Machel Montano turns 50 at the Kennedy Center with a black-tie birthday affair! Come celebrate this milestone with the “King of Soca” in an unforgettable night of music!

Through his ever-evolving musical offering, multi-award-winning artist Machel Montano works on his mission of propelling soca into the domain of mainstream music. From a career beginning at age seven, Montano has achieved countless accomplishments—highlights include performing at Madison Square Garden at age nine, performing on Star Search at age 11, becoming the first soca artist to attain a headlining slot at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, touring with Pitbull, making history as a two-time recipient of the Bob Marley Award for Entertainer of the Year at Martins International Reggae and World Music Awards, winning a Soul Train Award in 2014, winning 10 Road Marches and seven Power Soca Monarch titles in Trinidad and Tobago, and performing at Coachella with Major Lazer. In 2018, Montano received an honorary doctorate in the arts from the University of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, he was inducted into the Young, Gifted & Black Caribbean Music Entertainment ICON Hall of Fame, received an award from Harvard University’s Caribbean Club for Entertainer of the Year in 2021, and received the lifetime achievement award from the Caribbean Music Awards in 2023. On August 25, he will be given the Entertainment Keys to the city of New York.

Poised and focused on spreading soca music throughout the globe, Montano has toured extensively in fulfillment of his mission and has continued to revolutionize the genre.