Fay-Ann Lyons


Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez is a Trinidadian soca recording artist and songwriter. She is also known by the stage names Lyon Empress, Mane the Matriarch, and the Silver Surfer, a nickname which she claimed during her performance at the 2008 International Soca Monarch. Personally she's married to Bunji Garlin.
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Early life and career

Fay-Ann was born in Point Fortin, Trinidad to parents Austin Lyons and Lynette Steele, who is also a sister to Winston "Gypsy" Peters, hence the gypsy part of her stage name.
Fay-Ann Lyons is a three-time Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Road March champion and the 2009 International Soca Monarch and International Groovy Soca Monarch champion. She created history when she won the International Soca Monarch for the first time in 2009, as the first female to win the Power category, and the first individual to win the Power, Groovy and People's Choice awards on Fantastic Friday during the finals of the competition which is held annually in Trinidad. She also went on to win the Carnival Road March that year, becoming the first soca artist to win that soca 'triplet' of titles. She is the first woman to accomplish that feat while pregnant. Fay-Ann is the youngest solo artist, still actively recording, with multiple wins of the Carnival Road March crown.. Fay-Ann remains the only female artist who has won the Carnival Road March three times, and is the third to attain back-to-back wins in two consecutive years joining fellow Trinidadian Macartha Calypso Rose Lewis and Alison Hinds of Barbados. Fay-Ann and husband Bunji Garlin also became parents in 2009 to a daughter born on February 28, 2009, just a few weeks after Carnival. Fay-Ann has performed at musical events both locally and abroad. Her on-tour performance events and locations include: Washington DC & BET's 106 & Park, Coachella Valley [Music and Arts Festival|Coachella], Glastonbury Festival, London's Coronet, Berlin Carnival-Germany and, BET X Live. She is officially the new record holder for the most up-tempoes ever released by a female Soca musician with 28 up-tempo soca songs surpassing the previous record of 22 set by Alison Hinds in 2013. In 2003 she won Carnival Road March with "Display" and 5 years later she won it again in 2008 with " Get On " and a third time a year later in 2009 with " Meet Super Blue " she became the second female soca artiste in Trinidad and Tobago to win the Carnival Road March title with an up-tempo soca song after Sanelle Dempster and the second female soca artiste in the English Caribbean to do so in a decade after Alison Hinds of Barbados who won the Road March title in Barbados in 1996 with "Raggamuffiin".

Background

Now an official member of the Asylum band, founded by husband, Bunji Garlin. Lyons is a former member of the band Invazion led by Naya George. Fay-Ann became a front-liner for the band Invazion and performed with them at many fete/concert events including the infamous 'Brass Festival' which was an annual event during the pre-Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago featuring a musical 'battle' between the hottest soca bands.

As songwriter

Fay-Ann writes many of her own songs, having learnt from her father, Superblue, who has won the Carnival Road March title nine times, and is a seven-time winner of the Trinidad Soca Monarch competition, which is the predecessor of the current International Soca Monarch. Fay-Ann's compositions have earned several nominations and wins of Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago music awards including Female Songwriter of the Year and she has also received honours from the Soca Awards Organization for her music. Fay-Ann was profiled along with other top local and internationally renowned artists Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin (and Isaac Blackman in the documentary Soca Power in Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad edition of the six part film series titled Musique Creole. The documentary is available on DVD.

Discography

Albums

  • 2015: ''Raze''

Singles

  • 2004: Ain't See Nothing/Wine Yeah
  • 2008: Helpless Child/Lonely Girl
  • 2011: All Over
  • 2012: ''Rum Please ''

Filmography

  • 2006: International Soca & Groovy Soca Monarch '06
  • 2007: Soca Gold 2007
  • 2008: Soca Power In Trinidad & Tobago
  • 2008: Soca Gold 2008
  • Nikki on de Promenade

Awards

  • NEA: Afrosoca Artist
  • SAO: Soca Collaboration of the Year: Call Me
  • SAO: Best Up-tempo Soca – Female: True Lies
  • NACC: Top 20 Award: Tribute To Super Blue
  • SAO: Hall Of Fame Award
  • SAO: Soca Song Writer of the Year: Heavy T, Meet Super Blue, Wine Faster
  • SAO: Overall Female Soca Artist of the Year
  • SAO: Female Soca Performer of the Year
  • SAO: Favorite Groove Soca – Female: Heavy T
  • SAO: Favorite Up-tempo Soca – Female: Meet Super Blue
  • COTT: Soca of the Year: Get On
  • SAO: Female Soca Performer of the Year: Get On
  • SAO: Overall Female Soca Artist of the Year: Get On
  • SAO: Favorite Up-tempo Soca – Female: Get On
  • SAO: Soca Song of the Year: Get On
  • COTT: New Songwriter of the Year: Display
  • COTT: Female Songwriter of the Year: Display
  • COTT: Song of the Year: Display
;List of abbreviations
NEA: Nigerian Entertainment Award
COTT: Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago
NACC: National Action Cultural Committee
SAO: Soca Awards Organization

Carnival crowns

  • 2003: Carnival Road March
  • 2008: Carnival Road March
  • 2009: Carnival Road March
  • 2009: International Soca Monarch
  • 2009: Groovy Soca Monarch
  • 2009: International Soca Monarch: People's Choice
  • 2010: International Soca Awards: Best Up-Tempo Soca - Female