–as Soca Monarch makes a spirited comeback

By Naomi Marshall

THE long-awaited Soca Monarch Competition is back after a two-year break, and it is being tackled by five determined Lindeners.
Amongst the 15 individuals nominated for the semi-finals are Colwyn Abrams, Colwin Blair, Diana Chapman, Brandon Harding and Shellon Gallay, who are all from the mining town of Linden.

Abrams, of Mackenzie, is a first-timer in the competition and says his song, titled ‘Soca Rage’, is about having fun and not allowing anything, “not even the elements”, to stop the fun. He said that it also focuses on equality.

But where did the urge to enter the competition come from?
“Some friends and I were talking one day, a few weeks back, and one of them said, ‘You should enter; you got what it takes,’ the 26-year-old said.
“And I thought about it a few days and entered,” he added.
Being a part of the competition was something that he’s always wanted to do.
“For me, it’s something I always wanted to do,” AB said. “And when I say I’ll do something, I’ll do it,no matter the results.”

Abrams said that for him, preparation for the semi-finals is stressful, but his focus right now is getting past that stage of the competition.
“My soca idol from Guyana is Adrian Dutchin; he’s full of energy, and can rock a stage and crowd and this is what I’ll try to mirror,” the aspiring monarch said.
Apart from the Soca Monarch Competition, the young designer will be releasing his costumes for the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council soon, and is looking at competing for the title of Road March King as well.

SUPER EXCITED
The Guyana Chronicle next spoke to Diana Chapman, and she said she is very excited about the competition, mainly because it is her very first crack at the title, and she is curious to see how things will turn out for her.
She noted that her song, titled ‘Get Ready’, sends a positive message to the public, as it is urging them to “GET READY to have fun in the party.”
“The main message in the song is once you have life, anything is possible,” Diana said, adding:
“Life is most important, so put aside all negativity and all stress, and just have fun and give thanks for life.”
Unlike Abrams, she had no plans of ever entering the competition; it was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions, she said.
“I actually decided to enter the night before the closing date for submission,” the reigning Calypso Monarch said. “So I went to the studio like 8pm that night, and we started to write the song. And we finished recording and everything by 5am the next morning.
“And I got home, typed out my lyrics and everything. And the song was finished, mixed and mastered, and sent to me before midday. So I entered the song into the competition; it was an overnight decision.”

But then again, perhaps it’s her outlook for 2018 that really motivated her to enter the competition. “I’m going full force for everything that I’ve held back on for the past years,” the 26-year-old said, adding that so far, preparations are going pretty well.
“We are all working really hard to give this my best shot. My dancers are on point, and, most definitely, the band is also doing great with the song.”

ANOTHER ‘ROOKIE’
Like Colwyn Abrams, Colwin Blair is also a first-timer, and sees it as an opportunity to be viewed from a different perspective, as for him, “It’s a big thing!”

Better known as ‘Lil Colwin’, Blair said that his composition, ‘Leave Me Alone’, is taken from the perspective of someone at a party enjoying himself, when all of a sudden he receives a call from their other half,telling him, “I think it’s time you come home.”

As Colwin explained: “They want stop yuh fun; and you telling dem, ‘Boi, don’t bother me! I deh here with a nice li’l shawty ah party!’

“Duh mean yuh partying; yuh enjoying yourself. Don’t bother me; when I in a party, don’t bother me.”

Though he’s more into reggae and dancehall, the 21-year-old said it’s to his team-mates that he looks to the most for inspiration.
“…My team, Code Red Records, J Lyrics, producer and my management team, we just push de fire and push de steam,” he said.

For him, preparation for the semis is going good, even with the challenges.
The winner of the 2018 Carib Soca Monarch Competition will walk away with a whopping $1.5M in prize money, while those in second, third and fourth places will each get $750,000, $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.

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.
The semi-final of the Soca Monarch Competition is scheduled for February 10 at the Linden-Georgetown Municipal Bus Park, commencing at 20:00hrs.