kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
Words are undeniably powerful. They can evoke strong emotions, shape perceptions, and even influence both positive and negative behaviour. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Muhammad Muwakil understands the power of words, and he has been using his lyrics to inspire listeners.
“My style (lol), I guess, is a collection of all your experiences and how you responded and continue to respond to them. My style is different because my experience of life has been very different, and I’ve not tried to be anyone else but myself,” he explained.
“I grew up with a father who was a warrior for justice in the community; everything about him was geared towards making the world more just. That is a part of my style. I grew up reading the Qur’an, and the tones of Arabic are all over my voice and in my melodies, which is my style. I love words, and I’ve seen their power, and I try not to take them for granted; that’s my style.” Muwakil’s dad, Salim Muwakil, who was part of the 1990 insurrection in T&T, was shot and killed at his Diego Martin home in 2022.
“I’ve witnessed the power of music as a force for change in the world and people’s individual lives,” he said. “Music is a power that moves and shifts things in whatever direction you point it. I’ve always made music that dealt with justice and love, and I think because of that we have always had the love and support of the people.”
The singer entered the 2025 Young Kings competition and copped third place with Take Me Home. Anthony La Fleur, known as “Squeezy Rankin”, was crowned the winner with his song Justice, while second place went to Kyle Cowie (KC) with his song Western Town.
“I think for a first time entering a national competition with a song that is pushing the boundaries of what we have traditionally accepted calypso to be, placing third is a phenomenal achievement against a field of seasoned veterans,” he said.
“We are at a moment in history where the art form is seeking evolution again in order to truly connect to a younger generation. We see it with Coutain, Jimmy October, Yung Bredda, Kes, Freetown, and many others. I am overjoyed to be alive and living at the very edges where the culture is forming itself into new things.”
The Belmont entertainer started singing in his primary school choir at St Joseph TML. A practising Muslim, he also grew up reciting the Qur’an, which is a sort of singing in itself. At the age of 26, he joined the group Freetown Collective.
“Well, as you may know, many Muslims consider music haraam (forbidden by God),” he said. “Being an active member of my community at the time, I was admonished and in many ways ostracised and looked down on for choosing to make music.”
Despite the critics, Muhammad forged ahead, releasing hits with Freetown Collective like Feel the Love, Mas, and Take Me Home. Family continues to be a major part of his life, and Muwakil shares a special bond with his maternal grandmother.
“My grandmother has been a guiding hand from the moment I was born, a bit of an obsessive-type parent if we’re being honest, but I understand that the world is a dangerous place for us before we even know what it is, so she always wanted to protect me,” he said.
“In many ways, fighting against being coddled was a part of my formation, but also, Granny always provided a soft place to land, a constant love in a really tumultuous upbringing. My grandmother and grandfather provided stability for me and my siblings that, in the end, really saved our lives and set us on a path to win.”
Granny Neila is quite popular for her witty conversations with the entertainer on social media. “Never in a million years did I ever think she would blow up like this; I think she may have hit 100k on Instagram; I have to check,” he said.
“She is a star and has always been, and I’m just happy that towards the evening of her life, she is getting to experience what it is like to be so widely adored simply for who she is.”
As Muwakil continues his journey in entertainment, he gets inspiration from almost everything. “Movies are big for me; a good movie can give me so much material to work with. Conversations, good art inspires,” he added.
“But really, I think people who get inspired are people who are paying attention. Life is beautiful and tragic. No two moments are the same. If you pay attention, without realising it, you collect inside of yourself all of the things you feel and see, and somewhere on a subconscious level, you go over it all, and it creates the ground for wonder.
“Once you can still have wonder like a child, then every now and then something that means almost nothing to 99 per cent of people will jump out at you so hard you’ll wonder why you never thought about it like that. The smallest things are completely magic if you have eyes to appreciate them as such.”
His hope is that the message and the music will spread as widely as possible. “I see myself doing whatever my heart calls me to do at the point in time. Hopefully, I can stay true to that.”
Muwakil will be performing with Freetown Collective at Sound Forge, Mucurapo Road, Port-of-Spain tonight from 7 pm. The event will also feature a marketplace that opens at 6 pm.
