Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez, born November 5, 1980, sometimes known by such titles as the Lyon Empress, Mane the Matriach, the Silver Surfer is a Trinidadian soca recording artist/performer. She is married to fellow recording artist and famed 'Ragga Soca' lyricist Bunji Garlin. Fay Ann was born in Point Fortin, Trinidad to parents Austin Lyons (sobriquet Superblue/SuperBlue, formerly known as Blueboy) and Lynette Steele (sobriquet Lady Gypsy).

Fay Ann is a three-time Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Road March champion (2003, 2008, 2009) and the 2009 International Soca Monarch and International Groovy Soca Monarch champion. She created history again when she won the International Soca Monarch for the first time in 2009, as the first female to win the Power category, and the first individual to win the Power, Groovy and People's Choice awards on Fantastic Friday (aka Carnival Friday) at the competition which is held annually in Trinidad. She is also the first woman to accomplish that feat while pregnant. Fay Ann first wrote her name in the record books when she became the youngest female winner of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Road March Monarch crown, which she accomplished with her song Display in 2003, exactly 17 weeks after her 22nd birthday. She is now the youngest solo artist (male or female), still actively recording, with multiple Carnival Road March wins.  Fay Ann's dominance of the 2009 Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago is a feat the likes of which have not been observed since David Rudder swept the Carnival Road March, Trinidad Calypso Monarch and Young King competitions in 1986. She now stands as the only female artist to win the Carnival Road March three times and the second to attain back-to-back wins in two consecutive years. Fay Ann is now the mother of a baby girl.

Background

Currently an official member of the Asylum band (previously "Censation"), founded by husband, Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann is a former member of the band Invazion led by Naya George. Fay Ann became a front-liner for the band Invazion and performed with them at many fete/concert events including the infamous 'Brass Festival' (now defunct) which was an annual event during the pre-Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago featuring a musical 'battle' between the hottest soca bands.

Fay Ann writes many of her own songs, having learnt from the best, her father, Superblue, who has won the Carnival Road March title eight times, (second only to Aldwyn Roberts, sobriquet Lord Kitchener), and is a six-time winner of the Trinidad Soca Monarch competition, which is the predecessor of the current International Soca Monarch. Fay Ann's compositions have earned several nominations and wins of Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) music awards including Female Songwriter of the Year and she has also received honours from the Soca Awards Organization (SAO) for her music. She was recently profiled along with other top local and internationally-renowned artists Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and Isaac Blackman in the documentary Soca Power in Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad edition of the six part film series titled Musique Creole.

Awards