Andre Noreiga- third from front, together with his team of friends have capitalized on a market that's growing in Maryland
Photo: Andre Noreiga- third from front, together with his team of friends have capitalized on a market that's growing in Maryland.

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Tuesday, August 3, 2021 -- Caribbean people all over the world are in tune to the sound and vibe of Soca music and all that comes along with it. While in Trinidad and Tobago, Soca still struggles to get first place status across the airwaves, a team of twenty-something year- olds in Maryland have found that there’s so much curiosity for the genre and its accompanying festivities among generation Z entertainment seekers in their neck of the woods, that they’ve launched an all-Soca radio station, online.

Andre Noreiga and his diverse team that includes a few other 1st generation West Indians, including two of his friends from Queen’s Royal College in Trinidad, have been heavily involved in the promotion of J’ouvert in Maryland. The Holli J’ouvert brand is exclusively theirs and its now expanding to include Holli Radio- this of course, on the heels of their YouTube Channel that’s been pretty hands on in teaching those out there who’ve been seeking clarity on everything that’s part and parcel of the Carnival festival. “On YouTube, the aim is to create different series to explain the different aspects of our culture, so the first series was the ‘Carnival Ready’ series that pretty much answered a lot of the questions that second generation West Indians would have,” said Andre.

He and his team have been very observant of the appreciation shown by many children of first-generation Caribbean people – those folks who would’ve migrated to the US, and started a family there. “We realized how interested many of them were after we hosted our first Holli J’ouvert, but they also had a lot of questions. They were unsure of how they should dress, they asked whether they should bring chairs and stuff like that so with the YouTube series, a lot of those kinds of questions were answered,” he explained. Andre said the team even offered a wining tutorial within the YouTube series and also catered to questions surrounding acceptable cultural behaviour.

When it comes to Soca music, Andre admits that migrating to the US led to an increased appreciation for the music of his homeland.. “When I came here, my love for Soca grew, and I think that’s the case with a lot of people in the Diaspora,” he said, telling Ebuzztt that this was exactly why the team decided it was time for an all-soca radio station that everyone- no matter what city, state or country they are in, could have access to. “Holli Radio is already live online. Soca music lovers can download our app from the App store or the Google Play store,” he confirmed.

Essentially living, walking protectors of the culture, the Holli team has taken on the challenge of educating while entertaining. Their plan is multidimensional, with an overall aim of marketing Soca music and the carnival culture to folks who may never have even heard about it. Now, with the launch of their radio platform, the Holli team is one step closer to making this hope, a reality.

For more on the Holli J’ouvert brand , check out them out on Instagram and don’t forget to download the Holli Radio app in the App store or Google Play store, today! For even more, visit the Holli Network and check out their YouTube channel.