Patrice Roberts, Machel Montano, XplicitMevon create nostalgia with Like Yuh Self

THERE are soca songs, and there are soca songs that evoke deep feelings of nostalgia and bring the ghosts of Carnivals past to haunt you like the jumbie that was in the late Mighty Shadow's head. One such song for the 2023 Carnival season, based on the feedback of frequent masqueraders, is Like Yuh Self by Machel Montano and Patrice Roberts. The song has also officially entered the Road March race.

It was produced by Mevon "XplicitMevon" Soodeen, and also written by Soodeen, Kevon Hart, Kory Hart, Joaquin Brewster, Montano and Roberts.

It was mixed by Cole Nystrom and mastered by Nikholai Greene.

It begins with soothing piano chords, complemented by ad-libs by both soca stars, which then evolve into euphoric energy and a groovy rhythm.

The song is about a man and a woman in a relationship going to fetes and playing mas together. But they assure each other,

"You could jam up on who you want and I go wine up on who I like

And if yuh feel to wine on everybody inside here – like yuh self!"

In fact, Montano proclaims:

"I is not your man, you is not my gyal until we reach home."

Roberts warns her soca partner not to interrupt her vibe because he knows she likes to wine.

"Even if I wine down rude with a next man, you eh have to get no stress" she sings, which is met with laughter by Montano, who responds,
"I ain't trying to stop you from yuh plan at all/ Look at bumper, I ready to jam/I looking for gyal, you do wa yuh want."

Soodeen told Newsday while he knew the track was special, he was not producing it with the intention of it being a Road March contender. But it seems it was even more special than he thought, with near 200,000 views on YouTube within the week it was released.

He said the beat was created since 2020 during the height of the covid19 pandemic.

"I met with someone from Patrice's team and I played it for him and he said, 'Yo, I rel love this, let me send it to Full Blown (Kory and Kevon Hart),' and they sent back a demo in a couple of days.

"But of course, it was written for Patrice and somebody else, but the somebody else was up in the air at the time."

Eventually, Montano was brought on board and was fully engrossed in the project.

"He was very, very instrumental in the overall sound," Soodeen said.

But he said Road March was never a goal. The goal was simply "to make the best possible song.

"The song doesn't mention crossing the stage or anything like that. It's about enjoying yourself and liking yourself."

But they agreed it was "too festive and would not have done the damage it needed to do without a Carnival," so they held it back until this year.

Several people on social media have been saying the song has made them feel nostalgic, reminding them of soca from the early 2000s.

Asked if this was the vibe they were going for, Roberts told Newsday they just wanted to make a "feel-good track...

"...A song that is palatable for the masses...and it seems like we were able to achieve that."

She said she fell in love with the song immediately upon being approached with it.

"I knew off the bat that the song would do well.

"The team also knew that Machel would be the perfect fit for the song and everything else worked out to what you are able to hear and experience from the song."

She, too, did not work on this project with the intention of entering it into the Road March competition.

"You never really know," she said, laughing.

"I knew that, to me, it would be great for the road and I hoped that the masses would feel the same way also."

She said seeing the public's feedback has been great, adding that it is "satisfying to see your work being enjoyed because it is a result of your hard work.

"I am really happy to see how the song is being embraced and appreciated.

"I’ve been doing this for quite some time and I feel the same way every time my contributions are embraced."

The song is available on YouTube and music streaming platforms.