Machel Montano is now the holder of a Key to the City of Port-of-Spain.
It is an award Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez says is “befitting of the King of Soca.”
Montano received the award yesterday during a ceremony on a closed-off Ariapita Avenue, in front of Adam Smith Square, as part of Tribe’s first of a three-day band launch weekend.
Speaking at the event, Montano said, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be receiving this award in the middle of the street where we jump up and play mas.”
He called Port-of-Spain very important to the culture, a place where for two days, people can experience a level of freedom not experienced in other places of the world.
Looking back on his 40-year career, Montano said he never thought about a soca singer receiving the key to the city, since they were once seen as the “Bad Johns” who only wanted to “wine and jam.”
To him, a key to the city was an honour not taken lightly.
“Only those who had a certain level of honour and trust will be given the key,” Montano said.
“For me, you know, it really talks about integrity, because I’ve done my work.
The concept of integrity featured heavily in Montano’s speech. It was a promise he made to his mother when he left Presentation College about to embark on a career in soca.
“I had to really promise to keep integrity at the foundation of what I was doing, not just going to sing and dance and party, but to do something that was aimed at greatness and to keep my integrity high and in the forefront,” he said.
Montano said he hoped this award could inspire others.
“When you think about that key, you think about that door, when you think about that door, you think about a window, I really think that a key is like an opportunity, because it’s a window of opportunity to inspire others,” he said.
It’s a sentiment Mayor Martinez agreed with. He said Montano inspired and encouraged countless other artists to take their culture art form to greater heights.
Martinez said Montano was “an expert collaborator, blending music from different genres and eras, paying homage to the past while creating music for the future.”
