Yung Bredda releases Coulda, set for SoDa event on December 6

Akhenaton "Yung Bredda" Lewis is shaking up the music scene again, with the release of a powerful soca track entitled, Coulda, just in time for the Christmas and rapidly-approaching Carnival season.

Packed with positive lyrics and ideas, the song lands at a critical moment when the nation is feeling the strain of political tensions between the US and Venezuela, whilst offering a message that resonates with personal accountability and choosing good over the fast life, said a media release.

"This is a real real song," said Lewis. "It speaks about the choices we face on a daily basis in real life and it really hits home for me and my personal journey and I know it will connect with many other youths from the ghetto like me who are faced with the challenge of temptations that go against the morals and values and integrity that their grandmothers and aunties and parents should and would have taught them."

The intense, autobiographical narrative of Coulda reflects on the difficult choices faced growing up in a tough environment.

The timely release of Coulda with its focus on moral choices and rising above challenging circumstances, offers a much-needed anthem of resilience and positive direction for the youth, drawing attention away from international political anxieties toward the power of individual choices, the release said.

Written and Produced by Juelio Nelson and recorded at Optimus Productions San Fernando-based studio, the song was released on December 3 and immediately raised eyebrows, lighting up social media and sparking discussions while eliciting positive comments online.

This, even as he is set to headline the launch of SoDa – a new entertainment concept and brand, that is synergising soca and dancehall music and culture. Yung Bredda will perhaps perform the new single for the first time at the SoDa launch event which takes place on December 6 at Fuzion Nightclub, Cascadia Hotel, St Ann's from 9 pm..

In a release, the event organisers say that: "This is the only place to see Yung Bredda perform all his steamy hits and get familiar with all his new releases before the Christmas and Carnival takes over" and are encouraging "all the fans of steam to link up with all the soca lovers and all the dancehall crews" for an assembly that will celebrate and represent for Caribbean music and culture to close off 2025."

The release also states that SoDa Movement is building a database and will showcase a synergy of soca and dancehall music and culture via a series of events, collaborations and music recordings designed in distinctly unique and symbiotic formats. SoDa aims to showcase and highlight the harmony, versatility, similarities and diversity between soca and dancehall.

Event coordinator, Jerome Antoine, music producer, a Tribe music truck manager and former radio DJ at RED 96.7 FM explained that SoDa is not another genre, but a social and cultural movement:

"The SoDa movement is designed to create, explore and amplify synergies within the soca and dancehall industries," Antoine said. "For more than four decades, we have listened to and created, enjoyed, made memories with and celebrated our achievements with tons of dancehall and soca music as the soundtrack. We have even created our own subgenres like Trinibad and steam and the artistes and citizens of the Caribbean continue to explore and enjoy both genres and cultures all the time... A few years ago and coming out of the pandemic, we saw a void in the entertainment scene and felt the need to blend the two worlds and apply a more engaging and edu-taining approach to presenting their similarities and strengths."

SoDa will feature several guest acts representing soca and dancehall, the release said.

DJs Travis World and Salty, DJ Prodigy and the official SoDa DJ, Lord Hype will provide the soundtrack leading up to and in-between the live action.