By Jared Liddell

Many talented individuals have been entering the local entertainment scene, making a splash with their music and increasingly becoming household names, and this is no different for Relon Sumner. The eighteen-year-old made his debut in February this year on the soca scene when he won the coveted title of Jr. Soca Monarch.
Sumner gave an insight into his music journey prior to winning the competition. He stated that he always had a love for music, and for performing and entertaining.
Sumner, who hails from the mining town of Linden, is visually impaired. He told ‘The Buzz’ that he has been singing for five years and had no fear entering the competition. Neither did he doubt his ability to take the title.

He said he feels great knowing that he won, since this was the very first time he’d tried singing a soca song. It was also his very first time entering the competition.
The teenager added that in previous years, he wanted to enter but it wasn’t until 2019 that he decided to officially be a part of the competition. He explained that the feeling he had after winning the competition was exhilarating.

“I felt good, I was happy to be a part of the competition, I was happy to win, because I used to be at home watching soca monarch for a few years, every year saying I want to be there. And to go into the competition for the first time and win it is something great.”

Sumner stated that since the competition ended and the COVID pandemic began his music drive has slowed down. He stated however that the pandemic has not stopped him from making music, disclosing that he has already released a single, “School is out” with his brother.

He added that he has been at home using this time to perfect his craft.
Sumner said that following his dream of music was not simple, but he was able to overcome the hurdles.
He told the Buzz that while he won the Jr. Soca Monarch title, he sees himself more as a dancehall artiste, but knows that he possess the skills to be versatile enough to be a part of multiple categories of music production.

Additionally, the support he gets from his fans motivates him to push through and work to create more and better music. “The support from the day I started out and people noticed me, the support has been great, real great and the energy that they gave off is what I feed off.”