Skinny Fabulous
Gamal ‘Skinny Fabulous’ Doyle is the unmistakably energetic soca artiste, with the distinctive baritone voice from St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The talented, versatile artiste is simultaneously known for his quick wit and his capacity to mesmerize his audience. Always willing to push the boundaries of Caribbean music, the singer has a style that falls perfectly between soca and dancehall. Initially emerging as a chanter he successfully made the transition to the soca scene.
In 2008 the singer made his first major impact in the soca arena with the release of ‘Head Bad’ for Vincy Mas. He secured his first title that year and continued with two consecutive wins with ‘Beast Let Go’ and ‘Charge Up.’ In 2013 ‘General’ took him to the top of the podium. He secured the double crown in the Power Soca Competition with ‘Mashup International’ and in his debut in Ragga Soca competition with ‘This Island is Mine’ in 2015.
Skinny Fabulous has collaborated with some of the region’s top soca acts including Machel Montano, Jamesy P, Kevin Lyttle, Bunji Garlin, Fay-Ann Lyons, and Peter Ram. He has also worked with Jamaican dancehall superstar Busy Signal and Holland’s sensation Mr. Z.
The singer continues to tour extensively regionally and internationally. His consistently high caliber of music has seen Skinny continue to rack up accolades. In 2009 he was awarded Entertainer of the Year in his home country. He was also the first runner-up in the OECS Soca Monarch competition and adjudged Best New Male Artist at the Soca Music Awards. Skinny was nominated for “Best Soca Entertainer in the International Reggae & World Festival Awards (IRWMA). He received five nominations for the International Soca Music Awards, including Best New Male Soca Artiste, Male Soca Entertainer of the Year, Over All-Male Soca Artiste of the year, Favorite Up Tempo Soca Male, and Soca Song of the Year.
Skinny is a multidimensional artist who has delved into other areas. In 2010 he conceptualized a children’s carnival which mimicked a typical school fair but was magnified to match the prime location of Victoria Park. The annual “Uncle Skinny’s Kids Carnival boasts an attendance of over ten thousand patrons.
The philanthropic artiste instituted the Skinny Fabulous Grade 6 Scholarship which is awarded to four grade six students to provide for all their academic needs, to ensure they can reach their true potential. While visiting the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, he was approached by headteacher Mr. John Renton to assist students who were going to the Penn Relays that year (2012) which he readily did.
Skinny Fabulous was also the mastermind behind a school’s talent search called “The Next Big Thing” which targeted young singers from secondary schools nationwide. This is especially poignant since talent shows have been credited with giving him his start in the industry. This developmental approach uncovered local boy group New Starzz who consequently released collaborations with Beenie Man and Skinny Fabulous himself. The production was aired on local programming.
Skinny is always in creative mode and this gave birth to the BLACK RAVE event. His vision was a superior production featuring thousands of glow sticks. Unlike other typical shows, a master of ceremonies was eliminated. Rather, there was a black empty stage between acts with a 10-second countdown. The show is a staple of the island’s festivities and features performances by the major players in the industry.
Skinny also launched a pet project, The Dazzle Magazine. The magazine provides much-needed exposure for young professionals, entrepreneurs, and established businesses alike.
As a singer/songwriter, Skinny Fabulous approaches every project intuitively and takes on the challenge to deliver potent lyrics over danceable tracks. He has had the honor of penning highly successful songs like “Happiest Man Alive” for Machel Montano.
The artiste is a performer who revels in the competition which is evidenced through his intricate presentations. Although taking a step away from competition in the past couple of years Skinny has continued to release extremely popular music. At the beginning of 2017, he released another music video for the catchy “Watch Thing” which was a combination video for the track “Turn Down the Lights.”
In 2019 Skinny Fabulous joined forces with Trinidadian titans Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin for the massively popular ‘Famalay’. This infectious song with its catchy phrasing was penned by Skinny Fabulous and has been ripping up the airwaves regionally and internationally. It was the first soca track to ever hit #1 on the iTunes Reggae Charts. The song also won Road March in Trinidad for the 2019 Carnival Season, making history as Skinny is the first-ever non-national to have the title of Rad March Winner in Trinidad.
Easily inspired, Skinny Fabulous continues to make his indelible mark as an artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, always on the lookout for new opportunities and synergies. Whether on stage, in business, or in social standing he doesn’t disappoint, he is always ready to deliver!
