Machel Montano

Machel Montano was born in Carenage, on the island of Trinidad, on November 24, 1974. As a young schoolboy, he was already accompanied by his brother on guitar, and seemed destined for a musical career. This vocation was confirmed at the age of 10, when he founded his first band, Ranasonic Express. This was eventually renamed Xtatic. It was with this group that he recorded his first solo opus, Too Young to Soca? in 1986. The following year, he tried to break through in the United States by taking part in the TV talent show Star Search. Thereafter, he alternated between albums with Xtatic and solo work, always with success, which enabled him to become a true soca icon and to be considered one of the most influential Caribbean artists thanks to a career spanning more than three decades. In 2015, he scored a huge hit with the track "One Wine", featuring Sean Paul and Major Lazer. After making his film debut in Bazodee in 2016, Montano directed a documentary on his career, Journey of a soca king (2017), and continues to multiply his recordings and collaborations. Under his Monk Music label, he signed the albums Monk Monté (2015), Monk Evolution (2016), G.O.A.T. (2019) and The Wedding Album (2021). In 2022, after collaborations with Skinny Fabulouse, Ding Dong, Motto, Ashanti, Iwer George and Kerwin Du Bois, he teams up with Patrice Roberts and Problem Child for the Happy Daze Riddim EP. In 2025, his single "Fling It Up" appears in the Top 50 Afrobeat Songs.

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