Machel Montano

Machel Montano ranks among the Caribbean’s most accomplished and earliest-rising talents. His distinctive fusion of soca and dancehall, paired with a magnetic stage presence, has placed him at the forefront of regional music. In 1987 he became the first artist from Trinidad and the youngest ever to claim victory at the Caribbean Song Festival, then added the Young Kings Competition title in 1991, the Party Vocalist Competition crown in 1995, and the Road March King Competition of Trinidad and Tobago in 1997. His group Xtatik captured the Party Band Competition in 1996. Metro Connections observed that Montano “successfully crosses boundaries between young and old, between Jamaica and Trinidad and between soca and dancehall.”

Evidence of his gift surfaced early. As a child he captivated his parents by singing while his brother played guitar, prompting them to arrange vocal instruction. At nine he was selected to represent his music school in the Junior Calypso Monarch Contest. He assembled the ensemble Pranasonic Express—later renamed Xtatik—in 1984 and issued his first album, Too Young To Soca, two years afterward. North American listeners encountered him when he delivered the album’s title song on the television program Star Search in 1987. Among his notable recordings are “Take Me Back,” “By All Means,” “Take Ah Borrow,” “Music Farm,” “Big Truck,” “Footsteps,” and “Toro Toro.” The album Outa Space (UFOs) spotlighted Jamaican vocalist Beenie Man.