Bunji Garlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bunji Garlin
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Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ian Antonio Alvarez |
| Born | July 14, 1978 Arima, Trinidad |
| Genres | Reggae, soca, dancehall |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | VP, RCA |
Ian Antonio Alvarez (born July 14, 1978), known to his fans as Bunji Garlin, is a famous singer from Trinidad. He is known for his exciting soca and ragga songs. People often call him the "Viking of Soca" because of his powerful style. He is married to another popular soca artist, Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez.
Early Life
Bunji Garlin was born in Arima, Trinidad, on July 14, 1978. His family roots come from Saint Lucia and Venezuela.
Personal Life
Bunji Garlin married fellow soca artist Fay-Ann Lyons on December 23, 2006. Fay-Ann is the daughter of the very successful soca singer Superblue. Bunji is also a second cousin to singer Patrice Roberts, who often performs with the popular artist Machel Montano.
Music Career
Bunji Garlin has won Trinidad's Soca Monarch competition many times. This is a big music contest in Trinidad.
- In 2002, he won with his song "Down in the Ghetto" (he tied with Iwer George).
- He won again in 2004 with "Warrior Cry".
- In 2005, he won with "Blaze the Fire".
- His song "Fiery" helped him win in 2008.
In 2009, he came in second place with his song "Clear De Road". That same night, his wife Fay-Ann Lyons won first place with her song "Meet Super Blue". She also won another award for "Heavy T Bumpa".
Bunji Garlin's song "Brrt" was even featured in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
In 2013, Bunji won a Soul Train Award for "Best International Performance". This was for his hit song "Differentology", which featured Nigel Rojas on guitar. An album with the same name was released in August 2014 by RCA Records and VP Records.
In 2017, he released his album Turn Up. This album did very well, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. On September 24, 2017, Bunji Garlin received a special award from Trinidad and Tobago. It was called the Hummingbird Medal (Silver). This award is given to people who have done great things for their country. Also, a song by Bunji Garlin called "All or Nothing" was used in the first episode of the Netflix TV series Impulse.
Albums
- The Chronicles (1999)
- Revelation (2002)
- Black Spaniard (2003)
- Graceful Vengeance (2004)
- Flame Storm (2005)
- Next Direction (2006)
- Global (2007)
- Fiery (2008)
- "iSpaniard" (2012)
- The Viking (2013)
- Differentology (2014)
- Turn Up (2017)
Singles
- "Differentology" (2013)
- "Truck On D Road" (2014) (featuring A$AP Ferg)
- "The Message" (2015) (featuring Damian Marley)
- "Television" (2016)
Collaborations
Bunji Garlin has worked with many other artists on songs:
- "Coofy Lie Lie" (with Singing Sandra) (2002)
- "Rags Don't Care" (with Chinese Laundry and Shurwayne Winchester) (2003)
- "The Islands" (with Patrice Roberts) (2005)
- "Get Up Stand Up" (with T.O.K.) (2007)
- "One Family" (with Freddie McGregor) (2007)
- "That's How We Party" (with Busy Signal) (2005)
- "Jungle Bae" (Jack Ü ft. Bunji Garlin) (2015)
- "Buss Head" (with Machel Montano) (2017)
- "Famalay" (with Machel Montano and Skinny Fabulous) (2019)
- "Bomboclat (Light It Up)" (Dillon Francis, Bunji Garlin) (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Bunji Garlin para niños
