Triniboi Joocie takes soca to Bahia Carnival in Brazil

Trinidad and Tobago-born, London-based soca artiste, pannist, and educator Triniboi Joocie had the privilege, for a second time, of taking soca music to the world-famous Bahia Carnival in Salvador, Brazil. This opportunity arose through a cultural exchange initiative supported by the British Council and Notting Hill Carnival.

As a Notting Hill Carnival ambassador entertainer and one of Europe’s leading soca voices, Joocie collaborated with Baiana System, one of Brazil’s most influential bands, performing live during the internationally renowned Carnival held from February 12 to 18.

Baiana System invited Joocie to rehearse and perform two of his songs on their trio—a massive mobile performance stage that moves through the streets.

“It was quite amazing,” Joocie said. “I had two rehearsals with them where they learnt my music. To be one of the few soca artistes to perform on a trio during Bahia Carnival was special. Hearing my music played on that scale and seeing the response from the people made it unforgettable.”

Joocie described this year’s experience as more organic and immersive. Beyond performing, he participated in cultural visits across Salvador, including the city’s music museum and other heritage sites, gaining deeper insight into the Afro-Brazilian roots of the festival.

“I was able to teach the musicians soca and at the same time understand the Bahia beats and rhythms,” he explained. “There are similarities in the beats per minute and the feel of the music, but the culture, the styling, the fashion, the food – it’s all rich in its own way.”

Unlike Trinidad and Tobago’s DJ-driven Carnival road experience, Bahia Carnival is built around live performance. Each trio functions as a fully engineered mobile concert stage, featuring live bands of six to 12 musicians, engineers, tech teams, dancers, screens, and multiple artistes performing continuously for hours.

“The scale of the trios is like a house moving through the street,” Joocie said. “It’s live music throughout. Every band plays their own catalogue. There’s no DJ format. That’s one of the major differences. It’s also not an exclusive, rope-off type of environment. People join in. It feels very communal.”

In addition to his work with Baiana System, Joocie recorded and filmed a Portuguese remix of his earlier single You with prominent Salvador-based artiste Satya Cavalho, expanding his cross-cultural catalogue.

“Cross-cultural collaboration is something I live for,” he said. “Last time I was there I couldn’t maximise it. This time I made sure to collaborate properly and even shoot visuals.” Joocie admitted his Portuguese needed refinement, but he embraced the challenge.

Now back in London, Joocie sees great potential for deeper soca-Bahia fusion.

“There’s definitely an opportunity there. The culture is rich, the sound is powerful, and there are similarities with our own traditions. I would love to release the remixes and continue building that bridge. We have artistes outside of Trinidad championing soca at the highest level. We have to shine the light on that and continue pushing the culture into new spaces.”

For updates, follow @triniboijoocie across all social media platforms. For bookings, email [email protected].