Destra says loving God does not mean abandoning Soca culture

Destra: Loving God does not mean I have to leave Soca

Soca superstar Destra Garcia is pushing back against the idea that her love for Carnival and Soca somehow makes her faith in God less genuine, insisting that spirituality and culture can exist in the same space.

The Queen of Bacchanal opened up about the sometimes uncomfortable intersection between her faith and career during an appearance on the Corie Sheppard Podcast, where she addressed criticism surrounding Soca artistes performing gospel music.

Destra, whose father is a reverend, said Christianity and spirituality have been part of her life long before her recent Reflections project.

She grew up in church, sang in choirs and included gospel material on several of her earlier albums.

But despite that history, Destra said there are people who struggle to accept someone who performs Soca while also openly expressing her relationship with God.

For her, that thinking misses a fundamental part of Christianity.

Destra pointed to figures throughout the Bible who were imperfect, arguing that people should focus on the message rather than demanding perfection from the messenger.

She said Jesus’ teachings centred heavily on love and questioned why people searching for or serving God should be excluded because they do not fit someone else’s definition of what a Christian should look like.

Destra was particularly firm about her own position.

She said she already knows God and has a relationship with Him, while also loving Soca, Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago and the culture she has represented internationally for decades.

She does not believe she should have to abandon one to prove the other.

“I love my Soca. I love my culture. I love my country. I’m an ambassador for this thing,” she said during the interview.

Destra also rejected the idea that other people should dictate how she serves God.

She said changes in her life, clothing or performances should happen through her own spiritual conviction and relationship with God, rather than because of pressure from society.

As she has grown older, Destra admitted there are some things she may no longer feel comfortable wearing onstage.

However, she stressed that such changes are personal.

Her increasingly spiritual direction became particularly visible with the Reflections album and concert series.

Destra said she initially heard the event being described as a “gospel concert”, but eventually preferred calling it a spiritual concert because she felt the gospel label could become territorial, with some people believing an artiste must meet certain criteria before being accepted.

Reflections, she explained, is intended to offer something broader: a space where people can examine their lives, connect spiritually and seek God without judgement.

That does not mean the Queen of Bacchanal is abandoning Soca.

Instead, Destra sees both sides as genuine parts of the same person.

Her argument is simple: faith is ultimately between an individual and God, and neither a Soca stage nor Carnival costume gives anyone else the authority to determine the strength of that relationship.