Nailah Blackman to Headline D.C. Carnival’s Saturday Night LIVE

Soca princess Nailah Blackman will mark her first headlining concert in D.C., as well as her first U.S. headlining show of 2025, on Saturday, April 12

Nailah Blackman, set to headline first show in the U.S this year

Soca princess Nailah Blackman is set to headline DC Carnival and Culture Fest DMV’s Saturday Night LIVE! concert series on April 12 at the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.

The performance will mark Blackman's first headlining show in the capital with a full live band, as she takes the stage alongside the Eclipse International Band.

Nailah Blackman has a busy schedule lined up for the rest of the year

The April 12 event at the Howard Theatre also marks Nailah’s first headlining concert in the U.S. for 2025. “I’ve been coming to Washington, D.C. to perform since the beginning of my career, so it’s exciting to finally be able to give audiences a taste of my full-band live performance, as they might see me perform at my festival, Sokah Origins,” she said.

Saturday Night LIVE! is making its return to the Howard Theatre after a seven-year hiatus. The concert series, which has previously featured soca heavyweights like Kes and Machel Montano, aims to re-establish itself as Washington, D.C.’s premier Caribbean live performance platform for soca, reggae, and afrobeats, according to organizer Arthur Griffith.

This event follows the announcement of Nailah's upcoming sophomore album "Born A Diamond (B.A.D.)", set for release this summer via Philadelphia-based Big Money Records. The project will feature collaborations with artists like Shenseea and Sadboi, among others.

Fresh off a high-energy Trinidad & Tobago Carnival season, where she performed up to six times a night—Nailah is gearing up for a packed spring and summer. Her schedule includes shows across the Caribbean and North America, including a performance in Jamaica's Carnival on April 26 at BZR Weekend and a historic debut at Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic (May 31–June 1), where she’ll be the first soca artist to perform in the festival’s 18-year history.