Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 2016 - 2017

OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Machel Montano is not just a soca artiste; he is a constantly evolving brand – a brand that began as a dream, nurtured by his mother Elizabeth ‘Lady’ Montano and father Winston ‘Monty’ Montano. With every additional success, Machel further weaves himself and one of the Caribbean’s majormusical genres, soca, into the fabric of world culture. There is perhaps no one – apart from Machel himself – who knows that journey better than Elizabeth, the ever visible yet quiet, supporting force behind the superstar. She has functioned in various roles in her son’s career, and continues to be an integral part of the strategic planning, research and implementation required to build his brand.

his artistic development. This required bridging the existing musical generation gap. They knew he had the talent. Thinking back to those early years, the question was, “How do we make him a household name?” They began researching and implementing internationally successful music industry branding and marketing trends, always ensuring their campaigns had enough of an extra edge to make them stand out. It was here that the branding of the boy that would eventually become one of the most recognised names in the Caribbean music industry began. It was 1989 and Machel - who was fifteen at the time - had already been blazing a trail with a debut album “Too Young To Soca” (1985); appearances at international competitions such as the Trinidad & Tobago National Song Writer’s Festival (1986) and The Barbados Caribbean Song Festival (1986); and a performance at the world renowned Madison Square Garden in New York City (1984). At the time, his band Panasonic Express comprised of him, his brother Marcus and some neighbours. “We needed a new, catchier title by then,” Elizabeth says. “And so, due to the hard work of Winston, who was Machel’s manager at the time, Xtatikwas born.” The name was an acronym for a longer title: Express Trinidad and Tobago International Kings. For the team, the new moniker embodied the idea of a musical rapture. “We created themes around the name, including branded merchandise, performances and other ventures. Xtatik became a household name.” Elizabeth adds quickly, andwithout remorse, that when it came to her son’s career and music, the goal was never just Trinidad and Tobago. Even at a young age, Machel desired international stardom

and the prodigy began to take a lead in developing his brand, allowing his parents to take on a more supporting role. They had laid a good foundation and developed their son in a way that resulted in himnot only being a perfectionist but developing a drive to surpass whatever existed. As the foundation of mobilizing andmapping out Machel’s success was laid, his teamcoined various names for different aspects of his brand and cross collaborating with local and international acts popular in different countries and genres. Name re-branding is becoming big business worldwide, with entire companies focusing on the research and development of a name. InMachel’s case, the name rebranding came along with the evolution of the artiste himself. He has moved through

Machel Montano, “DoubleM” and, most recently, Monk Monte. His Xtatik band, initially comprising just musicians, is now Machel Montano HD, a complete machine with a dance troupe and audio- visual team that literally follows him wherever he goes.

From the outset, says the former teacher and guidance counsellor, when it came to her son’s potential trajectory, she and her geologist husband, who later became Machel’s first manager, were on the same page.

Machel’s success is tangible. He has used his music and 33 years of experience in the business to build a multifaceted franchise.

“We had the same revolutionary, out-of-the box ideas and that set the example for our children,” she said. Machel’s success is tangible. He has used his music and 33 years of experience in the business to build a multifaceted franchise inclusive of merchandising, annual events, the “EPIC” Carnival, alcohol beverages, and the list goes on. And the accolades are pouring in. Elizabeth beams with pride when she speaks of the journey to this point. But she admits it was not a smooth ascent to this pinnacle of success. When they first started out in the 1980s, they met much opposition, “He was considered too young to be performing. Calypso and Soca just weren’t grabbing the young people.”

They also took the music forward via collaborations. Travelling internationally first brought Machel into spaces shared by dancehall icons Shaggy and Beenie Man who were topping the charts at the time. “We introduced them to the other parts of the Caribbean they may not have been reaching and they, in turn, opened Jamaica up to us. We kept doing this over the years in different spaces. To date, top acts such as Doug E Fresh, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Pitbull, Wyclef Jean, Boyz to Men have shared work with him, as well as Timaya, Demi Lovato and Angela Hunte,” Elizabeth says. When her husband had to spend more time abroad due towork, Elizabeth took up the reins as manager. All the while they tested newmanagers, but just never found the right fit, so Elizabeth continued to steer the Machel brand until 2014.

Nonetheless, supportive of Machel’s dreams, Elizabeth and Winston began to work towards

However, as would eventually happen with any smart strategist and caring parent, Elizabeth

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