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Soca
Trinidad's carnival engine
Soca is the carnival music of Trinidad and Tobago — faster and more percussive than the calypso it grew from, and built for the road march. It is the sound of Caribbean carnival across the islands and the diaspora.
Origin & history
Soca developed in Trinidad in the 1970s, with the Trinidadian musician Lord Shorty — later Ras Shorty I — widely credited as its originator, fusing calypso with the Indian-Caribbean rhythms of the island.
It became the engine of carnival in Trinidad and then across the Caribbean and its diaspora, with carnivals in London, Toronto, New York and Miami built around it.
Notable artists
Lord Shorty (Ras Shorty I)
Trinidadian musician generally credited with originating soca in the 1970s.
Machel Montano
Trinidadian soca artist, a central figure in the genre's modern carnival era.
Where it lives
Questions & Answers
What is soca?+
Soca is the carnival dance music of Trinidad and Tobago — faster and more percussive than calypso, and written for the road march.
How is soca different from calypso?+
Soca grew out of calypso but is faster, more rhythm-driven and built for dancing rather than for calypso's storytelling and social commentary.
Where did soca come from?+
Trinidad and Tobago, in the 1970s.
