Bunji Garlin


Ian Antonio Alvarez, better known by his stage name Bunji Garlin, is a Trinidadian ragga and soca artist. He is also affectionately known as the Viking of Soca. His spouse is Fay-Ann Lyons.

Early life

Bunji was born on July 14, 1978, in Arima, Trinidad. He is of Saint Lucian and Venezuelan descent.

Personal life

He married fellow soca artist Fay-Ann Lyons on December 23, 2006, daughter of successful soca singer Superblue. He is also a second cousin of singer Patrice Roberts, who performs alongside the popular Machel Montano.

Career

Bunji has won Trinidad's Soca Monarch/International Soca Monarch competition on several occasions: 2002 with "Down in the Ghetto", 2004 with "Warrior Cry", 2005 with "Blaze the Fire" and 2008 with "Fiery". He placed second in the International Soca Monarch 2009 with "Clear de Road", while his pregnant wife Fay-Ann Lyons placed first with "Meet Super Blue". She also won the Groovy Soca Monarch title that same night with "Heavy T Bumpa".
Bunji Garlin's "Brrt" is featured on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack.
In 2013, Garlin won the Soul Train Award for Best International Performance for the song "Differentology", which features Nigel Rojas on guitar. An album of the same name was released by RCA and VP Records in August 2014.
In 2017, he released Turn Up, his highest chart placing to date, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. On September 24, 2017, Garlin was bestowed with a national award of T&T, the silver Hummingbird Medal. A song by Garlin entitled "All or Nothing" also appeared in the pilot of the Netflix TV series Impulse.

Discography

Albums

  • The Chronicles
  • Revelation
  • Black Spaniard
  • Graceful Vengeance
  • Flame Storm
  • Next Direction
  • Global
  • Fiery
  • "iSpaniard"
  • The Viking
  • Differentology, VP/RCA - US Reggae no. 6
  • Turn Up, VP - US Reggae No. 3

Singles

Collaborations

  • "Carnival Tabanca" 2014
  • "Coofy Lie Lie"
  • "Let's Get It On" and "That Woman"
  • "Rags Don't Care"
  • "Soca Bhangra"
  • "Don't Waste Water"
  • "The Islands"
  • "Lorraine"
  • "Move with Us"
  • "Get Up Stand Up"
  • "Hardcore Loving"
  • "Swing It"
  • "One Family"
  • "Bring It"
  • "Country Rum
  • "Bring It Superstar Mix"
  • "That's How We Party"
  • "Big Blood"
  • "Sex, Love and Reggae"
  • "All or Nothing"
  • "Jungle Bae"
  • "Baddest Things"
  • "Buss Head"
  • "Ride It"
  • "Famalay"
  • "Bomboclat "
  • "Break a Branch"