KROSS Kolor Records has, over the past fourteen years, always contributed to the success of Mashramani festivities in a grand way, especially in the area of music and the participation of its artistes in the various competitions.

And Burchmore Simon, CEO of Kross Kolor Records, says Mash is seen as the festival that provides excellent opportunities for artistes to express their creativity through the platforms of the Carib Soca Monarch, the Children’s Junior and Senior Calypso Monarchs, the Chutney Monarch, and the Road March competition. Additionally, the annual float parade provides opportunities for costume bands to utilise Guyanese music on the road, thus giving some songs an additional avenue to gain popularity.

Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts, last year’s reigning Road March Queen and four-time winner of this competition, entered the fray in 2015, gunning for the Carib Soca Monarch title and hoping to retain her road March Crown with her song ‘Massive’.

Another member of the team, Adrian Dutchin, three-time Carib Soca Monarch winner and seven-time Road March King, came as strong as ever with his song ‘592 Possee’.

Kemmyanna Grant also made her second appearance on the team with the song ‘One for my Country’. ‘Kemmy’, as she is more popularly known, won the best newcomer prize last year for her performance of ‘Designated Wina’.

She, too, had posed a challenge for the other contestants as well as her team members in the Carib Soca Monarch and the Road March competitions.

Making their first appearance on the Kross Kolor team also were Diana Chapman and T’Shanna Cort, both former participants in the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition. Diana, former Junior Calypso Monarch, performed ‘No Politics in Calypso’, and her objective was to capture the crown ahead of the veteran calypsonians. She had refined her craft down to a science in this undertaking.

T’Shanna participated in the Junior Calypso Monarch by performing the song ‘Ansa Me’, for which she placed third. She has her eyes set on stealing the monarchy in this arena next year.

Mr Burchmore Simon is predicting that T’Shanna will become one of the brighter shining stars in calypso in the very near future.

Kross Kolor Records hereby extends its sincerest wishes to this team for every success in the future.

By Alex Wayne