Beyond the Beat: How Xplicit Mevon Is Shaping the Sound of Modern Soca
Few producers have left a more visible imprint on contemporary Caribbean music in recent years than Mevon Soodeen, whose work has helped define the soundtrack of countless Carnival celebrations across the region.
Known across the industry as Xplicit Mevon, the Trinidad and Tobago-based producer has steadily evolved from a behind-the-scenes beatmaker into one of the region’s most influential sonic architects. With a catalogue that stretches effortlessly across hip-hop, soca, parang soca, and beyond, Mevon has carved out a reputation for versatility, innovation, and an instinct for creating records that move both culture and crowds.
What began over a decade ago as a passion project – built alongside a full-time career in IT – has transformed into a powerhouse music journey marked by bold risks, creative resilience, and increasingly high-profile collaborations. Since taking the leap into full-time music in 2018, Mevon’s trajectory has only accelerated, culminating in major moments that now place him firmly among the Caribbean’s elite producers.
From shaping genre-blending sounds with emerging artistes to co-producing some of Carnival’s most talked-about anthems, Mevon’s influence continues to expand season after season. His work doesn’t just follow trends – it often sets them, fusing technology, musical instinct, and cultural rhythm in ways that feel both fresh and authentic.
With each passing season, Mevon’s role within the industry becomes harder to categorize – not merely as a producer of hit records, but as one of the creative forces helping to shape the direction of Caribbean music itself.
And his dominance in the music industry is only just beginning.
Yet for all the accolades, chart success, and growing influence, Soodeen remains remarkably focused on something far less tangible than streams, road marches, or industry recognition.
Connection.
For the producer behind some of the Caribbean’s biggest records, the true measure of success isn’t found on a chart or trophy shelf.
It’s found in how a song makes people feel.
“When people give me that feedback – the song raised my pores, the song made me cry, my daughter jumping up to this, my kids playing it and singing it – then I know I’m onto something good,” he says.
“To me, the difference is connection. When you have a song that really connects with the audience, that is what sets a good song apart from a great song.”
That philosophy sits at the centre of everything he creates.
While many producers begin with drums, basslines, or rhythms, Soodeen starts somewhere else entirely.
Emotion.
“For me, the mood of it is where I usually gravitate towards first,” he explains. “Nine out of ten times it’s definitely the melodies and the chord progressions first.”
The approach reflects a musical journey that extends far beyond soca.
Long before becoming one of the genre’s most sought-after producers, Soodeen was immersed in hip-hop, R&B, and parang music. Those influences continue to shape the sonic fingerprints that define his productions today.
“I do believe that I apply a lot of the musicality of R&B and hip-hop into my soca,” he says. “I like things that make me feel something.”
That desire to evoke emotion drives every creative decision.
“I like nice pretty chords. I like strings. I like bright synths. I like anything that makes me feel real angry, real happy or real sad. I just want to feel something.”
He describes his production style as a balance between what he calls “beauty and beast” – the ability to combine emotional melodies with the explosive energy that carnival audiences crave.
“You could find that sweet melodious melody, but still come to that climax of people mashing up the stage or putting their hands in the air and singing.”
Ironically, despite his reputation for producing hits, Soodeen admits he is often the last person to realize when he has one.
“I’m a horrible judge when it comes to determining what will be a great song,” he laughs.
His favourite example is one of the most successful soca records of the modern era.
Come Home.
Today, the song is widely regarded as a carnival anthem. But before it became a hit, it endured a string of rejections from some of the industry’s biggest names.
“We wrote the song for Machel initially and the timing didn’t allow for it to happen,” he recalls. “Then we tried Patrice, Kes, Lyrikal – everybody.”
The repeated rejection took its toll.
“We were already deflated at that point. We just felt like people were hearing something else that we weren’t hearing.”
Eventually, the song found its way to Nailah (Blackman) and Skinny Fabulous.
The rest is history.
“We believed in it, but I didn’t think it was going to be Mr. Come Home.”
The experience reinforced a lesson he continues to carry with him today.
Technical excellence alone does not create timeless music.
Connection does.
It’s a belief that also informs his response to one of soca’s most common criticisms – that audiences only care about vibes and not lyrical substance.
“I think that’s totally incorrect.”
He points to artists like Bunji Garlin and writers such as Andrew Jeffers as evidence that audiences are paying closer attention than many realize.
“Bunji has proven time and time again that you can add lyricism and create poetry in Soca.”
For Soodeen, listeners want more than instructions to jump and wave.
They want a reason.
“I tell artists all the time, I like the vibe, but why?” he says. “Why should I jump and wave? Why should I take my own body to do what you’re telling me to do?”
The answer, he believes, lies in inspiration.
“Nobody wants to feel like they’re being told what to do. People want to feel empowered.”
That understanding of emotional connection extends beyond individual songs and into carnival culture itself.
For Soodeen, producers have a responsibility not only to create music, but to understand the spaces and traditions that give that music meaning.
“Calypsonians are the media. They are the poets and the messengers of the ground.”
Producers, he argues, are responsible for translating those stories into sound.
“We have a responsibility to compose emotion and vibes and really marry the two concepts together.”
Whether it’s the rebellious energy of Jouvert, the celebration of the stage, or the spirit of Panorama, each carnival space carries its own emotional language.
“The music has to reflect that.”
It is a philosophy that has continued to evolve through years of collaboration with some of the genre’s most respected names.
Working alongside artists such as Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin has provided lessons that extend well beyond the studio.
“Sometimes you’re in class,” he says. “You come to work, but you’re really in a Carnival Studies class.”
The result has been a season unlike any other.
With multiple songs dominating playlists, fetes, road events, and digital platforms simultaneously, Soodeen has found himself at the centre of one of the most successful periods of his career.
“I really have to pinch myself sometimes to accept that this is my reality.”
Even now, he remains hesitant to fully embrace the magnitude of what he has accomplished.
A conversation with Bunji Garlin recently helped put things into perspective.
“He told me, ‘Bro, look how God smiling on you.'”
The moment resonated deeply.
“I am naturally a humble guy, so I don’t really try to think of myself like that. But sometimes you really have to accept things for what they are.”
For Soodeen, however, the success is not the result of chasing trends or formulas.
It comes back to the same principle that has guided him from the beginning.
Authenticity.
“I think the key to my success this year is that I really just followed my heart.”
Many of the season’s biggest records were never created with road marches, streaming milestones, or titles in mind.
They emerged from genuine creative moments.
“We like what we’re doing.”
Again and again, that sentiment surfaces throughout the conversation.
Pure intentions.
Love for music.
Trusting instinct.
Following emotion.
Perhaps that is why Xplicit Mevon’s music continues to resonate across generations, territories, and genres.
Because while rhythms evolve and trends come and go, people will always remember how a song made them feel.
And few producers in the Caribbean understand that better than Mevon Soodeen.
