DJ Ana spotlights soca on Apple Music playlist

Viral star DJ Ana is putting her trademark spin on Apple Music this month.

DJ Ana, born Ana-Lessa Ramnarine, brings soca music to a global audience, and will collaborate with Apple Music on its ongoing Agenda Playlist series.

She is also featured on UK rapper and DJ Amplify Dot (Asheley Charles) hit Apple Music morning show, The Dotty Show, a media release said.

DJ Ana’s two-hour soca mix is spotlighted on the August edition of The Agenda, a monthly expose of trendsetting musicians and artistes from around the world. The digital platform features authentic voices across hip-hop, grime, R&B, Afrobeats and more, the release said.

DJ Ana told Apple Music, “This mix of songs encompasses the vibe of the Caribbean. The people and also the energy that pulsates through our events and festivities,” the release said.

She promises the 97-song mix “is guaranteed to lift your mood.” It includes old-school classics like JW & Blaze’s Carnival 2010 Road March and International Soca Monarch winner Palance, Bajan soca star Rupee’s timeless 2000 hit Jump, Machel Montano’s Fast Wine, Play Harder and Pop A Bottle, Kes’ Hello and Tack Back and Mical Teja’s Runaway and 2024 Road March winner DNA, among others.

“When doors like these open, you must be ready to run through them,” DJ Ana said of the collaboration. “I’m happy and humbled to continue sharing our culture with new audiences. It was such a rush to create that mix and present just a snippet of Trinidad and Tobago and the region’s music,” she said in the release.

On The Dotty Show, DJ Ana had the opportunity to add a more personal touch. The show, which airs Monday to Thursday, at 7 am, on Apple Music, brings black music culture from around the world to life, the release said.

The Canadian-born, Trinidad-raised entertainment entrepreneur shared stories of the rise of soca and her experiences as one-half of DJ Ana and Ultra Simmo, a dynamic performance duo alongside Jordan Simmons. The pair was recently named music ambassadors of Belize and was credited with revitalising Carnival Monday celebrations in San Fernando earlier this year with their popular Glam Jam J’Ouvert band, the release said.

“We had a truly organic conversation about music and life. It’s in those genuine exchanges that real learning and mutual appreciation happens,” DJ Ana said. “I hope the audience walked away with a deeper understanding of Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean culture.”

DJ Ana and Ultra Simmo are next set to perform in Guyana and Belize Independence celebration next month.

For more info: follow DJ Ana and Ultra Simmo on all social media platforms.