Nailah Blackman

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Nailah Blackman
Born
Nailah Blackman

(1997-12-02) 2 December 1997 (age 28)
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
OccupationsSinger, songwriter
Years active2013–present

Nailah Blackman (born 2 December 1997) is a Trinidadian soca singer and songwriter. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

At the age of five, Blackman began singing regularly and entered her first calypso competition two years later. Her professional career then began at the age of 11. [3]

Career

Blackman collaborated with soca band Kes on the song "Workout", which became a massive hit during the 2017 Trinidad carnival season and continues to enjoy lasting popularity. [4] "Workout" took Blackman to the finals of the 2017 International Soca Monarch competition. [2] Blackman also released "Baila Mami" in 2017, produced by Anson Pro Soverall.

In 2018, Blackman collaborated with Jamaican dancehall singer Shenseea on a song called "Badishh". [5] [6] During that year Blackman also earned a BET Award nomination in the category of "Best New International Act". [7] [8]

In August 2019, she released her debut EP The Reel which features the single "Sweet & Loco". [9] Blackman's More Sokah was also the chosen tune of Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, winners of the 2020 Panorama title. [10]

She eventually released her debut album, entitled Teknique, in 2022. [3] In 2024 Blackman was honored with, a cultural ambassador award, from the University of Miami. [11] [12] In 2025, Billboard called her a "Caribbean Music Award-winning soca superstar." [13]

Personal life

Her grandfather, the late Garfield Blackman, also known as Lord Shorty or Ras Shorty I, invented the style of music known as 'jamoo' and is also credited with inventing soca [1] as a means of reinvigorating calypso music. Her mother, Abbi Blackman, is a calypso star in her own right. [2] Nailah is the niece of Avion Blackman, lead singer of the Los Angeles–based Christian-reggae band Christafari, and Nehilet Blackman-Gonowrie. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Blackman Family pays tribute to parents – Claudette and Ras Shorty I | the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper". Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Taylor, Sharine (3 July 2018). "Nailah Blackman Carries the Legacy of Original Sokah Music in Her Blood". Vice . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 Kolgraf, Jackie (17 February 2023). "Soca Artist Nailah Blackman Shares Her Favorite Things About Trinidad and Tobago". SiriusXM . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Charles, Joseph (24 November 2017). "Nailah Blackman talks family ties and SOKAH". Soca News.
  5. ↑ JulianspromosTV 2018 Music (18 August 2017). "Nailah Blackman ft Shenseea - Badishh (Official Music Video) "2018 Soca" [HD]" – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Lew, Stephanie (31 October 2021). "Nailah Blackman's 'mad love' for Jamaica has her eyeing New Wave artistes". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "BET Awards 2018 - Viewers' Choice: Best New International Act - Vote". BET . Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Simmons, Kami (29 June 2018). "Get To Know the Princess of Soca: Nailah Blackman". BET . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Simon Pillai, Radheyan (20 July 2019). "Nailah Blackman goes beyond soca with Break It Down". NOW. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Mondezie, Michael (23 February 2020). "Nailah: A dream come true". Trinidad Express . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Blackman, Nailah (18 October 2024). "Tonight I received a Cultural Ambassador award from The University Of Miami and I'm honored to say the least! Grateful to come from a place so rich with culture and thrilled that I get to spread it to the world 🌎 🇹🇹. Thank you @univmiami 🌴 #culturalambassador". Instagram . Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Cely-Garcia, Isabella (23 October 2024). "UM News Brief: Liam Payne shocking death, a win for abortion groups and carnival on campus - The Miami Hurricane". themiamihurricane.com. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Denis, Kyle (14 March 2025). "Soca Superstar Nailah Blackman Announces New 'Born a Diamond' LP: 'It's Inevitable for Me to Crossover'". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
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