One of main contenders for the title of Soca music’s Queen, Destra Garcia, was the focus of last week’s Caribbean Heat feature. However, this week we shall highlight the genre’s undisputed King. Of course, we are referring to the one and only Machel Montano HD.

Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, Montano is without question the leading force of Soca music both locally and internationally. In fact, his global appeal is so massive that he has sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City on multiple occasions and shared the stage with various acts including Beyonce, Shaggy, Pitbull, Lil Jon and Beenie Man.

Montano started his career before the age of 10 years and rose to popularity with his classic tune ‘Too Young to Soca’. His early signs of musical prowess earned him several comparisons to Michael Jackson and they even had similar career paths as Montano eventually headed a band, Xtatik, before garnering massive success as a solo act.

Watch some of Montano’s most popular videos below:

‘Outta Space (Ft. Beenie Man)’

‘Toro Toro (Ft. Shaggy)’

‘Jumbie’

‘Come Dig It (with Xtatik)’

‘Take a Borrow (with Xtatik)’

‘Big Truck (with Xtatik)’

‘Vibes Cyah Done’

Montano really has no competition in the field of Soca. His stage shows, music videos and catalogue are vastly better than his peers and the simple addition of his name to any billing basically guarantees that the show would be sold out. To put that in perspective, just imagine his box office revenue when his annual concert special averages over 18K persons in attendance.

Notably, when Beyonce ventured to Trinidad for the final stop of her ‘I Am…Tour’ in 2010, ticket sales for the relatively expensive concert exploded when Montano, who had not performed live in over 6 months, agreed to hit the stage. Indeed, Montano is so popular that people would pay almost anything to see him perform!

If you enjoyed Montano’s music then you could find more on iTunes! Which was your favourite song? Let us know in the comment section below!

Thoughts?