CEM Top 10 Soca Singles – August 2026
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New Soca Heat Takes Over as Voice Holds Command
August has delivered the shake-up the CEM Top 10 Soca Singles needed.
After several months in which Trinidad Carnival favorites largely controlled the rankings, a new wave of soca has arrived. Fresh releases are beginning to point toward the next Carnival cycle, while summer festivals, Caribbean carnivals and diaspora events are giving older records unexpected second lives.
That combination makes August one of the most interesting CEM charts of the year.
Voice remains at the center of the conversation, but this time it isn't only because of the long-running success of “Cyah Behave.” His newer record “Lighters Up” has generated enough momentum to take over the No. 1 position.
Meanwhile, Mical Teja, Patrice Roberts and Nadia Batson arrive with fresh material, and Tano and Coutain score one of the month's biggest surprises as “Suga Dumplin” surges months after its original release.
Here is the CEM Top 10 Soca Singles for August 2026.
👑 #1 – “Lighters Up”
Voice — 🆕 NEW
Voice replaces himself at the top.
After spending two months commanding the CEM chart with “Cyah Behave,” the former International Soca Monarch winner enters August with another record generating serious attention.
“Lighters Up” has the melodic, hands-in-the-air quality that can carry a soca record far beyond a single Carnival season. Its growing presence in DJ sets and contemporary soca playlists makes it CEM's strongest new entry of the month.
For Voice, having the No. 1 and No. 2 songs simultaneously is an impressive statement about his current position in soca.
#2 – “Cyah Behave”
Voice — ⬇️ 1
Losing the No. 1 position does little to diminish what “Cyah Behave” has accomplished.
The record remains one of the defining soca songs of 2026 and continues to connect months after the height of Trinidad Carnival.
What is particularly significant is that the song hasn't disappeared as newer material arrives. That longevity earns it another month near the top of the CEM rankings.
🚀 #3 – “Suga Dumplin”
Tano & Coutain — 🆕 CEM DEBUT
Here comes August's sleeper hit.
“Suga Dumplin” was released earlier in the year, but its momentum exploded during August. That is exactly why the CEM chart cannot be based solely on release dates.
Sometimes a record takes months to find its moment. Tano and Coutain have found theirs.
The song's growing regional popularity, radio activity and digital-chart performance make it impossible to ignore. Rather than treating “Suga Dumplin” as an old song, CEM recognizes it for what it became in August: one of soca's hottest current records.
🆕 #4 – “Take My Time”
Mical Teja & Jofroxi
Mical Teja continues to demonstrate why he has become one of the most reliable hitmakers of this generation.
“Take My Time” enters the chart with an immediately accessible groove and a polished sound that fits naturally into the modern groovy-soca landscape.
The collaboration with Jofroxi arrives at the right moment, giving listeners something fresh as the genre begins turning its attention toward another Carnival cycle.
A Top 5 debut feels appropriate—and this record may not be anywhere near its peak yet.
#5 – “Encore”
Machel Montano — ⬇️ 3
Machel Montano's “Encore” slips from No. 2 to No. 5, but its continued presence speaks to the song's longevity.
Montano remained highly visible throughout the summer with performances across the Caribbean and North America, helping keep his Carnival material circulating long after February.
New releases have pushed “Encore” downward, but don't mistake movement for disappearance.
Machel is still very much in the conversation.
🆕 #6 – “Trouble”
Patrice Roberts & MadLypso
Released near the end of August, “Trouble” wasted little time entering the soca conversation.
Patrice Roberts sounds confident and Carnival-ready over MadLypso's production, delivering the type of record that feels designed to grow stronger as the next season approaches.
Because it arrived so late in the month, CEM is resisting the temptation to rank it higher immediately.
But No. 6 may only be the beginning.
Watch this one closely in September.
#7 – “CAPITAL”
Mical Teja & Patrice Roberts — ⬇️ 4
“CAPITAL” remains one of 2026's strongest soca collaborations, even as it begins its inevitable descent.
Its continued presence gives both Mical Teja and Patrice Roberts two records inside this month's Top 10—a sign that both artists are entering the latter half of 2026 with considerable momentum.
The new generation may be arriving, but “CAPITAL” isn't leaving quietly.
🆕 #8 – “Panorama Luv”
Nadia Batson
Nadia Batson trades one CEM chart record for another.
After an impressive multi-month run with “Pieces,” Batson returns with “Panorama Luv,” a warmer, feel-good record built around healthy love and emotional connection.
That distinction matters. Soca's international identity is often dominated by drinking, wining, jumping and Carnival, but records like “Panorama Luv” demonstrate how much broader the genre can be.
Its August debut earns Batson yet another CEM Top 10 appearance.
#9 – “Move Out D Way”
Paris Coutain, Machel Montano & Travis World — ⬇️ 4
“Move Out D Way” survives August's major turnover.
The record has already proven its effectiveness at festivals and large-scale soca events, and its high-energy production continues to give DJs a reliable weapon. Its drop from No. 5 reflects stronger new competition rather than a sudden decline in relevance.
#10 – “Still A Road Man”
Bunji Garlin & XplicitMevon — ⬇️ 6
Bunji Garlin holds onto the final position after several months near the top.
“Still A Road Man” has enjoyed one of the stronger runs of the year, combining Bunji's unmistakable lyrical presence with XplicitMevon's production.
August's influx of fresh music pushes the record down considerably, but making another Top 10 appearance demonstrates its staying power.
August's Biggest Story: The Reset Has Begun
August feels like the dividing line between two soca seasons.
Earlier CEM charts were heavily influenced by the massive records emerging from Trinidad Carnival 2026. Now we're beginning to hear music positioned for late-2026 festivals, diaspora carnivals and eventually Carnival 2027.
Five records make their first CEM Top 10 appearances this month:
“Lighters Up” — Voice“Suga Dumplin” — Tano & Coutain“Take My Time” — Mical Teja & Jofroxi“Trouble” — Patrice Roberts & MadLypso“Panorama Luv” — Nadia Batson
The most unusual is “Suga Dumplin.” Unlike the others, it isn't an August release. Its appearance reflects a fundamental part of the CEM methodology: a song's moment does not necessarily happen on release day.
When listeners, DJs and regional audiences begin pushing a record months later, the chart should recognize that movement.
Songs Leaving the CEM Top 10
Five July records make way for August's newcomers:
Pieces — Nadia BatsonRum & Coca-Cola — Kes & TanoKaya — Freetown Collective & XplicitMevonJab Decisions — V'ghn, Kay Frass & Terra D GovernorCarry It — Bunji Garlin & Stemz
Their departure does not mean the songs have stopped being popular. It means August produced enough new momentum to make competition for ten positions significantly tougher.
🏆 CEM Soca Artist of the Month: Voice
There isn't much debate this month.
Voice is CEM's Soca Artist of the Month for August 2026.
He occupies the top two positions simultaneously, with newcomer “Lighters Up” taking No. 1 while former chart-topper “Cyah Behave” remains at No. 2.
Having one dominant record is difficult.
Replacing your own No. 1 with another song is something entirely different.
Voice's August performance represents exactly what the CEM Artist of the Month designation should recognize: current impact, consistency and influence on the direction of soca.
CEM Top 10 Soca Singles – August 2026
🆕 Lighters Up — Voice
Cyah Behave — Voice
🆕 Suga Dumplin — Tano & Coutain
🆕 Take My Time — Mical Teja & Jofroxi
Encore — Machel Montano
🆕 Trouble — Patrice Roberts & MadLypso
CAPITAL — Mical Teja & Patrice Roberts
🆕 Panorama Luv — Nadia Batson
Move Out D Way — Paris Coutain, Machel Montano & Travis World
Still A Road Man — Bunji Garlin & XplicitMevon
Chart Highlights
👑 No. 1: “Lighters Up” — Voice
🏆 Artist of the Month: Voice
🚀 Breakout/Sleeper Hit: “Suga Dumplin” — Tano & Coutain
🔥 Highest Fresh Release: “Lighters Up” — Voice
👀 One to Watch: “Trouble” — Patrice Roberts & MadLypso
💫 Groovy Pick: “Take My Time” — Mical Teja & Jofroxi
CEM Chart Methodology
The CEM Top 10 Soca Singles is Caribbean EMagazine's independent monthly editorial ranking. It is not copied from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or any other existing chart.
Rankings consider streaming and digital-chart momentum, YouTube engagement, current playlist placement, DJ and radio support, festival and Carnival visibility, longevity, cultural impact, release momentum and Caribbean EMagazine's editorial assessment.
The objective is simple: identify the ten soca records making the strongest overall impact right now across the Caribbean and its global diaspora.
By Dante JacksonEntertainment Editor | Caribbean EMagazine
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