Yogi the Producer: How a Small Island Fuelled Big Dreams and Grammy-Worthy Lessons

The West boasts countless rags-to-riches tales, but in the Caribbean, stories unfold differently—more like triumphs over insurmountable odds. These are journeys from obscurity, marked by resilience and an unyielding spirit. When a person from the tiny Antilles islands achieves global acclaim—like Saint Lucian, Yogi the Producer receiving his first Grammy nod—it is often a story packed with priceless lessons. Yogi, 35, has been working on his craft for years. His first Grammy nomination came on November 8, 2024, for his credits on Chris Brown’s Run Away featuring Bryson Tiller. The song appears on Brown’s deluxe 11:11 project, which was Grammy-nominated in the Best R&B Album category. In the living room of a villa perched in the hills of Goodlands, Castries, Yogi – whose given name is Johann Deterville – brought St Lucia Times into his world, pulling back the curtain to unveil the formula that propelled him to triumph in a competitive industry. Lesson #1: Take the Leap—”Just Go Do It” It all started in Anse Le Raye, where he grew up. Yogi’s mother, popular musician Petronilla Deterville, nurtured his interest in music as a child all the way through to secondary school, albeit at times having to resuscitate her...