Ten first-time entrants have made the cut and will be among the 18 singers seeking to take home the $1.5 million first prize and the title of Carib Soca Monarch.
At a press conference yesterday, at the Ansa McAl boardroom at Industrial Site, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, Public Relations Officer Darshanie Yusuff said that 18 semifinalists had been selected from the 33 entries received for the competition. The semifinal is scheduled to be held on February 4 at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in Linden.
She said too that the second prize is $500,000 and the singer who places third will receive $250,000. Also, the highest-rating newcomer will receive a cash prize of $100,000 while all singers performing at the semifinal and final will receive an appearance fee, which is yet to be determined.
Competing in this year’s competition are: two-time former monarch Adrian Dutchin singing “I am a Guyanese”; Dutchin’s X2 partner and winner of the Banks Groovy Soca monarch, Jumo Primo singing “One People”; veteran soca singer Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts with “Rage”; Wilbur ‘B52’ Levans with “Highly Flammable”; Roger ‘Young Bill Rogers’ Hinds with “Behind a Band”; Rudolph ‘Sweet Kendingo’ Kendall, “We Going til Morning”; Roger Bowen with “Fire Man”; Roger ‘Tropical’ Hassel & Colin ‘Mysterious’ Boyce with “Regardless”; Abigail ‘AJ’ James with “Breakfast”; Atiola ‘Attie’ Peters, “Whole Night”, Beverly ‘Little B’ Smith, “On de Road Again”; Christine ‘Chris T’ McKoy, “We Guyanese”; Dexter ‘Dexter D’ Lovell, “Soca Morning”, Dwayne ‘King Shepherd’ Semple, “Wine up on it”; George ‘Anthony’ Abrams, “Wine Attack”, Ivelaw ‘Granny Ivelaw’ Campbell, “African Moods”; Jonathan ‘Lil Red’ King, “Hold me Tight”; Pierre DaSilva, “Mash up de Place”.
Six competitors will be eliminated at the semifinal while the other 12 will advance to the final on February 18 at the National Park, where they will be joined by reigning monarch Orlando ‘Bonesman’ Johashen.
There was no Carib Soca Monarch last year, but Yusuff said 2012 will prove to be an exceptional year because of the selection of participants.
Competitor Banks DIH had held what it said was an “an inaugural” Groovy Soca Monarch competition in December 2010 and it was suggested that this may have stolen Ansa McAl’s thunder and contributed to it not hosting the soca monarch competition last year.
Carib Beer Brand Manager Nigel Worrell had previously said that after consecutively hosting the Carib Soca Monarch for seven years the company took a one-year break, but is returning bigger and better than ever. At the launch last December, he noted that the competition has always been about the people and Carib is doing what it can by giving back to the people not only through organized events but also culturally and through music
He added that the company has always been supportive of Mashramani and remains supportive of it and that the competitions over the years have produced top local artistes who have expanded their musical horizons both locally and internationally.
