MANY Barbadians have contributed to TT’s soca industry.

One of the latest to do so is 26-year-old songwriter Kris Fields.

Having already crafted tunes for soca stars who have included Machel Montano, Patrice Roberts, Shurwayne Winchester and Preedy, among others, he hopes to continue expanding his catalogue.

Early beginnings

Fields is from Shorey Village in St Andrew, Barbados. Although he's an attorney by profession, music has always been his passion.

He told Newsday he grew up admiring his sister and aunt’s involvement in the St Michael’s Cathedral choir.

“I was always watching them sing, so I wanted to do that too. So I joined the choir when I was about maybe nine or ten, and that was probably my first little foray into music.”

He said his parents often listened to music at home too – mostly “oldies.”

He continued to explore this interest during his secondary school days. It was then his songwriting journey began.

“I had a friend who was really into hip-hop and used to encourage me to write and we would rap…I wrote a lot.”

For many music lovers, their first time listening to what would eventually become one of their favourite projects is unforgettable.

For Fields, that song was US rapper Kanye West’s 2010 hit All of the Lights, featuring superstar – and fellow Barbadian – Rihanna.

“The first time I listened to that song on a car sound system was (when) it really clicked for me that I really wanted to do (music professionally). The way he did the drums, I was like, ‘Whoa,’ and it was very euphoric and very different, so that was what stood out to me.”

He went through many phases as he tried to figure out what aspect of the music industry he wanted to settle into. He initially combined singing and songwriting, even forming a band called Sharp 4.

“I had a drummer, a guitarist and a bass player.

“I had actually just finished secondary school, so I was about 17 or 18, and we used to play at the Old Jamm Inn (bar and nightclub) at St Lawrence Gap in Barbados … Those were some pretty good times.”

It was also around that time he tried his hand at music production, a skill he continues to develop to this day.

From DMs to studios

As his interest in soca music grew, he began reaching out to TT artistes and producers on social media.

Laughing, he said, “Most of the connections I have in soca are literally just from messaging people on Instagram saying, ‘I write songs. Do you need songs?’”

One such message eventually led to his first significant collaboration in soca. He got in touch with 2024 Young King and Road March winner Mical Teja (Mical Williams).

“He sent me this big folder full of riddims, and part of what I wrote on one of them is what ended up turning into Bad Chargie.”

Bad Chargie, a 2022 track, was performed by Machel Montano and Viking Ding Dong.

“Teja is really good at his job, and he wrote most of it, but took a section I wrote and said, ‘This is really nice. I’m going to build around it,’” Fields said.

On how he felt about his first TT writing stint being f