Trilla-G (Gael Jno Baptiste) is a prominent Bouyon artist from Dominica, selected as Billboard‘s Caribbean Artist of the Month for April 2026. Known for hits like “Someone Else,” he recently released his debut album, Take Me as I Am, while successfully overcoming cancer. He is considered a trailblazer in bringing Dominica’s Bouyon music to global audiences. In this article, Trilla-G walks Billboard through how he crafted his debut album while battling cancer, his calypso background, and how Jay-Z influenced his approach to songwriting. Here are excerpts. [Check out his “Single Again” and “Someone Else” below.]
During summer 2024, “Someone Else,” a rollicking bouyon kiss-off anthem, became one of the buzziest songs to come out of the island nation of Dominica this decade, winning soca collaboration of the year at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards. The infectious track also spelled the official launch of the career Trilla-G had been flirting with for most of his life.
Born Gael Jno Baptiste in Goodwill, just outside Dominica’s capital of Roseau, Trilla-G’s musical origin story is centered around an event that helped shape an entire generation of listeners: Michael Jackson’s world-shifting death in 2009.
Although he grew up preaching and singing in church, the joint forces of MJ’s towering artistry and the horizon-broadening nature of Saturday morning VH1 music video countdowns helped Trilla figure out his unique approach to music-making. After pulling inspiration from YouTube parodies, Trilla earned his first local hit with a remix of Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag.” He would employ that strategy a few more times — like when he flipped Magic System’s timeless “Premiere Gaou” into 2017’s “Sweet Talk” — eventually making a name for himself across Dominica with “The Prayer” in 2020. [. . .]
Listen to “Someone Else” here:
Listen to “Single Again” here:
For complete article, see https://www.billboard.com/music/features/caribbean-up-and-comer-trilla-g-dominica-bouyon-interview-1236232752/
Also see https://emonewsdm.com/trilla-g-releases-highly-anticipated-debut-project-take-me-as-i-am-the-album/
Trilla-G (Gael Jno Baptiste) is a prominent Bouyon artist from Dominica, selected as Billboard‘s Caribbean Artist of the Month for April 2026. Known for hits like “Someone Else,” he recently released his debut album, Take Me as I Am, while successfully overcoming cancer. He is considered a trailblazer in bringing Dominica’s Bouyon music to global