Brazilian artist Claudia Leitte, who has over 25.4 million followers on Instagram, embraced the summer vibes with a collaboration featuring Kes and J Perry in the remix of Liquitiqui. The racy music video for this release was unveiled in December 2023, coinciding with the official launch of Brazilian Summer and serving as a festive Christmas…

Trinidadian soca artist Machel Montano has made it through to the semi-final round of the Trinidad & Tobago Calypso Monarch competition and will compete against thirty-nine other artists for a place in the finals on Carnival Sunday 11 February. The semi-final, Calypso Fiesta, is scheduled for Saturday, 3 February 2024, at Skinner Park, San Fernando.…

Shereese Edmund, popularly known as Mela Caribe, is a Trinidadian-born singer and songwriter best known for her 2023 song Dream. She is a versatile singer who seamlessly blends genres such as Dancehall, Reggae, Soca, R&B, Gospel, and Pop. Mela released her first song in 2021, collaborating with DJ Private Ryan. The song, Tell Me What…

The King of Soca has amazed his fans by turning to… calypso. Machel Montano’s latest release, Soul of Calypso, takes its title from the origins of the name ‘soca’, coined by Lord Shorty in 1973/74. With classic calypso rhythm driven by trumpet, trombone, sax, clarinet, bass, African drum, electric guitar and cuatro – the track…

Four mas bands have been told they will not be allowed to take part in Notting Hill Carnival this year. Eight other bands have received lesser sanctions but have been warned they face exclusion next year if they breach rules on music policy and minimum numbers of masqueraders in Carnival 2024. Organiser Notting Hill Carnival…

Elimu Mas Band has been upholding ‘traditional carnival values’ in Notting Hill Carnival for many years, and its impressive costumes have provided welcome relief from the standard feathered fare and jouvert-style mud of the party bands. However, the band announced on 23 January that it would not be on the road this August Bank Holiday,…

This Trinidadian soca songstress is known for her high-pitched vocals and vibrant, upbeat lyrics that celebrate Trinidadian culture, life, and individuality. Nailah Blackman comes from a family with a musical legacy, most notably her grandfather Garfield Blackman, aka Ras Shorty I, who is credited with inventing soca music, and her calypsonian mother, Abbi Blackman. Blackman…

Keshia Thomas, popularly known by her stage name Kaiya, is a fast-rising reggae and Afropop artist currently based in Bridgetown, Barbados. The young and talented songstress is steadily heading towards an international music career after a 2-year hiatus. Recently, she released two singles, namely Feel the Vibe featuring Ghanaian artist Samini and Real Love featuring…

It’s been 30 years but 2024 is the right time to bring down the curtain on rapso collective 3canal’s celebrated J’Ouvert band. It’s an announcement that will come as a shock and a disappointment to their many loyal followers, but, says vocalist Wendell Manwarren, “We are taking one more chip, one more jam, one more…