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“My motivation is having the opportunity to be the voice of an under representedgenre and having that representation across mainstream markets” .Having good reason for your actions is vital. Using those reasons to push youthrough barriers takes the type of self-determination that few demonstrate. Trini Boi Joocie has that in abundance, and is currently riding the crest of a wavewhich continues to see his motivation being turned into realization. Born in the beautiful twin paradise isles of Trinidad & Tobago in humblesurroundings in Laventille to a working class family with limited resources, Trini Boiquickly saw the alternative richness that surrounded him. “We were rich in resources – the sound of steel pan, the beauty of Mas and thesense of community – it is hard to put a financial value on those things.”It didn’t take him long to fall in love with the lingering sound of the tuned oil drums – Steel Pan. “The diferent layers of what makes it beautiful drew me in – the bassline, themelody, the harmonies…all those layers spoke to me in a way that nothing else didat the time”, he explains, with the vocal lilt of a truly proud Trinidadian. The sound definitely drew him in and it wasn’t long until he became a child prodigy, playing Pan alongside some of the island’s most notable musicians. A star was beingshaped, and before long some of Europe’s biggest Steel Pan Orchestra’s wererequesting the young man to come and be part of their organizations.THE PLAYMAKER MUSIC GROUP LTDCREATE. CURATE. CONNECT. Company No: 15155475At a mere nine years old, he was hand picked by the world famous Ebony SteelOrchestra, led by the incredible Pepe Francis, and Trini Boi relocated to the UK.Initially living in south London, he soon settled in the west of the city. “My initialimpressions was that I hated it and I wanted to go home”, he comments. “It was cold, miserable and didn’t have the vibe I knew from back home.” However, his work with Ebony gave even the pre-teen youngster a drive andmotivation to succeed. “My brother and I were the only kids in the Ebony adult band – we would sometimesrehearse til 3am, then have to get up and go to school the following day. It was tough, but we strived for perfection and that taught me some of the patience and skills thathave seen me through on my musical journey so far” .Hard work of this nature can take it’s toll, and the young star took a two year breakfrom Pan to focus on his studies. On his return to music he found a burgeoning newpassion. “I used to go to perform on pirate radio on Fridays, and used to do freestyles overhouse beats”, he explains. “I created a Soca freestyle and learnt how to make myMC ofering diferent to others, which got a good reaction.” My story is similar toother emerging artists who made mixtapes and went to outlets across London tryingto engage customers in what they were doing. I just did it from a Soca standpoint.”“As an adult artist I found it dificult to break through, but I didn’t just target theCaribbean diaspora. I was always the life of the party at family gatherings – deepdown I knew I could entertain people and it is something I wanted to hone into mycraft” .A landmark moment came in 2012 when he started to be viewed diferently by thecore music community in Trinidad. This can often be a watershed moment forCaribbean artists, as endorsement from homebase can regularly be seen as thetoughest nut to crack. Two years later he made it to the semi finals of the Soca Monarch competition inTrinidad. Having already won numerous Soca titles in the UK, this amplified hisstatus amongst the elite of the genre. There was more to follow…THE PLAYMAKER MUSIC GROUP LTDCREATE. CURATE. CONNECT. Company No: 15155475One of the Saturday night UK television staples is The Voice UK. It regularly attractsover 15 million viewers, and provides the type of platform that rarely exists onterrestrial TV these days. They saw talent in Joocie – and wanted him on the show. “They contacted me twice – I refused it initially because I didn’t believe in thesetalent shows. I told them the importance of authenticity to me and that I wasn’t agimmick artist. To my surprise they were fully on board. That gave me addedencouragement – one of the biggest victory from the show was re-confirming theimportance of my artistry”, he afirms. The weekly pressures of an international TV show were a new experience to add tohis already impressive CV. “It’s a very exposing feeling – you have nothing to hidebehind. I knew the importance of what I was doing. Strangely I didn’t celebrate myperformances at the time even though I knew what they represented” .The representation was real – he was the most viewed and streamed artist whilst onthe show. A huge cultural milestone. Throughout all of the accolades, from being a nine year old prodigy to being on yourTV screens every night, Trini Boi Joocie oozes a reassuring sense of humility andcalm. This afable nature has seen him achieve some incredible feats recently. Theseinclude being nationally playlisted by the BBC for two tracks (“Bottle” & “You”); hewas also a special guest panelist on the record breaking “Beyond The Bassline” black music symposium at the British Library. His reach extends much further than just the music field. Chelsea FC enrolled Joocieto head up and host a writing camp for their Under 12 team, which demonstratedteamwork and creative prowess, and the club then parading Joocie to the Stamfordbridge crowd at half time in a crucial home game. His connections to a range ofcommunities is unquestionable. “Keeping humble is very important to me. I think I get that from my early life and theteachings of making the most out of limited resources” .That humility coupled with his skill and mass appeal has seen him perform incountries such as Sweden, Norway, Germany, Greece, France, Holland, Spain,Iceland, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, USA and Morocco.THE PLAYMAKER MUSIC GROUP LTDCREATE. CURATE. CONNECT. Company No: 15155475So, what does someone who has achieved so much still have aspirations of?“I want to having a project that gains mainstream international recognition. Maybewin a Brit Award or a grammy – that kinda thing…”It would take a brave person to bet against Trini Boi Joocie achieving all of thosethings – and more. October 2024
