Kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
Danielle Boucaud-Henrique is somewhat of an introvert who wears many hats. She’s the Brand Head of Carnival band BLISS and a freelance Project Management and Strategy consultant. Add to it wife of Randall Henrique and mother of two, Jaxon and Zara.
The UWI graduate, who specialised in Accounting, started working with TRIBE–the parent band of BLISS–when it was just a section in the now-defunct Poison.
“I was invited to join the committee when TRIBE was formed,” she said.“I got involved in ticket management for events, and in 2006 I got more involved and started working with the band full-time in the front office.”
The move was no surprise, as her deceased grandparents Otto and Joyce Raymond were Carnival stalwarts–judges for many years, dating back to when the Guardian Neediest Cases managed the Monday and Tuesday Parade of the Bands competition.
“My grandparents were huge Carnival influences in my family,” she said. “My grandmother actually died two weeks ago at the age of 101. By the time I came along, they were over that phase. But I grew up in Belle Smythe Street in Woodbrook, and my early memories of Carnival were going with my grandmother and her fold-up chair to Ariapita Avenue by her sister to watch Carnival, spending the night by them when my parents went out for J’Ouvert and seeing the J’Ouvert bands passing.”
While Boucaud-Henrique did not play Kiddies Carnival, she first donned a costume for ‘big people mas’ in 2000. Fast forward to 2025, Boucaud-Henrique is now a driving force behind the operations of one of Trinidad’s large bands, BLISS.
“I’m involved in the development of technology solutions for the band,” she said. “I’m also responsible for the overall execution of the BLISS band and BLISS the brand. From registration to distribution and everything that is involved in getting ready for that process. That starts with a concept, development of the theme, contracting designers, working through the design process, managing the photo shoot, band launch, putting costumes on sale through registration, going through the registration process and everything we do to get ready for the road.”
‘Chief problem solver’
Boucaud-Henrique is considered the ‘chief problem solver’ at BLISS.
“Creative problem-solving is where I fall in, which is different from your traditional creatives,” she said. “Everybody hears BLISS and they think I design. My son’s school’s first question was, can you help us make costumes? That’s not what I do. I’m part of the engine running the operation behind the creatives, and you really need both sides to work hand in hand.”
The BLISS brand head said the band was celebrating 15 years in the Carnival arena.
“It is amazing to see where BLISS has grown, how we found our footing over time,” she said. “BLISS is now the premium experience in the group, we are called the ‘champagne band’, and our amenities are top tier on the road to ensure excellent service.”
While masqueraders get ready for the road on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Boucaud-Henrique and her team have been working year-round to ensure that the experience is second to none.
“I don’t think people can understand how much work it takes to get a Carnival band on the road,” she said. “The amount of work it takes to execute the level of service that we have right now ... Our team meets year-round, we are always tweaking, looking for customer feedback. We are a very customer-driven band, and we will ask what you want, what you want to see on the road, and that’s what we try to deliver on a whole.”
And while BLISS takes a lot of her time, Boucaud-Henrique continues to balance her consultancy and being a wife and mother, with continuous support from her husband. She credits her team at BLISS for making the job fun and exciting despite the rigorous hours behind the mas.
“It is definitely not a one-man show; we have a great team at the mas camp,” she said.“Without the engine that runs the band, the people that are involved, the people we have to depend on, we will go nowhere. Carnival is such a massive undertaking that you cannot accredit it to one person.”
Come Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Boucaud-Henrique will join her team in managing the band on the road for the greatest parade.