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Machel Jesus Montano (born 24 November 1974)Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Soca Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 300–301. is a
Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
soca Soca or SOCA may refer to: Places * Soča, a river in Slovenia and Italy * Soča, Bovec, Slovenia * Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport, by ICAO code * Soca, a village in Banloc Commune, Timiș County, Romania * SoCa, Southern California Other u ...
singer, actor, record producer and songwriter. Known for his high energy, fast-paced, and often unpredictable on-stage performances, he is one of the genre’s most popular artists.


Music career

Montano is the front-man of the soca band The HD Family. In 1987 he was the youngest finalist to ever win the
Caribbean Song Festival The Caribbean Song Festival was an annual song competition held among countries that are members of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). It was the largest and highest rated song competition of the Caribbean. It is often referred to as the Eur ...
. His career spans more than 30 years. Around 2012 he moved to the Los Angeles area. He is very well known in New York City, where he has had sold-out concerts in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
many times over. Machel is a six time international Soca Monarch.


Early life

Montano was born in
Carenage Carenage is a town in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in northwestern Trinidad, and is administered by the Diego Martin Regional Corporation. Located close to Chaguaramas, it is more of a residential area than a commercial or i ...
(Northwestern
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
) on 24 November 1974 and his family moved to
Siparia Siparia is a town in southern Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago, south of San Fernando, southwest of Penal and Debe and southeast of Fyzabad. Also called "The Sand City", it was originally a non-Mission Amerindian settlement. Siparia grew to be th ...
(Southwestern Trinidad), when he was very young. He attended Siparia Boys R.C., then Presentation College, a prestigious secondary school in
San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...
, where he was in the
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
led by Mrs Cynthia Lee-Mack. Machel's first shot to fame as a nine-year-old boy came with the song "Too Young To Soca" while he was still in primary school. In 1984, along with his older brother Marcus and neighbours, the group Panasonic Express was started and, in 1989, the band became
Xtatik Xtatik is a locally and well-known Trinidad and Tobago Soca band led by Machel Montano. History The band evolved from Pranasonic Express, which was formed in 1984 in Port of Spain.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Bo ...
. In April 1986, at the age of 11, Montano appeared on the mainstream television show ''Star Search''. In 1987, he took part in the Trinidad and Tobago National Song Writers Festival, and placed second with his song "Dream Girl". He also won the Caribbean Song Festival in Barbados, becoming the first Trinidadian and youngest contestant to win this competition.


Machel Montano HD – concepts

The band developed and was re-invented by its leader Montano several times, including as The Xtatik Circus, Xtatik The Road Marching Band and The Band of the Year. Since 2007 they have been known as Machel Montano HD (High Definition); Montano promoted the concept by saying that he is the first human being to go HD. He claims this characterizes the evolution of his music over the past 25 years and the highly improved style in which his music is presented to his fans in radio format, television, and during live performances. He is part of a campaign in Trinidad and Tobago to promote safe driving – "Arrive Alive". Part of the hype surrounding Montano since 2007 is his HD tour bus, a 20-year-old bus from the
Public Transport Service Corporation The Public Transport Service Corporation or better known as PTSC is the state-owned public transport provider for Trinidad and Tobago. Its headquarters are at City Gate in Port of Spain (formerly the Trinidad Government Railway headquarters). Pa ...
(PTSC) that was re-done and includes a bedroom, bathroom facilities, flat-screen TVs,
Internet access Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...
and expensive
audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...
systems. After its debut in 2007, the bus was re-painted for 2008, the new images of Machel matching various photos from the album artwork of his 2008 CD, ''
Flame On ''Flame On'' is an album by Trinidadian soca artist Machel Montano, released in 2008. It was first launched at Trinidad's Club Zen on 16 January 2008. The album marked Montano's second release after rebranding to Machel Montano HD in 2007. A rel ...
''. The bus featured heavily in his videos for "Jumbie" (2007) and "Rollin/Blazin d Trail" (2008). In 2012 Montano won the
Road March The Carnival Road March is the musical composition played most often at the "judging points" along the parade route during a Caribbean Carnival. Originating as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the term has been applied to other Caribbean ...
, Power Soca Monarch and the Groovy Soca Monarch. He won the Groovy Soca Monarch with his rendition of "Mr. Fete". In May 2012 he launched the music video to his hit single "Bottle Of Rum".


Xtatik's music

Kernal Roberts, son of the late calypsonian Lord Kitchener, has taken up the role of Xtatik's drummer and musical director. In the United Kingdom, he co-presented the International Sounds of Soca show on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's black music digital radio station
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
for four years with
DJ Slic A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
. His successful singles, with and without Xtatik, include "Big Truck" (Xtatik's most successful single, which won the Road March title in 1997), "Outa Space" (with
Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay. Biography Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
), "Music Farm" (Xtatik), "It's Carnival" (with
Destra Garcia Destra Garcia (born 10 November 1978) is a Trinidadian musician, singer and songwriter of soca music. She is also known by the mononym Destra. She is one of the most popular female soca artists in the world. Biography Childhood and early caree ...
), and his Road March title wins in 2006, "Band Of The Year" (with
Patrice Roberts It was in 2005 when Patrice Roberts shocked the entertainment industry in Trinidad and Tobago with her talent. Her introduction through a vocal collaboration was with Bunji Garlin who at that time was in the spotlight. It was her refreshingly soothi ...
), and in 2007, "Jumbie". His album ''Flame On'', released in February 2008, featured collaborations with calypso artistes
David Rudder David Michael Rudder OCC (born 6 May 1953) is a Trinidadian calypsonian, known to be one of the most successful calypsonians of all time. He performed as lead singer for the brass band Charlie's Roots. Nine years later, Rudder stepped outside t ...
on "Oil and Music" and
Mighty Sparrow Slinger Francisco ORTT CM OBE (born July 9, 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadian calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World", he is one of the best-known and most successful calyp ...
on "Congo Man". ''Flame On'' also includes Clamydia with other artistes from various genres including soca, reggae, rap and reggaeton. Examples of these partnerships can be heard on the following tracks: Patrice Roberts on "Rollin", Shaggy on "Winning Season", Buju Banton on "Make Love" and finally
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...
and Pitbull on "Defense (The Anthem)". On ''Flame On'' Montano's right-hand man Kernal Roberts was involved in the writing of eight out of the 13 tracks. In Trinidad's
Carnival Road March The Carnival Road March is the musical composition played most often at the "judging points" along the parade route during a Caribbean Carnival. Originating as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the term has been applied to other Caribbean ...
Competition for Carnival 2008, Montano's song "Blazin d Trail" placed third.


2013–19 media

On 20 January 2013 Montano released the official video for the single "The Fog" from his 16th solo album, "Machelements". On 27 January 2013, Machel then released another video for his single "Float". Two days after another visual was released for his song "Happiest Man Alive". Other songs that were followed by immediate visuals are "Epic", taking two months to create and release, and "Ministry of Road", taking less than one month to follow up on. In 2014, Montano took an interest in electric dance music (EDM), collaborating with EDM artists
Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...
to create EDM song with a Soca vibe, called "Sound Bang". In November 2014 Montano won a Soul Train Award for Best International Performance for the song "Ministry of Road (M.O.R.)". His win for "Ministry of Road" is the second consecutive win at the BET Soul Train Music Awards for Soca Music just after
Bunji Garlin Ian Antonio Alvarez (born July 14, 1978), better known by his stage name Bunji Garlin, is a Trinidadian ragga soca artist. He is also affectionately known as the Viking of Soca. His spouse is Fay-Ann Lyons. Early life Bunji was born on July 1 ...
won in 2013 with '' Differentology''. Montano made his movie debut with '' Bazodee'' (2016), which was filmed entirely in Trinidad and Tobago. He stars in the movie as a soca singer who falls in love with a businessman's daughter. On 21 January 2019 Montano released the single "The Road". The song features R&B Ashanti.


International Soca Monarchs

The
International Soca Monarch International Soca Monarch is an annual soca music competition/fete event, the finals of which are held on every Carnival Friday (aka Fantastic Friday) in Trinidad and Tobago. Contestants in the event vie for two separate crowns or titles, the In ...
competition is an annual contest between various competing Soca artists. Within this competition there are two sub-categories which contestants can place in. One of which is the Power Soca Monarch; a competition for upbeat songs while the International Groovy Soca Monarch is for Soca songs of a slower tempo. In 2011, Montano won his first Soca Monarch competition (from Power Soca Monarchs) for his performance of the song "Advantage". In the years 2012 and 2013, he won back to back times in both sub-categories for his performance of his songs "Pump Yuh Flag" and "Mr. Fete", in 2012 and, "Float" and, "The Fog", in 2013, winning TT$2 Million each time. He also won the Power Soca Monarch in 2014 for his song "Ministry of Road", however he was dethroned by Kerwin Du Bois and his hit song "Too Real" in the Groovy Soca Monarch category. Montano set a new record by winning the 2014 Power Monarch, becoming the first artist/ performer to win a total of four titles. He won the title again in 2015 with his hit song "Like Ah Boss".Machel Montano retains Power Soca Monarch title
, ''
Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 14 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.


Personal life

On February 14, 2020 Montano married his longtime girlfriend Renee Butcher (now Renee Montano) at
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
's The Red House, the first such wedding in 20 years at the country's seat of parliament, making him only the second Soca singer male or female to get married in the month of February after
Alison Hinds Alison Amanda Hinds (born 1 June 1970) is a British-born Bajan soca artist based in Barbados. She is one of the most popular soca singers in the world. Biography Alison Hinds was born in London on 1 June 1970 and grew up in Plaistow.Batey, A ...
(with whom he did a remix of her Crop Over 2007 song "Roll it Gal") who got married on February 26th 2004, he is also the only soca singer to get married on Valentine's day and the second male soca singer in the English speaking Caribbean to get married after Lil Rick of Barbados.


Discography


Solo albums

*''Too Young to Soca?'' (1985) *''Soca Earthquake'' (1987) *''Dr. Carnival'' (1988) *''Katch Ya!'' (1989) *''Breakin Out!'' (1990) *''One Step Ahead!'' (1991) *''2000 Young To Soca'' (2000 Re-Edition) *'' The Xtatik Parade'' (2004) *''The Xtatik Experience'' (2005) *'' B.O.D.Y. - Band Of D Year'' (2006) *'' The Book of Angels'' (2007) *''
Flame On ''Flame On'' is an album by Trinidadian soca artist Machel Montano, released in 2008. It was first launched at Trinidad's Club Zen on 16 January 2008. The album marked Montano's second release after rebranding to Machel Montano HD in 2007. A rel ...
'', released as ''Winning Season'' in the United States (2008) *'' Heavenly Drum'' (2009) *'' Album 34'' (2010) *''The Return'' (2011) *''Double M'' (2012) *''Going for Gold'' (2012) - Machel Montano and Friends *''Machelements (Volume 1)'' (2013) *''Happiest Man Alive'' (2014) *''Monk Monté'' (2015) *''Monk Evolution'' (2016) *''G.O.A.T.'' (2019) *''The Wedding Album'' (2021)


Xtatik albums

*''X Amount Ah Sweetnesss'' (1992) *''Soca Style Hot'' (1993) *''By All Means (EP)'' (1994) *''Loose Yuh Waist'' (1995) *''Men at Work'' (1996) *'' Heavy Duty'' (1997) *''Xtatik Live'' (1997) *''
Charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
'' (1998) *'' Any Minute Now'' (1999) *''
Here Comes the Band ''Here Comes the Band'' is an album by Trinidadian Soca artist Machel Montano and his band Xtatik released in 2000. The album's 22 tracks feature different singers on each, with the album covering a diverse range of styles.Birchmeier, Jason " ' ...
'' (2000) *''Same High'' (2001) *''On the Cusp'' (2002) *''The Xtatik Circus'' (2003 – as "Xtatik Band 5.0")


Guest appearances

*"Floor On Fire" by
Lil' Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...
featuring Pitbull and Machel Montano (2009) *"Alright" by
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
featuring Machel Montano ''(from the album
Planet Pit ''Planet Pit'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Pitbull. It was released on June 17, 2011, through Polo Grounds Music, Mr. 305 Entertainment, Sony Music, and J Records. The production on the album was handled by a variety of pop an ...
)'' (2010) *"Can't Let Go" by
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...
featuring Machel Montano ''(from the album Collide)'' (2014) *"Shake Yuh Bum Bum" by
Timaya Inetimi Timaya Odon (born 15 August 1980), better known by his stage name Timaya, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter. He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state, South-South Nigeria. He is fondly called the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayels ...
featuring Machel Montano (2014) *"All My Love (Remix)" by
Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...
featuring Ariana Grande and Machel Montano (2015) *" Taxi (Carnival Remix)" by Pitbull, Lil' Jon and Machel Montano (2016) *"Issa Vibe/Pick Your Position" by
Motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
featuring Skinny Fabulous and Machel Montano (2019) *"Young Boy" by
Calypso Rose Calypso Rose or Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis (born April 27, 1940 in Bethel Village, Tobago) is a Trinidadian calypsonian. She started writing songs at the age of 13; over the years, she has composed more than 1000 songs and recorded more th ...
featuring Machel Montano (2019)


References


External links


Machel Montano website


– CaribbeanNetNews, Saturday, 24 March 2007
Machel Montano Performs at Miami Broward Carnival 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montano, Machel 1974 births Living people 21st-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers Soca musicians 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers Trinidad and Tobago people of Grenadian descent