SINGERS from Trinidad and Tobago

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Trinidadian Singers of all time. This list of famous Trinidadian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Haddaway (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 55.65, Haddaway is the most famous Trinidadian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages on wikipedia.

Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer best known for his 1993 hit single "What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries.

2. Billy Ocean (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 50.15, Billy Ocean is the 2nd most famous Trinidadian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Leslie Sebastian Charles (born 21 January 1950), known professionally as Billy Ocean, is a Trinidadian-born British singer and songwriter. Between 1976 and 1988, he had a series of hit songs in the UK and internationally. After releasing several recordings under other stage names, he achieved breakthrough success with the 1976 single "Love Really Hurts Without You". It was the second single released under the stage name Billy Ocean and peaked at no. 2 in the UK and no. 3 in Australia. Later that year, he achieved two additional top 20 singles in the UK. In 1977, his single "Red Light Spells Danger" also peaked at no. 2. After a period of limited chart success, he released the single "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" in 1984. In the UK, the song peaked at no. 6. In the U.S., it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at no. 85 but peaked at no. 1 ten weeks later. Ocean won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song. It also charted in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and across Europe under three different titles. Across the next three years, Ocean accumulated a series of international hit singles. Released in 1985, "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" peaked at no. 1 in the UK and no. 2 in the U.S. the following year. In the same year, he achieved an American no. 1 with the single "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)". In 1988, his single "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" reached no. 1 in the U.S. and no. 3 in the UK. In recognition of his success and influence, Ocean has received a number of awards. In 2002, he was presented with an honorary doctorate of music by the University of Westminster. In 2010, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBO Awards. The following year, he became a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

3. Nicki Minaj (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 49.72, Nicki Minaj is the 3rd most famous Trinidadian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 96 different languages.

Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (née Maraj; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( NIK-ee min-AHZH), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is credited as a driving force in the mainstream resurgence of female rap in the early 2010s. Known for her dynamic rap flow, witty lyrics, musical versatility, and alter egos, Minaj first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009. Her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), topped the US Billboard 200, achieved the largest female rap album sales week of the 21st century, and spawned the RIAA diamond-certified top-five single "Super Bass". Minaj explored dance-pop on her second US number-one album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012); it produced the internationally successful single "Starships", which is certified diamond. She returned to her hip hop roots with her third and fourth albums, The Pinkprint (2014) and Queen (2018), which yielded the hit singles "Anaconda" and "Chun-Li". Minaj achieved her first two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles in 2020 as a featured artist on Doja Cat's "Say So" and 6ix9ine's "Trollz"; the former was the first female rap collaboration to top the chart. Two years later, she garnered her first solo US number-one song with "Super Freaky Girl", the lead single from her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 (2023), which debuted at number one in the US and broke several female rap sales and streaming records. The accompanying concert tour became the highest-grossing tour for a female rapper. Minaj is one of the world's best-selling music artists, and the best-selling female rapper, with over 100 million records sold. She has three diamond-certified songs by the RIAA and in 2024 became the first female rapper with multiple diamond-certified solo songs. She is among the RIAA's 50 highest-certified digital singles artists. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked Minaj as the greatest female rapper of all time. Her various accolades include a Brit Award, five Billboard Music Awards, nine American Music Awards, eight MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), 12 BET Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and three Guinness World Records. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, and she was honored with the Billboard Women in Music Game Changer Award in 2019. Her outspoken views, personal life and fanbase have received significant media attention. Minaj founded the Heavy On It Records label imprint in 2023. Outside of music, her other endeavors include a fragrance line, a press on nails line, a Loci sneakers collection, and the radio show Queen Radio (2018–2023); She also played roles in the animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and the comedy films The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). On television, she served as a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol (2013).

4. Edmundo Ros (1910 - 2011)

With an HPI of 46.80, Edmundo Ros is the 4th most famous Trinidadian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Edmundo Ros OBE, FRAM (7 December 1910 – 21 October 2011), born Edmund William Ross, was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestra, had an extensive recording career and owned one of London's leading nightclubs.

5. Heather Headley (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 34.31, Heather Headley is the 5th most famous Trinidadian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of Aida. She also won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for her album Audience of One. In 2018, she recurred as Gwen Garrett on the NBC medical drama television series Chicago Med.

6. Trinidad James (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 15.22, Trinidad James is the 6th most famous Trinidadian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything" commercially that same month. The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album. In the late 2010s, he shifted from recording to songwriting. He has been credited as a co-writer for primarily female artists such as City Girls, Kehlani, Flo Milli, Queen Naija, and Lakeyah, among others. Trinidad James has co-written songs including Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", Fifty Fifty's "Barbie Dreams", and Bhad Bhabie's "Hi Bich". He signed with Artist Publishing Group in 2018. Furthermore, he has directed music videos for the songs "Made for Me" by Muni Long and "Gas You Up" by Kaliii.