Freetown Collective returns to Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre August 1

Freetown Collective, a Trinidadian musical collective, returns to Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre on August 1 with Welcome to Freetown, an immersive live experience celebrating Caribbean storytelling, community, and culture.

Co-founders Muhammad Muwakil and Lou Lyons say their music is rooted in a little-known history of a freed community in Trinidad that inspired the band's name and philosophy. In the mid-1800s, a group of West Africans who arrived in Trinidad as indentured labourers purchased land and established a settlement they called Freetown. Residents pooled resources to buy the freedom of enslaved people, who later repaid the community while helping continue the cycle. The settlement was eventually renamed, becoming part of what is now known as Belmont, and much of its history faded from public memory.

Muwakil discovered this history in his early twenties and says it transformed how he viewed his neighbourhood and himself. "I found out about this history when I was in my early 20s, and it was just so amazing to realize that the history had been almost wiped out," he says. That question—"How do we reignite that idea at this time?"—became the foundation for Freetown Collective.

The six-member live lineup features vocalists Shanna Joseph, Tishanna Williams, and Malene Joseph, collectively known as "The Trinity", alongside DJ and bassist Jayron "Rawkus" Remy. The group blends soca, reggae, spoken word, calypso, and other influences, refusing to fit neatly into one genre. "We don't put the music in a cage," Muwakil says. "It's very difficult for us to say that we're reggae artists or calypsonians. We draw from the wider world." The live performances are designed to build community, bringing audiences together through music and shared Caribbean experiences.