The Young Producer Redefining Soca’s Sound
In the modern era of soca, where the producer’s fingerprint is as important as the vocalist’s voice, one name has risen remarkably fast to the top of the conversation. Travis Hosein, known professionally as Travis World, is a Trinbagonian DJ and producer helping to shape soca with his distinct sound and forward-thinking approach. Still only in his late twenties, he has already accumulated a discography that most producers would envy after a full career — and he is, by all accounts, still only getting started.
South Trinidad Roots and an Early Calling
Travis grew up in south Trinidad, in the city of San Fernando. His relationship with music began almost before he could articulate it. His passion for music and entertainment started as early as age seven when his father bought him a drum set. He was deeply fascinated by the carnival music trucks and always dreamed of owning his own one day. That early, visceral connection to the sonic landscape of Trinidad’s Carnival would prove to be the creative fuel that has driven everything since.
His mother Betty Ann was equally pivotal. She recognised her eldest son’s talent from an early age and encouraged him to experiment as a DJ and mixer at school bazaars, birthday parties, graduations, and other family events. When she attended a relative’s birthday party and heard established DJ Signal to Noise (Joel Morris) performing, she seized the opportunity to have him listen to her teenage son’s skills. Signal was so impressed with the then-15-year-old that when Slam 100.5FM came on the scene, he offered Travis an opportunity to do a Saturday morning shift, making him one of the youngest DJs in the country.
From Radio to Production: Teaching Himself the Craft
Radio gave Travis a platform and an education, but it also revealed a hunger that spinning other people’s tracks couldn’t fully satisfy. This shy young man who used music to express his emotions wanted to be on the cutting edge, to stand out. He wanted to do remixes nobody else had — and the only way to get them was to create them himself.
What followed was a period of intense self-directed learning. He enrolled in business classes at the School of Business and Computer Science and music courses at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. But his real education came from hours spent in the studio, experimenting, failing, and refining. “I was never trained formally as a musician; everything I know in music is what I taught myself. I may not be the best keyboard player, but I believe I have an ear for it, and I know when something sounds good,” he has said with characteristic honesty. Working in radio opened up doors for Travis to interact with many artists who sent him their music files for him to experiment with and mix — providing opportunities to work with artists such as Machel Montano, Major Lazer, Skinny Fabulous, Erphaan Alves, and Preedy, among others.
His first significant production milestone came in 2015. He worked alongside Vincentian artist Skinny Fabulous to produce “Mash-up International”, which won the St Vincent Soca Monarch competition that year. The win proved he had the chops to deliver on the biggest stages of Caribbean music — but it was only a preview of what was coming.
Soca Kingdom: The Breakthrough that Changed Everything
In January 2018, Travis World became a household name overnight. He produced the hit single “Soca Kingdom” by Superblue and Machel Montano, which won the 2018 Road March during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and propelled him to national fame. He achieved this at the tender age of 22 — an extraordinary achievement in a competition where Road March wins are the ultimate benchmark of a soca producer’s skill.
“I’ve done other songs before that were big, but I’ve never seen it blow up like this on social media. Everyone was saying ‘Soca Kingdom’ — I’ve never really felt that before. I still can’t really explain it,” he said at the time, the excitement palpable even in his characteristic understatement. The track is now approaching 6 million Spotify streams — a remarkable number for a soca song, and a testament to the timelessness of the production.
The ambition behind the track was also telling. About the new wave “Soca Kingdom” was creating, Travis noted that this was not even on Machel Montano’s original agenda for 2018 — it was an organic creative collaboration that exceeded everyone’s expectations, including the artists involved.
Building a Catalogue of Hits
Far from resting on the momentum of “Soca Kingdom”, Travis doubled down. In 2019, he expanded his reach internationally, producing the soca single “The Road” featuring Machel Montano and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ashanti. The pairing of soca royalty with a mainstream R&B icon was a statement of intent — proof that Travis was thinking beyond the Carnival season and toward a global soca audience.
In 2021, Travis marked a commercially exceptional year, amassing nearly 15 million Spotify streams from two standout tracks: “Mind My Business” by Patrice Roberts, co-produced with Dan Evens, which surpassed 10 million streams, and “Issa Snack” by Nessa Preppy, which hit over 4 million streams. “Mind My Business” went viral on social media, with celebrities including TLC’s Chilli and Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams creating videos mirroring the energy of the empowering song. For a soca track to reach that kind of cultural crossover — embedding itself in mainstream American pop culture through organic virality — was a significant milestone for the genre.
Notably, Nessa Preppy’s top three tracks on Spotify have all been produced by Travis, underlining a remarkable consistency in elevating the artists he works with to their career-best outputs.
His reach has also extended far beyond established stars. He has played a pivotal role in the early success of rising artists like Cristo, Stig da Artist, Pternsky, Sackie, and Kris Kennedy — a commitment to developing new talent that reflects a producer who cares about the ecosystem of soca, not just the top of the bill.
The DJ and the Producer in One
What makes Travis World’s position in the industry particularly potent is the dual nature of his craft. He is not just a studio producer — he is an active, in-demand DJ whose presence behind the decks at fetes across the Caribbean is one of the most sought-after bookings in the game. When he hits the stage you can see a shift in the soca-charged atmosphere as revellers connect with his energy. That direct, real-time relationship with the crowd informs his production instincts in ways that a purely studio-based producer cannot replicate. He knows what makes a room move because he has been in that room, feeling it himself.
“I want to perfect that craft — build a catalogue of soca and Caribbean music — but I really want to tie it back to where I could be like Major Lazer, where I could produce and DJ at the same time,” he has said. It is an aspiration that speaks to his genuine understanding of what Major Lazer achieved: using the DJ’s instinct for crowd energy and the producer’s command of sound architecture to create something that transcended its origins and went truly global.
The Numbers and the Future
Travis World has now surpassed 50 million Spotify streams — a staggering milestone for a Caribbean music producer and a powerful signal of soca’s growing global streaming footprint. As one of the genre’s most impactful producers, he is developing the soundscape of Caribbean music, creating defining moments for both established and emerging artists.
His story is ultimately one of instinct over formal training, of self-belief over institutional validation, and of a deep, unshakeable love for the music of his homeland. From a boy mesmerised by the carnival trucks rolling through San Fernando, to the producer whose beats are now rolling across screens and speakers around the world — Travis World is, without question, one of the most exciting creative forces that Caribbean music has produced in a generation.
