Machel Montano has definitely earned the recognition as one of—if not THE—most well known modern-day Soca artists. Indeed, the Trinidadian performer has put more than 30 years work and dedication into that recognition. Not bad for a man who’s only 40.
Over the last few years, Montano has broken the record for the most wins in the International Soca Monarch competition, an annual, on-site battle among Soca artists at Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago for the Power Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch titles. The Power Soca Monarch wins for up-tempo songs and the Groovy Soca Monarch wins for slower-paced songs. Montano won the Power Soca Monarch title for the first time in 2011 with “Advantage.” In 2012 and 2013 he won both Power Soca Monarch and Groovy Soca Monarch titles with “Pump Yuh Flag” (2012) and “Mr. Fete” (2012), respectively, and “Float” (2013) and “The Fog” (2013). He was crowned 2014 Power Soca Monarch for “Ministry of Road” and was most recently crowned 2015 Power Soca Monarch for “Like Ah Boss.”
Montano began making a name for himself as a Soca artist when he was just 9 years old, recording “Too Young to Soca.” Within a year, he’d formed his first band, Pranasonic Express (which eventually became Xtatik), with his older bother and some other friends and neighbors. He competed on “Star Search” when he was 11 and, the next year, took second place in the Trinidad and Tobago National Song Writers Festival with his song “Dream Girl.” He was the first Trinidadian and the youngest artist to place in the competition.
A sought after entertainer known for his high energy performances, Montano has tweaked and reinvented his band several times and recorded with several other well known Caribbean artists, including Sparrow, Alison Hinds, Calypso Rose, Beenie Man, Drupatee Ramgoonai and Wyclef Jean. With his current band, Machel Montano HD, Montano has begun extending his reach into other genres of music such as EDM (electronic dance music) and growing his presence on social media.
BE Modern Man applauds the artistic accomplishments of Machel Montano and bestows the title of Carnival King onto an artist who is already a Soca monarch several times over.
Come celebrate Caribbean culture with Black Enterprise and Queen of Soca Alison Hinds during the Black Enterprise Golf & Tennis Challenge, September 3-6, 2015 at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Use code BEMM to get $150 off all conference packages!*
* Spa package not included