“It’s not easy trying to stay committed to a genre of music that so much of the world has yet to experience,” reveals Rupee, who brought massive attention to the southern Caribbean namesake with his massive crossover hit, “Tempted to Touch.” “Sometimes I feel as though I could cheat on soca and give in to the lure of going straight pop, R&B or even alternative; I dabble in all of these styles but soca is what made me.”

Rupee thus stays true to his love for the genre with two new releases for this year’s Barbados Crop Over season, both of which have the potential to help him on his mission to reach the worldwide masses. “Traveling the world and seeing how our music uplifts people, seeing a reflection of the love I get in the West Indies transcend to different cultures and races, is what keeps me faithful and fuels my mission to make the world fully embrace soca.”

The first single, “All Night Long,” is a romantic, sexy tune that sees Rupee in a comfortable place – composing songs for the ladies.  This mid-tempo vibe, with that familiar “Tempted To Touch” flavor, is a sure fire tune for the dance floors. It was produced by Victorious, an upcoming Miami DJ and producer. Also, in an effort to further uplift and promote younger talent, Rupee collaborated with rising songwriter and performer, Young D, to co-write the song.

“I get hundreds of tracks and songs from producers, writers and performers regularly but not many stand out,” Rupee divulges. “Then DJ Barrie Hype from Miami sent me this riddim and I felt it immediately. One of my touring DJs, Alvin Toppin ‘the Soca Superman,’ put me onto Young D in an effort to give him a chance, and I did. The stuff he writes is definitely in my zone and he says I am one of his biggest influences for his music.”

The second track, “Everybody,” is a guaranteed party-starter and will definitely ignite the crowd. On this track, Rupee revisits the classic WCK tune, “Balance Batty.”

“I was blessed to have once had Cornell ‘Fingers’ Phillip in my band and he was the original producer of ‘Balance Batty’ and also leader of the band, WCK,” explains Rupee. “I linked up with him to recreate the track with a fresher twist. Then to further bless the track, we secured the services of mega soca producer/DJ and multiple Road March winner, Peter ‘No Stoppin’ Coppin. Peter injected a power soca vibe of energy into the song. It’s a crazy combination of Bouyon and power soca. I think this will definitely be a winner in the clubs and on the road.”