Sharlene Boodram

Trinidad and Tobago native Sharlene Boodram makes sunny music befitting her Caribbean roots. She found pre-teen fame singing calypso tunes, but her grown-up style merges tropical and urban sounds. •Mumbai Taxi •http://www.indystar.com/article/...">Il Troubadore •Playboy Psychonauts “Those two styles really complement each other,” says Boodram, who moved to Indianapolis in 2008. “They’re both kind of spicy, real rhythmic and danceable.” The singer, who is fluent in French, Spanish and English, is working to grow her fan base beyond the West Indies. Boodram’s music is featured in the film “Into the Blue 2: The Reef.” — released in April on DVD. Her 2006 “Sweeta Sweeta” album is for sale as an import item at Amazon.com. “Sweeta Sweeta” wasn’t released in the United States, a market Boodram hopes to crack with her next recording. The University of Miami graduate can count on an established audience in Japan, where several songs from “Sweeta Sweeta” were mainstream hits. “It proved that rhythmically, the spirit of the songs I created can transcend all barriers,” she says. “I do what I do because I love to make music. I don’t belong anyplace else but on a stage.” More info:MySpace.com/sharlenetheone.