Machel Montano Talks New ‘Like Ah Boss’ Documentary & Breaking Soca Music Globally: ‘It Feels Like a New Beginning’
Categoria: Musica
With a new documentary and a new tour underway, Machel Montano's fifth decade as soca powerhouse is off to an incredible start. Read the full Billboard interview.
Por Billboard | 29/05/2026
Sometimes, the universe aligns perfectly. Take the “Michael Jackson of the Caribbean,” Machel Montano, unveiling his new documentary the same week as the late, original Michael Jackson dominates the Billboard charts , for example. Related Vybz Kartel Announces New ‘God & Time’ Album: ‘The Flow Will Be Different’ Kes Teases New Album; Talks Tiny Desk Debut & Hopping On Di Genius’ ‘Hill & Gully’ Riddim: ‘Nobody Expected That!’ Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month: Lu City Is Shaking Up the Worlds of Pop & Hip-Hop With a Saint Lucian Twist On Friday (May 29), Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King – Machel Montano officially debuts in the U.S. on all digital platforms. Co-directed by Sunseeker Media founder Bart Phillips and Montano’s manager, Che Khotari, the new documentary eschews the recent wave of 2016 nostalgia in favor of revisiting 2015: That year, Montano kept the camera rolling as he delivered a whopping 16 high-energy performance sets across seven days during Carnival season. That jaw-dropping run gave way to a Coachella mainstage appearance in 2016, collaborations with international music sensations like Ariana Grande (“All My Love”) and Ashanti (“The Road”), and a performance at Sadhguru’s India-set Maha Shivratri Festival in 2022. Anchored by a Machel Monday performance in front of over 25,000 fans and primarily soundtracked by his 2015 smash “Like Ah Boss” — which has earned almost 20 million official on-demand U.S. streams to date, according to Luminate — Montano’s new documentary is undoubtedly triumphant. But it’s also strikingly honest. Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King doesn’t attempt to squeeze an in-depth look at Montano’s four-decade career into a 78-minute runtime — but the film does trace the darker moments of his storied life and career. From the devastating collapse of a VIP stand during his 2000 Real Unity concert (which left several attendees injured and numerous legal repercussions) to difficult battles with depression and other brush-ups with the law, Montano’s new documentary opts for an expansive look at his past 40 years, one that adds real weight and gravity to the innately effervescent energy of soca music. And it’s an apt lens for a journey that began when the King of Soca was just a child. At the age of 9, Montano performed at The Theater in New York City’s Madison Square as a support act for Mighty Sparrow and other calypso stars. Years of local success, hit singles and carnival road anthems followed, and by 2012, Montano evolved into a Triple Crown Winner, with “Mr. Fete” earning the Groovy Soca Monarch title, while “Pump Your Flag” snagged Power Soca Monarch and Road March victories. In 2014, he won the Soul Train Music Award for best international performance with “Ministry of Road (M.O.R.),” boxing out crossover smashes like Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” and giving way to his iconic 2015. Today, Montano stands as Trinidad &am