Alison Hinds was born in London and lived in Plaistow, East London as an only child until 11 years old when her parents divorced. Her mother Marcella Hinds then took her home to Barbados.

She attended Foundation School in Barbados where she discovered a love for languages (French in particular) and singing. She entered the Richard Stoute teen talent show at 16 years old, encouraged by Anderson "Young Blood" Armstrong. They soon formed Square One.

Square One started began as a cover band performing in hotels and then nightclubs. The band helped Alison to come out of her shyness. In 1996, their single "Ragamuffin" landed Hinds the title of Barbados's Road March queen. They followed up the next year with "In the Meantime" which also earned a second consecutive title.

With "Ragamuffin" the band became intensely popular and Alison became known as the “Ragamuffin” Queen. The band took to the road and began performing internationally in Trinidad & Tobago, The U.S., Canada and elsewhere. They followed up with several hit singles.

The band has a policy of learning the most popular song of the country they are performing in and in Suriname they discovered “Faluma,” a song from the bush Negroes of that country. They recorded it when they returned to Barbados. By the time they got to Guatemala, the band was surprised to discover that “Faluma” had been number one on the charts of one radio station for 45 weeks there.

Now the band tours incessantly spreading Soca vibes with high-energy performances. Once a shy-girl who trembled the first time she performed, Alison Hinds is now known for her wassi stage antics, fuscia dreadlocks and fit physique. She is truly the premier diva of soca music.