Nailah Blackman

Nailah Blackman (born 2 December 1997) is a Trinidadian soca singer and songwriter. "Workout" took Blackman to the finals of the 2017 International Soca Monarch competition. Blackman also released "Baila Mami" in 2017, produced by Anson Pro Soverall.

In 2018, Blackman collaborated with Jamaican dancehall singer Shenseea on a song called "Badishh". During that year Blackman also earned a BET Award nomination in the category of "Best New International Act".

In August 2019, she released her debut EP The Reel which features the single "Sweet & Loco". Blackman's More Sokah was also the chosen tune of Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, winners of the 2020 Panorama title.

She eventually released her debut album, entitled Teknique, in 2022. In 2024 Blackman was honored with, a cultural ambassador award, from the University of Miami. In 2025, Billboard called her a "Caribbean Music Award-winning soca superstar."

Personal life Her grandfather, the late Garfield Blackman, also known as Lord Shorty or Ras Shorty I, invented the style of music known as 'jamoo' and is also credited with inventing soca as a means of reinvigorating calypso music. Her mother, Abbi Blackman, is a calypso star in her own right. Nailah is the niece of Avion Blackman, lead singer of the Los Angeles–based Christian-reggae band Christafari, and Nehilet Blackman-Gonowrie.