Latest news with #MachelMontano
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Machel Montano & Ludmilla to Close Out Summer by Headlining Inaugural Planet Brooklyn Music Festival
Summer may have just begun, but a new music festival is already aiming to close out the season with a bang. Planet Brooklyn, a two-day music festival headlined by Billboard chart-topping global soca superstar Machel Montano, will land in its namesake New York borough on Saturday, Aug. 23, and Sunday, Aug. 24. Founded by BSE Global, Planet Brooklyn seeks to be 'a celebration of cultural connection through Brooklyn's music history and diversity,' chief products and experiences officer DeJuan Wilson exclusively tells Billboard. More from Billboard How Trinidadian Soca Artists Full Blown, Lady Lava & Tendaji Are Honoring Tradition While Charting the Genre's Next Era Olivia Rodrigo Covers Fontaines D.C.'s 'I Love You' in Dublin El Fantasma Claims Eighth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay Chart With 'Ya Me Vale Madre' On Aug. 23, Brazilian superstar Ludmilla will bring MUTHA — a Live Nation-produced micro-festival — to the Brooklyn Paramount. MUTHA will feature a full lineup of BIPOC queer talent, including CupcakKe, Junglepussy and Mykki Blanco. The Planet Brooklyn BAM experience will also double as one of the academy's BAM Free Music nights. On Aug. 24, Montano's Barclays Center-headlining set will include a Majah Hype-hosted showcase of soca and dancehall's buzziest talents, including Ayetian, Bunji Garlin, Lady Lava, Problem Child, Ravi B, Skillibeng, Skinny Fabulous and DJ Travis World. Following a pair of sold-out Vybz Kartel shows (April 11-12) and a headlining turn from Bounty Killer (July 5), Machel's is the latest in a string of New York arena-headlining Caribbean shows. 'Brooklyn has always felt like a second home to me. The vibes, the culture, the people — there's nothing like it,' Montano said in a press release. 'Every time I step on that stage in New York, especially in a place as electric as Barclays Center, it's a celebration of Caribbean spirit and unity. I can't wait to feel that energy again and share this moment with everyone who knows what it means to 'come alive' through music.' Montano has earned three top 10 entries on Reggae Albums: 2015's Monk Monté (No. 2), 2016's Monk Evolution (No. 5) and 2019's G.O.A.T. (No. 1). At the top of the year (Jan. 13), the Trinidadian icon played NPR Tiny Desk's first-ever soca set, and the following month (Feb. 25), he released his One Degree Hotter LP, which featured the Road March-winning anthem, 'Pardy.' Ten months in the making, Planet Brooklyn boasts three major stages across Downtown Brooklyn — Barclays Center, Brooklyn Paramount, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The festival's flagship venues will be connected by free block parties packed with activations, local food vendors and merchants, and performances from local and independent talent. Famed live music event experience brand Everyday People will host a DJ Moma-helmed function, Xanadu Skate Crew will team up with Brooklyn father-son DJ duo St. James Joy at the Bushwick venue, and Bangladeshi-American rapper-singer Anik Khan will host a Menasa Sound System-soundtracked event. 'Brooklyn is known for its rich history in the music space, and this is just a unique way to tell that story,' says Wilson. 'The purpose of Planet Brooklyn is to reflect the diverse cultures of Brooklyn [through who we program]. Brooklyn has about 150 diverse cultural groups, so you have a lot of history and cultural elements to pull from. The festival will be a great way to celebrate that.' With a lineup steeped in the sounds of the Global South and a host city facing increased ICE presence and routinely prickly tensions with its police force, security for all Brooklynites to safely and freely enjoy the event is crucial. When asked about safety measures as they pertained to ICE and the NYPD, Wilson declined to comment. Planet Brooklyn tickets will be on sale at 9:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 25 at With access available for individual performances across all three venues, fans can personally curate their experience. Barclays Center presale tickets are available now. Check out the full lineup for 2025 Planet Brooklyn below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Forbes
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Six Trends From Trinidad Carnival 2025 Worth Cheering About
Trinidad Carnival (Photo by Sean Drakes/LatinContent via Getty Images) Devotees of Trinidad Carnival study the season for sport. This means that we take meticulous, scholarly note of every single thing about the Caribbean's biggest annual bacchanal: which food was served at which fete (party); what soca song played however many times at said fete; who wore what onstage at which show; which soca performer lost his voice first for the season, on account of the obscene number of performances he or she completed on a given night (there ought be a Guinness Book of World Records category for that; odds are the iconic Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano would take the title). To be swept up in the season is, in short, to spend weeks saturated in frenzied running commentary about Carnival and only Carnival. To that end, I distill the takeaways from Trinidad Carnival 2025, which wrapped with a joyous bang last month, into six trends worth cheering about, especially as we (and the omnipresent Carnival Bible TriniJungleJuice) gear up for more commentary on the broader Caribbean Carnival season ahead, from Jamaica to Barbados to Miami—and back to Trinidad again in 2026. Advertisement for Mecka fete Bringing Culture Back Never mind bringing sexy back—that's par for the course at Trinidad Carnival. It's a beautiful moment for bringing culture back. To be clear, it never left; for those who cared to partake in the traditional elements of Carnival—springing from the beautiful revolutionary legacy of the festival, rooted in histories of enslavement and the resurrection of African traditions—they have always been there for the taking. But now big-name promoters are finding ingenious ways to infuse modern-day Carnival fetes with the spiritual ritual that is Carnival. Case in point: wOw Events' Mecka, a grand fete on the Queen's Park Savannah, where traditional Carnival characters like Blue Devils and Dame Lorraine—a parody of the French plantation wife—roam the grounds and the stage is blanketed with intricately costumed characters; and wOw's's Iron Park, my favorite fete for the season: in creative homage to the genius invention that is the steel pan, Trinidad's national instrument, the main event here is a pairing of famous pan orchestras with feted DJs for a pore-raising musical mashup. Another case in point: The annual Lost Tribe fete, Feteyard, selects one Carnival character to, for its theme, reinvent in modern-day context; this year they ingeniously transformed the stick fighting tradition—a local martial art rooted in African traditions—into a contemporary boxing match, complete with ring as stage, stunning stick fight performance to open the show and comic-book decor throughout. Dear Promoters: more of this vibe, please! Opening of Welcome to Freetown Shaking Up the Same-Old Same Old The unofficial mantra of Trinidad Carnival might as well be, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' This is because you will go to the same sort of fetes, hear the same soca songs and see the same performers for days or weeks on end. And you know what? It will not get old. The whole Carnival experience is actually a fine line between indoctrination, brainwashing and glorious community building. But dare I say it: every now and then, in the midst of the bacchanal, you might crave something different. Now there are options. At Bass Yard parties, you get your soca blended with electronic music and drum n bass, in a dance-heavy, intimate setting. This year brought the ruthlessly popular Nigerian party Obi's House to Trinidad Carnival, which meant a chance to hear Afrobeats and Amapiano with a funky-cool pan-African crowd. And the annual Welcome to Freetown show blends Carnival energy with Carnival consciousness, as the six-part musical collective known for incisive lyrics and creative expression perform with vibrancy and passion. King of Soca Nostalgia: Bunji Garlin Old-School Vibes Come Back Again Back in the day, as Carnival veterans like to say, Carnival parties were not the fancy affairs they are today. There were no cell phones, which meant that if you attended a fete, you were not there for swiping and selfies. You were there to dance, sweat, jump and wave. You wore sneakers and t-shirts. And you left drunk, exhausted and exhilerated. There is a soca star whose lyrical currency is nostalgia for those days: Bunji Garlin. And this year he launched a fete that is actually a movement: Hard Fete—its title taken from his 2023 smash hit about the good-old days of Carnival—instructed attendees to wear shorts, sneakers and flag; leave your phones at home, came the directive, and be ready to jump and sweat. It was his music brought to life—a glorious soca time machine that certainly started something big. Simple-yet-impactful innovation: Self-serve drink trucks on the road with Tribe New-School Things Make Life Easier While we're in nostalgia mode, it is worth noting that once upon a time part of the experience of Trinidad Carnival was hustling for fete tickets. There was no easy way to obtain them, after all; it was a kind of scavenger hunt involving knowing someone who knows someone who has one for sale—and when you finally got that ticket it felt like winning the lottery. Now the pressure is no more; we have new-school innovations: Island e-tickets is a powerful one-stop shop, and Haeven puts a whole curated Carnival package on one electronic wristband, which comes with its own VIP entrance at the fetes. Other innovations: Carnival band Tribe—the inventor of the all-inclusive Carnival concept that's now de rigeur for the Carnival Monday and Tuesday experience—unveiled self-serve drink trucks, which might sound like a small thing but to anyone who has ever battled crowds wielding a cup to reach the bartender on that moving truck (i.e. anyone who has ever played mas), it's a grand innovation. Tribe also added a fan zone to its band, allowing revelers to cool down under colossal fans, and a beer bus serving draft beer and plenty of laughs. Steel pan Freedom Can be Free The words 'budget' and 'Trinidad Carnival' shall never be uttered in the same sentence. In fact, regulars' favorite thing to moan about, year after year, is the ever-mounting cost of Carnival fete tickets and costumes. But now there are ways to enjoy some bacchanal on a budget, proving that the freedom of Carnival can actually be free. So-called 'pavement limes'—free street parties attracting top soca performers and DJs—are staged all season long; the best one, by blockbuster promoters Scorch, transforms Ariapita Avenue into an all-inclusive fete (all-inclusive meaning it's not just for those who can afford it). Each year the performances at the free John Cupid Carnival Village in the Queen's Park Savannah, run by the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, get better and better, serving up a variety of Trinidadian art forms, including the lyrical battles of Extempo music and the social commentary that is calypso. The steel pan yards all over Trinidad are nothing short of a gift to the masses, beckoning each night with magical music and local eats. And on select nights in Paramin, a village about 30 minutes from Port of Spain, the traditional Blue Devils—a Carnival character representing resistance and rebellion—take over town and transform the place into a mad street party like you've never seen before. Yung Bredda performing at Stink + Dutty fete A Younger Generation of Artists Gets Some Shine Carnival season is for the soca stars, who make the musical gas that fuels the whole ecstatic engine. Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Kes—they are soca royalty, and the whole of Carnival could not be without the likes of them. But now there are more opportunities for a newer generation of artists—performers like Yung Bredda and Nailah Blackman, both of whom earned hit tunes this season—to rise up and be heard. They even have their own platform: the launch of Ultimate Soca Champion saw up-and-coming artists compete for a cash prize; the Finals night was held live in the Savannah and attracted a vast crowd of fans.
The Guardian
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘We are one people': Soca stars including Machel Montano highlight Caribbean's connection to Africa
It was the wee hours of carnival on Saturday when the soca legend Machel Montano and Nigerian American Afrobeats superstar Davido took to the stage in Port of Spain. By then, the audience of thousands had already been partying for hours, but when the two launched into their hit song Fling It Up , the crowd erupted. This year's Trinidad and Tobago carnival – which included the finals of the country's steelpan competition and two days of hardcore reveling – highlighted a growing trend of collaboration between artists from Africa and the Caribbean, with musicians exploring the common threads of their cultural heritage at a time when the campaign for reparations has brought about a closer look at historical ties. Montano, who has dominated soca for decades, said the connection with African artists was an important part of his message. 'I've been on a journey trying to become spiritually in tune and sing Bob Marley-esque songs. He had songs of freedom. I want to sing songs of hope,' he said. The video for his latest hit, Pardy, which won the Road March award – given to the song played most often along the carnival parade route – begins with a meeting between Montano and the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, who has been at the forefront of the push for reparations. Montano, who recently completed an MA in cultural studies, said the prime minister, who in January called for a historic realignment between Africa and the Caribbean, had a 'clarity for the Caribbean, clarity for our people, clarity for who we are and where we are going and what we need'. He added: 'We have shared many conversations over the last few years, musically, culturally. We talk about lyrics. We talk about messages. We talk about the vibe of young people. We both love our people and care about what they need and what we can provide to help them reach their highest potential.' Over the years, Montano has visited Africa, hoping to bridge the gap between the two regions through music. Randall Mitchell, Trinidad and Tobago's minister of tourism, culture and arts, said such efforts reflected a broader movement in the country towards musical collaborations with Africa. A shared history meant there was a 'natural fit', he said, adding: 'Our ancestral heritage, we trace it to west Africa … That's where [our] music is from and there's always been that natural connection … We are one people.' Soca queen Nailah Blackman, whose grandfather Ras Shorty I was dubbed the 'father of soca' and credited with the creation of the art form, also recently explored elements of Afrobeats in Miss Continental, a collaboration with Nigeria's DJ Obi. Referring to Africa as 'the motherland', she said Caribbean people 'get that connection with African true culture and music'. She added: 'It's who we are, it's where we came from, and the connection in the 21st century has to come back bigger and better and stronger because now the world is more connected via the internet. Everything is a touch away – you know what somebody's doing in Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, everywhere else in the Caribbean, and here in Trinidad. Looking to the roots of Trinidad's national music, she said: 'The sound is very similar as soca music is a mixture of Indian rhythms and calypso – which is an African rhythm. And it's that blending that brings you a little closer.' Newer soca artists are exploring musical ties with Africa, including the up and coming star Yung Bredda. 'I started off doing the dancehall. I do reggae music, and I do Afrobeats and now I am doing soca to be able to contribute to my culture,' he said. Referring to his hit song The Greatest Bend Over, he said: 'People actually hear in it something other than just soca, there are Afrobeats, so you are hearing that African influence and it appeals to people in places like China, like Japan, like Egypt.' Montano, whose newest album, One Degree Hotter, includes collaborations with American, African and Caribbean stars, said: 'Every island [in the Caribbean] has a flavor to offer. But we have been converging on each other in a way that we are becoming one in our sound, in our looks, in our taste and in our feel for each other. Our music and our people are based on unity.' He added: 'A lot of us were dropped off here from many places. But what we are introducing and sharing with the world is a unified force. So you'll hear soca music with dancehall in it. You'll hear dancehall with reggaeton. You'll hear reggaeton with Afrobeats. We are giving you that music that feels like oneness, that feels like unity, that feels like love.'
