There is one week to go for the semi-finals of the 2014 Soca Monarch Competition, where 18 artistes will be contending for a place in the final to come up against reigning Monarch Jumo Primo. Last week, The Scene featured 9 of the competitors. This week, we introduce the other nine as well as Jumo.
Jumo Primo
Though he will not be competing in the semi-finals next week, Jumo Primo is already prepped to regain his title for the third consecutive year later this month at the National Park.
His song “On the Road” is all about expression and fun. “We all know that it’s once a year that Mash is here and we all look out to being on the road; me, myself as an artiste, there’s no place like the road. You get to meet the fans and see the costumes and it’s that one time you can get a wine without any problems; you can pass and get a drink just so. It don’t matter what’s your race or what, you can get a good time; even the foreigners. It’s a time for expressing yourself…we taking the road and we going insane!”
Jumo admitted that there are some good songs this year but he is certain that he will be able to overpower them with his energy. “I’m going to go there and perform like it’s my last performance. Everyone knows that I’m the Energy God.
I want my fans to come out and support!” he exclaimed.
And for the ladies, Jumo has some special advice: “Ladies if you have any head-ties, come out and wave them. Don’t come with no heels; come with flats so you can come and behave bad!”
Johnathan ‘Lil Red’ King
Though he is the youngest competitor in this year’s Soca Monarch competition, this 20-year-old firecracker is determined to show that he is ready to take on the older, more experienced artistes and take it all this year. When Johnathan ‘Lil Red’ King was contacted by The Scene he was at work in the studio on another song. His song, “Who We Are” was written as a song for Guyanese people to show who they are. “Each and every one of us that is a part of the Mash celebration is beautiful…if it wasn’t for everyone’s input into the celebration then it wouldn’t be the beautiful celebration it is,” he said.
When asked about his odds this year he expressed optimism, stating that he is confident about his song that took him about a year to write. “This is my third time in the competition and I wanted to create the type of song that’s the winning song. I designed this song for this competition to have a message, to have a meaning, to have the vibes.”
On the night of the semi-finals next week Lil Red is planning on giving an electrifying performance. “I think this year is going to be my year. So after the competition it’ll go to the next level,” he promised.
Quacy ‘Avalanche’ Coates
Fearless and rallying hard, second-timer Quacy ‘Avalanche’ Coates will be calling on the soca lovers to join his Spartan army.
His song “Spartan” is based on the Spartan army, one of the most feared armies in history; juxtaposing Guyanese and Spar-tans, he said that Guyanese are fearless and relentless.
His song is a change from all of his previous songs; “This year I decided to change it up a bit and come different. This is my first power soca and it’s sounding real, real good. I feel I have a good chance of copping a position.”
As part of his side job as a DJ, he’s heard the songs of all of the competitors in this year’s competition. Though confident in his song, Avalanche emphasized that he underestimates no one. However, he is not nervous. “This is something I’m used to; it’s right up my backyard. Every artiste gets a little chill before they start but once they get out there, everything goes well. Whether I win or lose, I’m a Spartan so I’ll keep coming until I see fit to take a rest.”
Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts
Veteran Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts will make her sixth appearance at the Soca Monarch competition next week in Berbice. According to Vanilla, her song focuses on the way people never gravitate towards positive music as much as they do to other songs; “So ‘Yada Yada’ basically means nonsense,” she said.
Vanilla shared that her approach this year to the competition is laidback. “Usually I’m very serious and plan everything to a tee, but this year for me I’m just yada yada’ing.”
However, despite her lax attitude everything seems to be working out quite well. “The Heat Wave band is doing really well during practice. They usually do a good job but this time around they’re even better.”
Though the songstress had placed second twice, she is confident that this year her song will give her the push she needs to make it all the way to the top. The song was written by Wilbur ‘B52’ Levans, Burchmore Simon and Vanilla herself while the track was done by Studio 51 in St Lucia and produced by Simon.
“Over the years I’ve found what my weaknesses are and I’m working on it.” she said. “I’m very confident about making it to the finals; this year I’m performing in my hometown Berbice and I expect to have fun with the people; I’m really going there to have fun with my people.”
Kemmyanna ‘Kemmy’ Garnett
Hailing from Berbice, living in Linden, and staying in Plaisance, Kemmyanna ‘Kemmy’ Garnett is hoping she garners support from around the country during her first time in the Soca Monarch competition.
Though she has performed in competitions before and had confidence in herself, Kemmy had only decided to enter the competition after she was approached by producer Burchmore Simon. The producer, who also wrote her entry “Designated Winer”, urged her to attempt to be the next soca monarch after witnessing her talent.
She shared that initially she had not been enthusiastic about her song; “When I received the song, I was a bit uncertain at first because I didn’t know what to do. One day I decided to sit down and work on it and when I got in the studio and worked on it, it was the bomb! Well, it IS the bomb. So I’m very happy about it.”
Her preparations for next week are coming along well she said. However, there are still some fine tunings left. “I gotta work on the designated wine which is the best part! They [the audience] can expect a newcomer with a whole lot! Vocals with the designated wine; they can expect the full package.”
Colbert ‘Magga Man’ Dublin
Coming this year with a power soca, Colbert ‘Magga Man’ Dublin hopes that his second entry into the competition will see him as the victor.
He is confident that his entry “Log on Pun a Bumpa” will let people know that “Magga’s back”. The song was written from his observations of how “Guyanese like to get on bad”. He also stated that, “everything about the bumpa so I decided to write on it.”
After hearing the other songs he is sure that he will make it through to the finals. However, he is still prepared for disappointments. “Soca is our thing so I’ll never stop doing it, whatever the results.”
Ivelaw Maxwell
If there were a prize for ingenuity, Ivlaw Maxwell’s song “Iron Supplier” would most likely be the winner.
The second-time entrant, a rigger, works with a construction company and is one of the persons responsible for dumping materials at the Haags Bosch Landfill in Eccles. One day, while dumping items, he was approached by two girls who asked if he had anything that they needed. He replied no, explaining that there were only wood and pieces of scrap. In response, they lamented that those items couldn’t be sold; they needed iron. It was not until much later, during reflection, that it clicked and his song was born.
Maxwell plans on surprising not only the other competitors but also his fans.
“I have a lot of things in mind…I want them to be surprised so I’m not really releasing anything for the moment. I just want them to expect something good out of me. It’ll be a good show,” he said.
He is confident that his song will be well-received; “I have a chance in winning; I have a nice song and it has a good storyline. There are many other songs that I enjoy in the competition too… It’s all about a challenge; may the best person win.”
Orlando ‘Bones Man’ Johashen
From 2007 to 2013, Orlando ‘Bones Man’ Johashen had been a familiar face in the Soca Monarch Competition and this year will be no exception.
The veteran says he keeps entering for the “love of it” and as a way to give back to the country. “It’s Mashramai and it’s my way of giving back to Guyana. Over the past years I have developed a fan base and I know that they look forward to what I will do,” he said.
His song “Blow” is an attempt at social commentary; it focuses on the prevalent issue of infidelity and its link to domestic violence. “It’s happening; it’s something we can’t run away from. It’s been around since the creation of time and it’s something that’s damaging our human fabric and our social fabric,” he said. “It’s time to put away the rag and flags. We don’t want to just have a competition where one person is waving a flag and the other is jumping up and down. This song is my way of disowning domestic violence; in it I encourage people to walk away…because, ever so often we find people getting killed.”
Johashen, who originates from Tempe Village on the West Coast Berbice, has heard several of the competition’s songs and will be underestimating no one.
Compton ‘Mysterious’ Boyce
Fourth time entrant Compton ‘Mysterious’ Boyce will have the audience reeling when he comes this time with different energy vibes. His song “Spin Dem” was a moment of epiphany for him. “I came up with it right in the studio. I was working on two other songs but I wanted to enter into the competition and the idea of spin dem popped out of nowhere,” he said. Though he wrote the song, the track was created by his cousin and co-founder of the Fire Clan Spyda Man.
Boyce thinks he has a good chance of bagging the crown this year. “It’s a pretty good song with good vibes. It’s a real good bacchanal song! From listening to the other songs, I think I fit in the top three contenders. This year there aren’t a lot of power socas so I wanna capitalize on that.”
Shelon ‘Shelly G’ Garraway
Returning after a long hiatus, Shelon ‘Shelly G’ Garraway is confident that she can make it into the final.
This year will be her fifth entry into the competition and she feels her song “Party Animal/Give it To Me” is the best suited for the party mood of soca. Shelly G said she had missed the competition. “I came back because of people and my fans telling me that they want me back. So I’m just going out there and have fun.”
Her song, which she said is different from the other entries this year because it adds an African element, was produced in Trinidad but written by songstress herself. “African beat is kinda in right now so I wanted to do something different and suiting.”
She believes the songs this year are good. But says, “I’m not worried about any song, because I’m just going to have fun.”
Though she’s tightlipped about her performance next week, she promised that it will be memorable. “I can’t let the cat out of the bag but it’s going to be epic!”
