Pure heart and true spirit, a focused mind and the understanding that faith conquers all fear, has secured the Junior Soca Monarch crown for 12-year-old artiste, Yung Kymani. In the aftermath of his success on February 10th, the young artiste attested to the support of his parents, saying he was grateful that they pushed him and motivated him to keep going.

It’s certainly not his first roll in the hay, but this year he was more confident than ever that his music could engage his peers and the judges in the competition. Kymani was also a semi-finalist in the Junior Calypso Monarch competition this year, and while his goal had been to successfully make it into the finals, he will have to try again in 2027.

No matter the challenge, the young, ambitious student who puts culture above hype, says he isn’t concerned with titles as much as he’s focused on creating quality music that can live on for many years to come. His mother, Kezia Hector says she’s incredibly proud of her son’s attitude. “He is preparing for the SEA exam in March and he has been balancing his studies and his music very well. He told me that he is focused on making quality music and the winning track, ‘Link Up’ was created based on that mindset,” she explained. 

‘Link Up,’ written by Kymani, his mother Kezia Hector, and Nigel Lopez, expresses in song, the diversity and variety that Trinidad and Tobago’s culture presents to the world. “The song is mid-groovy and it’s all about the culture, the music, the events, the carnival vibes and all else carnival. There’s a dual meaning as well, since the musical styles in the song are varied. There is a little Calypso, Soca, rhythm section and dub,” said Hector, as she highlighted Kymani’s desire to promote the authenticity of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural product. “The song is really a poem and it’s written with a poetic flow. It’s done in a way that everyone can enjoy,” she explained. “We really wanted to address the fact that Soca is sounding a bit different now- more like RnB, and we wanted to bring back the original sound of our music,” she added. Acknowledging the public discourse on the sound of Soca, she highlighted that while a Grammy award would be nice for Trinidad and Tobago’s music and culture, authenticity should not be compromised. “We are making every attempt to help our son stay close to the true energy of Soca music. Kymani is very versatile and he can pivot outside of the carnival season,” she said. 

Machel Montano, a source of tremendous inspiration for Kymani, he hopes to follow in the megastar’s footsteps, sharing good music with people, the world over. “This year my goals also include reaching more people around the world with my music and building a bigger fan base,” he said. 

Amid the hard work and dedication to ensure her son is healthy and mentally prepared for any outcome, Kezia Hector says she consistently reassures Kymani. “As a parent you have to encourage them and even if they don’t win, we have to explain the importance of trusting in God always,” she said. 

On the topic of Soca’s continuity, Kezia said, “We are hoping that people his age who are in the entertainment sector, can pick up the mantle and push the culture, and that’s why we are sticking to the sound of our music.” Additionally, she said, “I do think there are a lot of young people, Kymani’s age, who do enjoy the music of our country, however these children are not showcased enough. They need to do a better job of showcasing the youths to encourage them. We can’t just stop at Machel Montano or Terri Lyons. There are so many talented youths out there. You can’t keep the focus only on 5 or 10 artistes,” she reinforced.