2023 was a comeback year for Barnes Nelson, better known as Orion – a teaser of what was to come. But in 2024, he delivered the full feature, dropping tracks like Money Never Fight and Good Day and reestablishing himself not just on the soca scene, but in competition as well.
In 2009, Driven by a vision to expand soca’s appeal, Orion and Sedale introduced the Deeper than Soca (DTS) brand, aiming to infuse the genre with a hipper sound.
His musical journey, however, began years before. Orion’s roots trace back to calypso, a genre he fell in love with as a child growing up in Marchand, a community alive with steelpan, carnival and vibrant music.
“When I was about 12 years old, I started singing at Corinth Secondary School. I took part in my first competition there, which I won,” he recalls.
But his passion wasn’t always understood. “For a young boy at that age, it was not very common, so when I told my friends I loved calypso and wanted to go in that direction, they looked at me like I was mad.”
Undeterred, Orion found inspiration in the Mighty Pep, one of his favourite Saint Lucian calypsonians. Yet as he entered his teenage years, soca pulled him in, reluctantly at first.
“Initially, to be honest, I never wanted to do soca,” he says. “But, big up to Private 6, he had a song called Carlina and I told him I wanted to rap on it so he gave me the opportunity. I did that and the song gained some popularity.
“At that time to be honest, I did not know what I was doing – how to construct a song, I had no clue, but I just tried it. It was just Sedale, Hitty, and myself, trying to figure it out.”
Seeking guidance, he turned to the late songwriter and producer Francis Leebo Delima, who didn’t sugarcoat his early efforts. “I remember I brought a song to him, sang it and he was very honest with me, telling me that it was no good,” Orion says with a chuckle.
But Leebo became a mentor, teaching him and others like Sedale and Mysterio the craft of songwriting, vocal techniques and musical structure.
Pretty Girl Wine was his first song of note, following this learning period, making it to the Soca Monarch finals that year.
And then, the music stopped.
What happened?
“Boy, I got saved. I got baptised,” he explains. At the time, he had no plans to return to music, disillusioned by the industry and competition. His spiritual awakening came after a coworker’s persistent biblical references led him to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. “I came face to face with who I am, I got baptised and I have never turned back since,” he says.
During this period, he released inspirational music under his “Faith and Pace” banner and shifted focus to entrepreneurship, launching Action Time, a mobile business selling local beverages and fresh juices.
“There was a rap lyric I liked which said, ‘I’m my own man/I make decisions/I’m dying by my own hands’,” he explains. “So I no longer wanted anyone to decide for me whether I should eat today or not, I need to make that decision for myself.”
Music eventually called him back. In 2023, he dropped “Action Time” as a promotional track for his business. Then, in 2024, Good Day went viral; yet he remained hesitant about competing again. That was until, during a radio interview, he was prodded to enter the Soca Monarch competition.
“I recall submitting the song a few minutes before the deadline, still not convinced that this was something I wanted to do. But after I was selected for the auditions and then made it to the semifinals, it was full throttle.
“I did not want to disappoint myself or the people who were behind me. To be honest, I really wanted to win.”
Reflecting on the finals, he admits he wasn’t quite ready: “A lot of things had changed during my 12-year absence. I had a lot to learn.”
Now, in 2025, Orion says he is focused on offering music with a positive message. His latest Follow You, he explains, is a powerful reflection on choosing faith through life’s highs and lows.
While he has his sights set on competition again, his true mission is deeper.
“This is just another chapter of [my] journey. For me this year is ‘go hard’ or ‘go home’ season,” he says.
He’s not just chasing wins but a legacy, proving that staying true to your lane is its own kind of victory.
Click on the link to listen to Orion’s latest release, Follow You.
Positive vibe…keep up the great work
I always enjoy your writing Mr. Nelson. Wonderful work and big up Barnes!! Keep making music, doing what you love and authentically being you!