Let’s make music with H2O PHLO and 2G!
2G and H2O Phlo @ 8pm, 21 June @ Coco Lounge, Fête de la Musique
Hailing from the twin island of Trinidad & Tobago, H2O Phlo is one of the Caribbean’s leading R&B vocal collaborations. The group, with current members Jason ‘Fridge’ Seecharan, Junior Nelson and Keston Rosales, is known for sweet harmonies and smooth R&B/Soca grooves. H2O Phlo is a firm favourite with fans ranging from the ages of two to 92 alike. They have had a range of hit singles including “A Little Closer,” “Party With You,” “Come Baby” and “High On The Dancefloor” which are all still very popular today with fans both locally and internationally.
H2O Phlo’s founding members met while sheltering from heavy rainfall in downtown Port-of Spain, Trinidad. Recognising the wealth of talent that existed between them, they came together to form a vocal group performing at various events across the country. After a performance at the National Stadium, a chance remark, “You all sing as smooth as water flows,” resulted in the coining of the name H2O Phlo. The group very quickly made a name for themselves and went on to perform at concerts featuring a host of international artistes including Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, James Ingram, Lionel Richie, Michael Bolton, Peabo Bryson, Sean Paul, Shaggy, T.L.C., The Fugees, Usher and Ziggy Marley and most recently John Legend.
Their achievements both locally and internationally are phenomenal. In 2000 having been one of the five artistes selected out of the 300 who auditioned, they performed the United States National Anthem at two major N.B.A. games in Madison Square Gardens and the Continental Airline Arena. They then went on to win a multitude of awards including ‘Best Soca Group’ at the Soca Awards held in New York in 2004 and 2005. In 2007 they won the gold (World Music) and silver medals (Original Music) at the World Championship of Performing Arts in Hollywood, California.
Representing Trinidad & Tobago at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, H2O Phlo formed part of a cultural contingent supporting the national Soca Warriors football team.
In 2008 they went on to do their debut performance in London (UK), at the Bloomsbury Theatre where they performed at the Miss Trinidad & Tobago UK competition. In 2009, they performed at the Summit Village (Trinidad) as part of a series of outdoor concerts organised for the 5th Summit of the Americas. They also performed for a special event organised for the spouses of the Heads of State.
Joining forces with the band 2G (Second Generation), headed by Ace Musician/Producer Richard ‘Charsu’ Ahong in 2011, H2O Phlo was now poised to take their music to another level. The 2G band consisting of Marie Carter (Lead Vocalist), Richard Ahong (Keyboardist/Musical Director), Gabriel Bernard (Drummer) and Curtis Bethalmy (Keyboardist), is one of the most talented and versatile bands in the local music industry. In 2011, along with H2O Phlo they hosted a ‘Michael Jackson Tribute’ concert at the National Academy for the Performing Arts.
This was the first musical theatre event of this nature and standard locally and received rave reviews. Shortly after, H2O Phlo and 2G were requested to perform an excerpt from this concert at a diplomatic event hosted at the Prime Minister’s residence. Since then, the H2O Phlo/2G collaboration has been going strong. With Marie’s sultry female vocals complimenting the melodious H2O Phlo sound accompanied by a live band, the unit is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Citing some of their musical influences as Stevie Wonder, Boys II Men, Journey, Baron, Kitchener, Sparrow and for Marie, Celine Dion and Selena, it is no surprise that their sound is a very diverse and eclectic one. The group is currently working on new recorded material and “the best is yet to come” as they continue to work towards putting their music on the world stage in a major way. Fans can look out for a lot of great things from H2O Phlo and 2G in very the near future.
H2OPhlo:
www.facebook.com/H2OPhlo
2G:
www.facebook.com/2GSecondGeneration
Reblogged this on Fête de la Musique Trinidad & Tobago.