Hypasounds Talks with Vivaa Outside the Brooklyn Museum | 2011
In 2011, Barbadian Soca artist Hypasounds sat down with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson for a Julianspromos interview outside the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York.
The conversation came during an active year for Hypasounds, as he continued moving from his longtime background as a DJ into recording and performing his own Soca music.
One of the songs helping drive that transition was “Roll It (Roll Yuh Bumpa),” released for the 2011 Barbados Crop Over season.
From DJ to Soca Artist
Born Damian Etienne, Hypasounds had already spent years building a name in Barbados entertainment before becoming known primarily as a recording artist.
His official biography traces his DJ career back to the late 1990s and says he began singing Soca in 2006.
That background gave him an unusual path into the genre. Before becoming the artist whose songs DJs were playing, Hypasounds had already spent years behind the decks learning what worked in parties and Carnival.
By 2011, the transition was becoming increasingly visible.
“Roll It” and Crop Over 2011
One of Hypasounds’ main releases that year was “Roll It (Roll Yuh Bumpa).”
The track was released in May 2011 and specifically promoted as part of the Crop Over 2011 season. Contemporary Caribbean music listings also place the song among Barbados’ 2011 Soca releases.
“Roll It” would become an important record in Hypasounds’ early recording career and later gain wider recognition outside Barbados.
That makes the Brooklyn interview an interesting snapshot of the artist while that chapter was still developing.
Outside the Brooklyn Museum
Instead of a studio or backstage interview, Vivaa and Hypasounds spoke outside the Brooklyn Museum.
The simple outdoor setting gives the footage a distinctly New York feel and keeps the focus on the conversation itself.
For viewers revisiting it today, the location is also part of the appeal. The interview captures a Barbadian Soca artist in Brooklyn during a period when New York remained one of the most important international markets for Caribbean music.
Hypasounds After 2011
“Roll It” continued gaining attention beyond the 2011 Crop Over season.
Hypasounds later carried the song into Trinidad Carnival and continued developing as a singer, songwriter, producer and DJ. His career would eventually include records such as “Sugar Rush” and “How She Like It,” along with appearances in Barbados’ major Soca competitions.
His later career makes the 2011 footage more interesting to revisit because it catches him before many of those later releases and milestones.
From the Julianspromos Archives
The 2011 Hypasounds interview with Vivaa preserves a straightforward moment from New York’s Caribbean music scene: a Barbadian artist building momentum, a conversation outside the Brooklyn Museum, and one of the songs that helped introduce Hypasounds to a wider Soca audience.
More than fifteen years later, the footage offers a look back at Hypasounds during the early rise of “Roll It” and his developing career as a Soca artist.
