…15 to vie for $3.2M

AFTER a two-year hiatus, Trinidad and Tobago’s conglomerate ANSA McAl and the Government of Guyana will for the first time collaborate in a $12.5M venture to host the 2018 Carib Soca Monarch Competition.
The competition will now come under the control of the Central Mashramani Committee, with the company as the event’s main sponsor, which they will promote under their Carib brand.

At a media conference on Monday hosted by the Ministry of Social Cohesion, it was revealed that out of the 18 individuals who entered, there are currently 15 selected semi-finalists, comprising 11 newcomers and three overseas-based participants who are either Guyanese-born or whose parents are of Guyanese heritage. Present at the news briefing were Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth, and Sport, George Norton; Mashramani Coordinator, Andrew Tyndall; Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain; Permanent Secretary at the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, Melissa Tucker; Brands Coordinator at ANSA McAL, Nigel Worrel and Brand Manager for Carib Brand, Sean Abel.

For many years, the Soca Monarch Competition has been a major part of Guyana’s Mashramani celebrations and is an opportunity for the showcasing of local talent, says Minister Norton. “Music is the bloodline of the Mashramani festival; as such the Ministry is pleased to be reintroducing the Soca Monarch Competition to its schedule of activities. “We believe that the competition also provides an opportunity for our artistes to showcase their talent and contribute to the development of our creative industries,” Norton told the media.
The winner of the 2018 Carib Soca Monarch Competition will walk away with a whopping $1.5M in prize money; second place, $750,000; third place, $500, 000 and fourth place, $250,000.

Along with all winners receiving trophies, there will also be a Best New Comer prize of $100, 000 and the government is currently working on including a People’s Choice Award which will also see the winner taking away $100,000 in cash prize. At the briefing, Minister Norton appealed to Disc Jockeys (DJs) to play more of the the soca monarch competitors’ music on the radio in order to expose the public to the finalists and what they bring to the competition.

“I want to encourage our deejays and radio personalities to play our soca music and promote our artistes, as we all contribute to ensuring that Mashramani is a resounding success,” Norton encouraged.

The competition itself will take on two stages: the semi-finals which will be hosted at the Linden-Georgetown Municipal Bus Park on the 10th, February, and the finals which will be held at Durban Park on the 17th, February. Both of the shows will begin at 20:00hrs, but persons will receive free admissions to the semi-finals while at the finals, attending guests would be expected to pay a small fee.
The semi-finalists vying for this year’s win are:
* Alisha “Sasha Melody” Hamid – Love Off Meh
* Brandon Harding – Alive
* Colwin “Lil Colwin” Blair – Leave Me Alone
* Colwyn “Soca Cwyn” Abrams – Soca Rage
* Delon “Soca Del” Azore – Take A Bounce
* Diana Chapman – Get Ready
* Jonathan “Lil Red” King – Water, Paint & Powder
* Keron “Norek Mas” Sam – Power Soca
* Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts – We Run Things
* Quacy “Avalanche” Coates – Life
* Roger “Young Bill Rogers” Hinds – De Money Power Dance
* Roshauna Fraser – Show Me
* Samantha Grant – Ah Playing Mas
* Shellon “Fluffy” Gally – Bam Bam
* Stanton “Cardiac” Lewis – Welcome Guyana

In previous years, some of the winners of the competition have been: Jumo Primo in 2015 and Kwesi ‘Ace’ Edmondson in 2014.

Norton also gave an update on the Children’s Mash Competition, saying that his ministry will be doing its best to work in the interest of the children by avoiding previous mistakes. “We will look back to see where we can enjoy some improvement and make every effort to make certain that we don’t go making the mistakes that we made before,” Norton stated, adding: “Always taking into consideration the fact that they’re kids and while we want them to participate, we want them to enjoy their participation.”
Mashramani Coordinator, Andrew Tyndall, says the Junior Soca and Calypso competitions are set for February 3rd and persons can expect more information on the competition appearing in the media.