The steelpan is making a comeback nearly a century after its creation as a new generation embraces its bright and melodious sound, both on stage and on the dance floor.

Fans of the instrument created in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939 say new technology has made the steelpan more accessible and affordable, and a growing number of schools are introducing students to it.

Its lilting sound brings images of the Caribbean to mind, but until recently, it was the kind of music that attracted mostly elderly people.

“That has been changing rapidly,” said Amrit Samaroo, son of Jit Samaroo, a legendary steelpan music arranger, player and composer.

The steelpan — or pan, for short — is “sexy again,” he told The Associated Press on a recent afternoon as he sat in the living room of his family’s home surrounded by a piano, a tenor steelpan and photos of his father.

Amrit Samaroo leads Trinidad and Tobago’s Supernovas Steel Orchestra, a large and popular steelband, and he has seen the recent demographic change.

Social media also is embracing the instrument, with fans playing everything from pop songs to reggae on steelpans.

“It’s good to have that type of recognizable material played on the instrument,” Samaroo said. “It’s a nice space we are in right now.”

Pannists, who play the instrument, boast about the steelpan being able to belt out any genre of music.

Add the influence of whatever is trending, and you get an instrument that’s growing its fanbase at a rapid pace.

“Pan is an out-of-body experience, that’s the best way I can describe it,” said 17-year-old student Jael Grant.

She has been playing since age 5 and is now a member of the Exodus Steel Orchestra in east Trinidad, a band that her grandfather has supported for decades.

On a recent Saturday morning at the home of the Exodus Steel Orchestra in east Trinidad, musicians were setting up a classroom known as a “panyard.” ("panyard" is the name for home of a steelband, not the class)

Here, children as young as 5 are learning to play the steelpan as they prepare for an upcoming Christmas concert.

The students are learning from the best, since Exodus is the reigning champ of Panorama, the twin-island nation’s premiere national pan competition held annually during carnival.

The steelpan was born out of rebellion and resilience.

After slaves in Trinidad and Tobago were emancipated in the 1830s, there was a revolt, prompting authorities to ban the playing of percussion, string and woodwind instruments during carnival celebrations.

But former slaves would not be silenced, and that led them to discover the hidden musical instrument in discarded oil drums.

“Really, a spirit of a people…went into this and came out, from African roots to now global acceptance,” Amrit Samaroo said.

Steelpan manufacturers no longer have to wait for discarded drums to make the pan, which was officially recognized as the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago in July 2024.

Technology is changing how the instrument is made, which is contributing to its revival.

At Panland, a local company that’s been making the steelpan for over 30 years, workers say a steelpan can now be made in a 9-to-5 shift with the help of power tools, a powerful flame-thrower and mobile apps.

Previously, it could take more than a month to make a single steelpan.

Panland produces steelpans that are more affordable and durable because of a powder coating they apply, according to company president Michael Cooper.

The steelpan has recently received more formal recognition. Earlier this year, the government of the twin-island republic changed the country’s coat of arms by replacing Christopher Columbus’ three ships with a steelpan.

And, World Steelpan Day is now celebrated annually on August 11, following a proclamation by the United Nations.

An instrument that only men used to be allowed to play, it has now been picked up by countless women in Trinidad and Tobago.

“It’s been a lovely experience,” Grant, the student, said. “You don’t just hear the pan or play the pan, you…feel the music in your body.”

AP Video shot by Anselm Gibbs

Produced by Cristiana Mesquita