Listen to Nailah Blackman’s Infectious New Single “Sweet and Loco”

Rising soca star Nailah Blackman premieres her new single, “Sweet and Loco”.  

A playful summer bop, the track is attuned to Nailah’s agile vocals as she glides atop a simplistic Afrobreat groove. Assisted by the London-based production duo, Team Salut (composed of artists GPK and Mr Wood), “Sweet and Loco” conserves a light, buoyant sound without cloying.

Nailah is sincere and convincing in her delivery, capturing the dualistic, Gemini-like state of infatuation and its varying temperatures. “Play wit’ my mind an’ I go loco…just take it easy,” she warns her paramour on the infectious chorus.

The Trini-born songstress is vying to stretch the sounds of soca on her forthcoming EP, experimenting with sibling genres such as dancehall and Afrobeat, but venturing out to hip-hop, pop, and EDM. Her second single, “Break It Down” featuring rapper Trinidad James, offers that complete departure.  

Soca has been her musical birthright and foundation, being the granddaughter of the late Garfield Blackman aka Ras Shorty I, the father of soca, and daughter of calypsonian Abbi Blackman.

Her first official single was “Workout” in 2017, a collab song with Kes Dieffenthaller (frontman of Kes the Band), which catapulted her artistry into higher levels. She’s since released a batch of singles (Sokah, Iron Love, Bang Bang) mainly for the Trinidad Carnival season, and has reached over to Jamaica to pair with reggae veterans (Tarrus Riley) and dancehall newcomers (Shenseea).

Along with her soca-idol magnetism, her musical ethos, or mantra, of “bringing Sokah to the world” has lighted her music career thus far, attracting global fans and garnering support from her soca peers and predecessors.

It’s an exciting time for Nailah Blackman. The Reel, her debut EP, drops August 23.

Listen to “Sweet and Loco” below: