According to Machel Montano, the first law of soca music is: “It’s dancing time all the time.” The “King of Soca” proved it during his Tiny Desk Concert. Montano’s performance is historic, bringing Soca—the high-energy dance music of the Caribbean—to NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
Soca originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1970s when calypso artist Lord Shorty (later Ras Shorty I) combined traditional Indian percussion with calypso—a genre influenced by African, Venezuelan, French, and American music. A proud Trinidadian, Montano has been a driving force in Soca’s global rise, earning accolades since childhood.
His career began at age 7, and by age 10, he was performing with legends like Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener at Madison Square Garden. Over 40 years later, Montano’s Tiny Desk Concert highlights his legacy, featuring hits like One More Time, Famalay, Like Ah Boss, Soca Kingdom, and Fast Wine.
The room’s energy was electric. Attendees waved their Caribbean flags, jumped, wined, and sang along. As a Barbados-born, Saint Lucian-raised gyal, seeing Soca’s unifying spirit on such a stage filled me with pride. Ingrained in my cultural DNA, this music is more than sound—it’s life.
NPR’s Tiny Desk is a celebrated concert series featuring intimate, stripped-back performances from artists across genres. Filmed at the desk of host Bob Boilen, it highlights raw acoustic sounds and personal storytelling. The series also hosts a contest, showcasing unsigned talent and fostering musical creativity and discovery.
If you’re new to Soca, stretch and loosen up before pressing play. Once Soca starts, you cannot stay still!
