Soca Artist Kevin Lyttle Breaks Into The Billboard Charts
Published: Monday - August 23, 2004
Words by Jay Casteel
Kevin Lyttle (Photo: Atlantic)
Soca music, a Caribbean style music, has made its way into the mainstream as of late, due to the emergence of soca artist Kevin Lyttle.
Lyttle's self-titled Atlantic Records debut made it's breakthrough on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart coming in at no. 8 this week. The albums sales have been fueled by the supermega hit single "Turn Me On," which mixes Caribbean soca, American R&B and Jamaican dancehall.
"The music coming out of the Caribbean is incredibly creative and vibrant," said Craig Kallman, Co-Chairman of Atlantic, via a statement. "With the breakthrough last year of dancehall reggae and the multi-platinum success of Sean Paul, the global appetite was primed for a flow of exciting music from the islands. Soca is yet another fresh amalgamation of styles, and Kevin's fantastic debut offers further proof that Caribbean music has become a part of the mainstream."
Lyttle's single has done so well that it skyrocketed to the no. 4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while the video has consistently stayed in the top five on "TRL" and gaining major rotation on BET and Fuse music networks.
"Everybody's searching for something new; that's the way of the world," said Lyttle of his soca-based sound's crossover appeal. "I'm trying to be an ambassador for a music that's been underestimated. My main focus is to take soca music where it's never been before, so people can hear our music, our deep culture. It's important for people to know where I come from."
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