NEW YORK – He’s already a singing, recording and songwriting star, and now Trinidad and Tobago soca king Machel Montano has added actor to his titles.

In his first role on the big screen, he stars in musical romance Bazodee (Trinidadian slang for a state of dizziness or confusion – often used with regards to love or infatuation),just  released  in the United States.

He stars alongside actress Natalie Perera.

Machel said it was a humbling and eye-opening experience.

“I was very proud the director, the producer and the writer told me that they were inspired by songs and the themes of my songs enough to write a movie like this. I really came on board early and saw all the different steps like trying to find directors, trying to find the right cast, trying to find the right crew, trying to find finances,” he said.

“I was really part of the entire journey so for me I saw a lot of what you call perseverance and dedication to our project, I saw all the moving parts that it took to bring something like this to fruition.

” I really learned that when you have a good idea and a good story line, sometimes it takes a lot of effort and a lot of determination and patience to see something like this manifest. I really took my time when making the soundtrack and the score. It really taught me how much work goes into these things and how I could put my emotion and my life story into play and create something like that.

“It was really knowledgeable to me and quite an experience of discipline over time.”

In the movie, Anita Ponchouri (Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep in debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local Trinidadian singer, Lee de Leon (Machel) sets things askew.

In search of a muse, de Leon agrees to perform at the engagement party for both families. Unable to deny their mutual attraction, and with the excitement of Carnival approaching, Anita must now choose between the answer to her family’s financial prayers and the possibility of real love.