Machel Montano was born in 1974 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He is a representative of soca music which he works on spreading internationally. He forms his first music band "Pranasonic Express" at 9 years' old. His debut album "Too Young to Soca" is released in 1985. In 2009 he releases the album "Heavenly Drum" and in 2011 "The Return".

Born in Port of Spain, the capital of the oil rich island of Trinidad, on November 24, 1974, Machel has already made great strides in moving soca towards the mainstream. The former child star made history in March 2007 as the first soca artist to sell out two back-to-back shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden and he returned to the Garden on March 28, 2008 for another sold out affair. The MSG shows, which earned rave reviews for their innovative use of carnival's elaborate masquerade tradition and seamless incorporation of T&T's various musical strains, including calypso, Indian chutney, and the country's national instrument the steel pan, also solidified Machel's reputation as a consummate showman who can dazzle any crowd, anywhere, not just in a carnival setting. "Performing at Madison Square Garden is a goal that I always had," says the soca superstar. "But we didn't just come and sing; we brought the culture of T&T to one of the most prestigious venues in the world."

Now with the release of his 2008 album Wining Season, Machel continues to blaze the trail, this time with an even hotter fire. The CD's retro flavored title track, produced by Dwain "Dwaingerous" Antrobus, celebrates carnival's unofficial dance, the seductive, pelvic-gyrating movement referred to as "wining." A remix featuring Shaggy made the song one of the biggest hits of the carnival.

"Defense (The Anthem)" is a remix of Cuban-American rapper Pitbull's hit "The Anthem" featuring Machel, Pitbull and Atlanta-based "crunk" sensation Lil Jon; enhanced by Machel's distinctly Trinidadian flavor, the song is already making inroads into crossover markets.

While Machel's diversified musical partnerships have helped to broaden soca's appeal, he also consistently celebrates T&T's musical roots. Machel wrote all of the CDs thirteen tracks, with eight co-written by Kernal Roberts, the son of calypso icon, the late Lord Kitchener, including the carnival 2008 hits "Unconditional Love," "Rollin" featuring rising female singer Patrice Roberts, and "Make Love," which boasts Buju Banton on its smashing remix.

Soca was created in the mid-70s, when the late Ras Shorty I blended the musical expressions of Trinidad's dominant African and Indian populations and called that fusion the soul of calypso, or soca. Some twenty years later, Machel and his band Xtatik modernized soca, injected it with hip-hop beats and dancehall rhythms, and made it palatable to a younger generation. "Before that, young people in Trinidad couldn't relate to anything local," says Machel who became the youngest finalist in the history of carnival's Calypso Monarch competition back in 1986, performing the aptly title "Too Young to Soca." "So I started adding slang, and we started producing our own music and saw a big change in the crowds reaction."

Because Wining Season is Machel's most versatile album to date, he hopes to conquer the musical mainstream as skillfully as he has commanded the carnival/soca circuit since the 1990s. To facilitate this mission, Machel will base himself outside of T&T for several months and focus on recording songs that will solidify soca's presence in the crossover market. "We want to use our experience to take soca international," he says. "We have had the chart success of Kevin Lyttle with "Turn Me On" and Rupee's "Tempted to Touch" (both songs entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004) but we need more than that. I have been trying to revolutionize soca, trying to improve its quality. It is very difficult to bring soca to the mainstream and stay grounded at home, but we have created a sound that we believe is palatable to all markets and can play on the radio in rotation with other popular songs. That is a dream I have always had and something I look forward to achieving."

Awards and nominations

1987
- 2nd place of the Trinidad & Tobago National Song Writer's Festival with his song "Dream Girl."
- Winner of the Caribbean Song Festival held in Barbados; he was the first Trinidadian and youngest to ever win this prestigious contest.

2005
- Awards for Song Writer of the Year 2004/2005 for "Madder Than That" at the 7th Annual Copyright Organization of Trinidad & Tobago (COTT) Awards.
- Male Soca Performer of the Year, Soca Song Writer of the Year, Overall Male Soca Performer of the Year, Soca Artiste Album/CD of the Year for "The Xtatik Experience", Overall Soca Band of the Year; and Soca Video of the Year for "You" at the 3rd annual international soca awards.

2008 & 2010
- Bob Marley Award Entertainer of the Year 2007

2010
- 3rd place with the song "No Behaviour" at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Road March Competition.

2011
- Winner of the International Power Soca Monarch 2011 at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
- Most Outstanding Stage Personality, Best Male Calypso/Soca Entertainer, Best Caribbean Entertainer, Most Outstanding Show Band, Best Soca Band and The King of Soca Award at the 30th Anniversary of IRAWMA, held in Port of Spain.

2011
- Nominated in the "Best Caribbean Performance" category for the song "Bend Over" at the Soul Train Awards.

2010
- Winner of the Groovy Soca Title with the Anthemic "Mr Fete" at the Super Red 20 International Soca Monarch Competition.

Source - http://machel.mworldonline.com/info/bio