tempa and of course anyone who knows me knows I’d love to collab with Yung Bredda, but we’ll see what happens!”
Having already visited 50 countries and counting, Zoë says despite her new-found music success, she plans to continue her budget travel blogging.
“I’m hoping to go somewhere new in Latin America, including Nicaragua, Honduras, etc, before the end of the year. But I don’t want to turn down these fun music opportunities that are appearing in Trinidad and nearby islands.
She is also determined to improve her live performance skills, saying: “I’d love to learn how to engage a crowd. Honestly, I get nervous and awkward before performing because it’s still so new to me.”
