Beyond The Crown: Machel Montano Eyes 12th Road March,Teases Next Act
For more than four decades, Machel Montano has not simply ridden the wave of Soca – he has shaped it, stretched it, globalized it, and elevated it. From a child prodigy bursting onto Caribbean stages to a Soul Train-recognized cultural force commanding arenas worldwide, his journey mirrors the evolution of modern Soca itself.
But Machel is more than high-energy performances and Road March anthems. He represents discipline in an industry built on vibes, strategy in a space driven by spontaneity, and vision in a genre once confined to seasonal relevance. Whether collaborating with international stars, headlining global festivals, or returning home to ignite Carnival crowds, Montano continues to prove that Caribbean music belongs on the world stage.
To speak about Machel Montano is to speak about legacy in motion and a relentless pursuit of excellence.
As he works hard to capture what would be a record-breaking twelfth Road March title, cementing his place above even the legendary Lord Kitchener in Carnival history, Machel Montano continues to redefine what it means to be Soca’s King – not just in sound, but in spirit and endurance.
On Tuesday, Your Caribbean Guide was among those invited to a private screening of his long-anticipated documentary, Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King. The film presents Montano in a way he’s never been seen before – an intimate portrait that peels back the curtain on the method behind the magic, revealing the grit, sacrifice and relentless work ethic that fueled his career.
The film chronicles Montano’s remarkable 44-year journey in the local music industry, charting his evolution from precocious child star to global Soca icon. It pulls back the curtain on the man behind the crown — revealing a more vulnerable, reflective and deeply human side of the artist so often defined by high-energy performances and championship titles.
Through archival footage, backstage moments, and personal reflections, the documentary offers insight into the discipline, doubt, sacrifice and relentless pursuit of excellence that have fueled his reign. It reminds audiences that greatness is not accidental – it is built, tested, and refined over time.
If there was ever any doubt that Machel Montano is thinking beyond trophies and titles, the documentary – and his words during the Q&A – erased it.
“I have seen it all, done it all, have it all,” he said plainly. And yet, for a man who has conquered stages across the world, the focus now appears to be shifting from accumulation to legacy. “When you have seen it all, done it all, have it all, you look up and do what is needed.”
What is needed, he insists, goes far beyond Carnival wins.
“It is needed for children in this country to be higher educated,” he said. “It is needed for my country to know that oil and gas is not our richest resource. It’s the people, the talent.”
That statement alone reframes Montano’s next chapter. For decades, he has exported Caribbean sound to the world. Now, he appears determined to invest that same energy into building systems that nurture the next generation of creatives.
Still, the competitor in him remains alive.
“I am going to take that journey… but I’m trying to win one more Road March to make the shelf complete,” he admitted, with the confidence of someone who understands both symbolism and timing. A twelfth Road March would not only be historic – it would feel, in his words, complete.
But whether the crown comes again or not, his mind is already made up.
“But win, lose or draw, I going. That’s it. This is the end of one and the beginning of a new thing.”
Now 51, Montano also spoke candidly about the grind of Carnival – calling it a hustle that sometimes sacrifices quality for volume.
“We’re hustling. And if we hustling like this – doing 250 fetes, five a night, ten different people pulling you here and there – that is not quality work.”
It was not a complaint. It was a critique. A recognition that the industry he helped build now requires refinement, structure and intentionality.
He even suggested that stepping aside, strategically, may create space for younger voices to rise. “If I step off and a few others step off, you’ll have young ones who will fill the holes.”
That next step is already taking shape in Soundbridge, a programme expected to form a major part of his transition. According to his team, the initiative will live online and break down his journey in an educational way – through workshops, tutorials, interviews and public relations insights designed to professionalize the creative sector.
“So I am not waiting on anyone to do it,” Montano declared. “I will use my money and other people’s money, my friends’ money, and I will build it.”
For a man often defined by energy and euphoria, Like Ah Boss reveals something deeper: strategy, nation-building, and a deliberate pivot toward empowerment.
Like Ah Boss reveals something deeper than trophies and titles. It captures a man in transition — not retreating, but recalibrating. A King who understands that true dominance is not measured only in crowns collected, but in foundations built.
The twelfth Road March would be historic. It would complete a shelf. It would silence debate. But what Montano is building now may matter even more.
Because when the music fades and the fetes end, legacy is not the sound of the crowd – it is the systems you leave behind, the minds you sharpen, the doors you open for others to walk through.
The King of Soca is not simply chasing another Road March. He is engineering an era beyond himself. And that may be his greatest performance yet.
Like Ah Boss opens in cinemas across Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana tomorrow, inviting the wider public to witness the story behind one of Soca’s most enduring and influential figures.
