A few weeks ago I had the esteemed pleasure of meeting a living icon; Machel Montano. It was always a dream of mine to be in his presence and share some words with this multitalented and grounded entertainer. His holistic demeanor is one that epitomizes strength, hard work, perfection, resilience as he strives to be an individual who would only whole-heartedly give his best when he performs and entertains his fans.I love that. He has proven to be a pioneer in marketing and innovation, how he reinvents himself and evolves his brand is remarkable and brilliant. It seems any composition he creates and renders becomes an infections and unbridled attraction towards his fans. With successful hits such as “like ah boss”, “pop ah bottle” as well as his vast musical repertoire for 2015, his song with Angela Hunt entitled “Party Done”, just seemed to creep up and dominate the musical scene throughout the Soca world . We have seen his Band transition from the “Panasonic Express” to “Xtatic” and presently to “Machel Montano HD”. With his outlook in life to dwell on self improvement and raising his standard of performance delivery and elevating Soca music to levels unsurpassed, Machel has adopted the philosophy towards what he has donned, “The Movement Of New Knowledge”. Such a mantra embodies the thinking process and imaginative conditions that one can only bring forth in life after experiencing changes in our musical climate and working expeditiously to improve our culture and musical delivery. Ah’ mean; come on! The phrase “Party Done” just disseminated into a pop culture saying. That shows a significant amount of power and influence that one can bestow onto a social system itself..
It was after his performance I followed him outside of the back exit, hoping to finally get a chance to meet him. Singer Sean Paul was beside him and you know that meant a sea of people hurdling to get pictures, drops, handshakes and more. I patiently waited, and my opportunity came as he was walking towards his ride. I approached him, he stopped and while shaking his hands I told him “how proud I was of him”, he asked “where you from”, and I responded “Trinidad”. The Lord alone knows how ecstatic I was during our conversation. I’m glad that his manager Che asked if I wanted to take a picture with Machel. When we were done capturing this moment I hugged him. It was a time I will never forget and surely cherish. People such as Machel Montano exist to inspire others in whatever we may do daily and to kindle flames of hope, determination and to bring forth whatever art form or skill we may harness as he embodies hope, hard work, and persistence in world.
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