The future of Trinidad and Tobago’s music industry looks and sounds very promising. The country is full of talent. With a culture so rich and diverse, how could it not be? The twin-island may be known for soca and calypso but, musically, it is far more than just that. T&T has talented artists across various genres, and in efforts to highlight them, we’ve made a list (in no particular order) of artists to look out for in 2019. Remember, you can’t spell ‘talent’ without T&T. Happy listening!
Kimi
Smooth, melodious dancehall best describes his style. We immediately fell in love with his voice, and his features are just as impressive as his original songs. Kimi has an addictive voice, sweet harmonies, and a steady flow. He joined the soca scene for the 2019 carnival season with his latest release, ‘Ah Like It’. Our top picks ‘Get Them Mad’, and ‘Good Vibes’ can be added to your 2019 summer playlist(s).
Abdiel
You can’t miss the hair. His music makes you pause and say, “Wait… Is this soca or afrobeat?” It’s an impressive, well-balanced fusion that makes you want to dance. He won the singer/performer category of the Digicel Music Academy competition. He’s often compared to artists like Wizkid and Mr Eazi, and ladies describe his voice (and him) as seductive. His music videos are fun to watch as well. Check out ‘Show Me’, ‘My Love’ ft. Destra and ‘Oh Yeah’.
Yelena
A gospel singer with a dynamic voice. She’s been singing for years but released her first official single ‘Flawless’ in 2017, launching her solo career. She also released another called ‘Queen’. Her lyrics are empowering and she uses her music to spread love, positivity and the good news. She sounds just as good
Prince Swanny
Dancehall we
Mical Teja
Singer. Songwriter. Producer. He began as a songwriter and producer (He’s ½ of System32), working with soca artists like Machel Montano, Destra Garcia, Olatunji and more. But he recently launched his solo career and singing has been added to his list. His music has a laid back, groovy vibe that’s sure to make you smile. Check out ‘Want’ and ‘See U Dancing’.
Rheon Elbourne
We were really impressed by his music. He produces and sings dancehall while maintaining the influence(s) of T&T’s local genres. Clever, witty lyricism over cool riddims, and all around good vibes. He is definitely one to look out for. Listen to ‘Lord Knows’ and ‘Build My Dreams’ and ‘Pam Pam’ ft. Prince Swanny to get a feel of his style. We can’t wait to hear more from him.
Keoné
Singer. Songwriter. Producer. No, we’re not talking about Mical Teja but Keoné. A truly beautiful and soothing voice that can leave you mesmerized. She dabbles with R&B and soca and we think she has a very promising career ahead of her. ‘Body Language’, ‘Your L.O.V.E’ (We highly suggest checking out the music video for this one) and ‘Come Thru’ are our top picks. You should also check out her EP ‘On My Mind’.
Jay Nahge
This guy is in everything: Hip-hop, soca, R&B, you name it, he’s done it. He is yet another example of how diverse our artists are. He’s worked with some other people on this list like Jimmy October and Mical Teja, and he opened for J. Cole at the 2016 Tobago Jazz Festival. He has a cool flow, solid lyrics, and mad freestyle skills. We hope he keeps it up. Our top pick is ‘Wave’ but you can also try ‘Sam’s Song’ if you want to feel and ‘My Lane’ ft. Mical Teja if you want to dance.
Jimmy October
As the saying goes, “He out here doing d’ ting.” From opening for artists like J. Cole and being featured on Steve Aoki’s 2017 album ‘Kolony’, to partnering with Jamaican reggae artist Protoje’s record label – In.Digg.Nation Collective, Jimmy October is doing a lot. He sings feel-good music that sounds like a fusion of soca/calypso and hip-hop/R&B. He even recently released a 5-track EP entitled ‘Vacation’. Check him out.
Chopikal
“Hey, Choppi!” His name perfectly describes his sound. He’s no stranger to the T&T music scene, some of you may have known him as Sean Nebula from the former duo Nebula868. Now, he’s pursuing a solo career and giving us some great
Kaz Fuego
His music is… well…
KG
Skillful. Dancehall, but you can still hear the sounds of T&T to keep it close to home. In many of his tracks, you will hear the steel pan in the background. KG has great energy and strong lyrics. He even collaborated with Kimi and Prince Swanny; his flow fits in well. His music will definitely make you bop your head and he has some cool music videos too. Listen to ‘Money Deh’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Tables Turn’.
Zerimar
Zerimar’s no longer just doing covers on his YouTube channel but releasing some really great t
Rael Luvi
He’s another member of the country’s rap scene. He also occasionally does R&B and has worked with Kaz Fuego. Rael’s good at wordplay and has some lyrics that really make you think. He gets pretty creative with music videos too and is hoping that T&T starts paying more attention to its rap artists/community. He actually released an album in 2017 entitled ‘Cloud’. Check out ‘Attention’, ‘Content’ and ‘Wait’.
Nava
He’s an R&B artist that both sings and produces. Nava’s been exploring with sound for a while. Remember Machel Montano’s 2015 song ‘Festival’? Right! He was featured on that. If you don’t know it, go listen to it. He recently released a 6-track EP called ‘now(here)’; on all streaming platforms and his latest single is called ‘No More Lies’. His music has a very relaxing, laid back vibe to it. We hope to hear more from him in 2019.
