Paris Coutain destined to perform

Paris Coutain has never been afraid of taking centre stage.

At just age five, he stole the show during a performance by the late, legendary calypsonian Winston “The Mighty Shadow” Bailey.

But he did not know that this moment would be a prelude to his own future in entertainment.

The 21-year-old has dabbled in acting, dancing and singing, and has now earned himself a spot in the finals of Ultimate Soca Champion’s youth category. To him, the stage is his home.

The Oropune Gardens, Piarco native attended the Arouca Anglican Primary School, then the Malabar RC Primary School and St Joseph Secondary School.

He embodies the meaning of being dramatic. From his facial expressions to his intonation when telling stories, he is a true theatre kid.

He told Sunday Newsday his interest in the performing arts began when he learnt who Michael Jackson was – after the “King of Pop’s” death in June, 2009.

“I was watching the news and my mother was bawling and screaming, but I had no idea who this guy was. Then they started playing his music videos and I think Billie Jean was the first one (I saw) and I was just hooked. I went on YouTube and just watched all his music videos.”

He recalled the “magic” he saw in each of Jackson’s performances, adding that he was not just a singer but an entertainer.

“His passion and the quality of his performances stood out to me. Everything he did was always at a high standard. And I knew it stemmed from hard work and dedication.”

And he wanted to do that too.

Love for entertaining

He took this admiration of performing to a Port of Spain concert featuring The Mighty Shadow.

Despite not knowing who Shadow was or how legendary his presence was, he found himself caught up in the energy of the show.

“So he was singing – I think it was Lookin For Horn – and I was just in the crowd, standing with my mom and dem, taking in the performance. Then I was dancing and moving forward and eventually, I reached in the front where he was.”

Laughing, he said five-year-old Paris “just disregarded Shadow’s whole performance.”

When an adult came to move him out of the way, the legendary calypsonian said, “No, no, leave him. Let him dance.”

He said he would often dance during his lunch break throughout his primary school days.

“I just really enjoyed entertaining people.

“It started off with singing, then acting then dancing, actually.”

When he was in standard five, he began creating comedic videos and uploading them to social media.

“But then I had a serious conversation with myself. And I was like, ‘Okay, I want to make music, but I’m 12,’” he said, laughing again.

He penned a few tunes about things he had not yet even experienced like heartbreak, he admitted.

Fast-forward to secondary school, he channelled his love of the arts to compete in Sanfest, copping the title of Mr Sanfest in 2019.

Top of his theatre arts class at the time, he asked if he could enter the acting category.

“I was like, ‘Okay, let me see if I could get through with this.’”

He did a monologue as DC’s comic-book character The Joker.

“I was already dabbling with method acting in secondary school and I wanted to touch that a little bit, even though I know it’s a little dangerous.”

Method acting is when an actor trains themselves to become in tune with the character they are portraying, mentally and physically. For example, the actor may maintain the gait, tone of voice, style or even job of their character in real life.

“When it came to the finals, the plan was to just stay on stage,” he said.

“My mother told me not to jump off the stage because I did that in the semis.”

But he didn’t stick to the plan.

“So I jumped off the stage at Naparima Bowl, my adrenaline was pumping. I ran into the crowd, I found the judges and ran straight up to their table and screamed in everyone’s faces.”

He recalled one particular judge being so terrified that he had to move away from him.

That performance earned him titles including Mr Sanfest/top male performer and spirit of the competition.

The following year, he shifted gears and returned to music by competing in the Junior Chutney Soca Monarch.

He recalled announcers saying his “dance moves” elevated his performance and captured the audience.

He went on to win the Schools Intellectual Chutney Monarch as well.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at the University of TT (UTT) in 2024. He said he was certain the knowledge gained through this would further elevate his approach to performing.

Over the years, he has released a few tracks, mostly dancehall like Criminal Luv and Bout Love.

And now, in 2025, he has taken centre stage again at the Ultimate Soca Champion competition.

He entered with his song titled Lick Up, which speaks about being “lick up” from drinking too much alcohol. It was written and produced by road march-winning producer Bjorn “The KVG” Graham and well-known producer Vernice “Trini Baby” Herreira.

He sings, “Doh make no big scene if I drunk…Doh come fuh no sip from meh cup, I doh even know wa I drinkin.’”

In the hook, he confesses, “I lick up bad.”

His love for dancing shone when he performed this as his moves captured the attention of the judges during the preliminary round, and the audience at the semifinal stage.

His outfits for the semis paid homage to Shadow and Jackson. He began wearing a long, black cloak and hat before revealing an outfit similar to what Jackson wore in his music video for his hit single Bad. He also did a few of Jackson’s moves.

His first time dabbling in performing soca, he said he “studied the artform for a while.

“Once I said I wanted to try it, I studied. I studied not just artistes like Machel Montano, Kes, Mical Teja, but also Ras Shorty I, The Mighty Sparrow, The Mighty Shadow, Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener…Because I knew I wanted people to look at my performance and say, ‘He really understands the craft.’”

It is a genre he loves, he added.

He said he feels “very excited” about making it to the finals but is generally anticipating a great show.

“The excitement is not just about hitting the stage again.

“I knew the youth category was lowkey underestimated (by the public) and no one was expecting us to mash up the place. Every person did their best. Even though it’s a competition, I just want everybody to do well and do their best. The show is going to be great.”

He will perform in position one.

He said the competition is “a great platform for us to showcase our talent.”

The feeling he gets when he takes centre stage, he said, is unexplainable.