FREETOWN COLLECTIVE is known for producing a sound that is riveting, relevant, and authentic. Emerging as part of a new wave of calypso artists from the Caribbean, the six-piece dynamic musical ensemble distinguishes itself through a bold fusion of Caribbean rhythms and urban pop music.
Over the past decade, the band has steadily expanded its global footprint. Following an international tour in 2015 that saw them perform in Rotterdam, Edinburgh, London, and Toronto, their track “Good Swimma” caught international attention. In 2016, the song was reimagined as “Believer” by Major Lazer and Showtek, marking a pivotal moment in the band’s rise.
“Believer” went on to receive Gold certification in France and Platinum certification in the Netherlands, surpassing 40 million views on YouTube and solidifying Freetown Collective’s presence on the global stage. A subsequent collaboration with Showtek resulted in the release of “Amen,” further cementing the band’s international credibility.
Freetown Collective’s music has also featured prominently in cinematic work, including the dub-reggae soundtrack for the Trinidadian feature film God Loves The Fighter, where the band’s compositions help shape the film’s distinctive sonic identity.
In 2018, Freetown Collective released its critically acclaimed debut album, Born in Darkness. The band continued to dominate regional charts with “Feel The Love,” a collaboration with renowned DJ Private Ryan, which held the #2 position on Apple Music’s Top 100 Songs in Trinidad and Tobago for six consecutive weeks in early 2020. In 2022, they released “World on Fire” alongside DJ Private Ryan and soca superstar Patrice Roberts.
Freetown Collective’s live reputation has grown just as powerfully. The band has opened for UB40’s homecoming concert and headlined the Croissant Neuf Stage at the iconic Glastonbury Festival, affirming their status as a commanding live act on some of the world’s most respected stages.
In a defining new chapter, the band released its third studio album, Beyond the Machine, in collaboration with BLAKGOLD — a genre-bending project that signals artistic evolution while remaining rooted in the history and traditions of the many calypsonians that came before them. The band’s 2025 soca release “Take Me Home” took on a life of its own as a Caribbean anthem, taking root in the hearts of listeners throughout the diaspora. It later became the theme of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2025 and was awarded Calypso of the Year by the National Action Cultural Committee in December 2025.
With a growing international audience and a catalogue that bridges tradition and innovation, Freetown Collective continues to redefine what Caribbean music sounds like on the world stage.
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BEING IN A FREETOWN COLLECTIVE
PERFORMANCE FEELS LIKE…
“a spiritual experience, an expression of your truest, deepest emotions: whether it’s the most joy or the most sadness you can feel. When we perform, there are no barriers between anyone present, the space becomes a place to rekindle love and heal old wounds, and for all hearts to let down their walls and beat as freely as they were made to.”
Free the people,
free the town,
free the city.
IN THE MID-1800S, a group of Africans from West Africa came to the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean as free people, not as slaves or indentured workers. They bought and settled upon a large area of land and promised to buy the freedom of any enslaved person who made their way to the settlement, called Freetown. This is the grand metaphor that reflects the band’s music and purpose.
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