Bunji Garlin had a fantastic Carnival 2025. From fete to fete, several of his songs such as Thousands, Celebration and Fete I Like were heard booming at venues across Trinidad and Tobago.
However, none of those songs were a match for Carry It – which narrowly placed second for the 2025 Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO)/Bmobile Road March title.
Carry It has not only resonated with millions of soca lovers, but it has helped Garlin further his campaign to get more people to spend less time worried about their images and more time enjoying themselves.
“I would like to see feting come back. A lot of people go to events and are concerned about how they look, who look at them and who they’re next to. They are trading off looks for energy, so all the energy is gone.
“They think, ‘If I dance too much I look like I am from down the road, so to look cultured, let me just hold my poise and don’t sweat up too much because it’s only hooligans that get sweaty.’
“That whole story just rewriting itself foolishly,as I would say and I hope that changes in time,” he said.
He made those comments to the Weekend Nation backstage at AM BEACH on Carnival Thursday, Maracas Beach, after an energetic performance.
Carry It was produced by Michael Ramroop Stemz S’obrian and mixed and mastered by Johann Seaton. It was released in November 2024 and features background vocals by Vernice Trini Baby Herreira and guitars by Kyle Peters.
There was also a remix version featuring Trinidadian born hip-hop artiste Nicki Minaj.
When asked if he was surprised by the way the radio had received it and the way fans were reacting to Carry It, he said no.
“I purposely write to invoke reactions,” he said.
Bunji, 46, real name Ian Alvarez, has made a name for himself through impeccable lyricism and through hits such as We From de Ghetto, Blaze the Fire, Fiery, Differentology, Big Bad Soca, Hard Fete, Carnival Contract and more.
He has won four International Soca Monarch titles and is a two-time Road March champion.
This year’s Road March competition was fiercely competitive.
According to TUCO, Carry It was played 253 times on the road, while Machel Montano’s Pardy which won the top spot, received 267 plays.
Garlin’s Thousands was played 22 times, followed by Montano’s Bet Meh with 15 and his wife Fay Ann Lyon’s Road Meeting.
Garlin also appeared at numerous events throughout the season and within the last lap alone, he and Fay Ann were busy headlining events such as Vale Vibe, Tribe and Scorch’s Unite, and AM Beach and Caesar’s Army’s Road Block.
“We are on a wild ride here and wherever the journey goes, we go,” he said reflecting on the season.
When asked what was his plan after the season he said: “Sleep. I just want to sleep.”
