(Trinidad Guardian) Guyana’s Terry Gajraj, who has dominated the Guya-nese music scene for the past 30 years, has been selected as the ‘WildCard’ for bmobile’s Chutney Soca Monarch (CSM) 30th Anniversary Show.
Terry Gajraj is on a chutney soca collaboration with the foreign-based Mau Bros, and an official statement from CSM owner, Southex, confirmed yesterday that they both will now go straight to the Grand Final, where they will compete for the big prizes.
“As the selected ‘Wildcard’,” Southex explained, “they [Terry Gajraj and Mau Bros] will enjoy free travel to Trinidad courtesy Caribbean Airlines, and free hotel accommodation courtesy Paria Suites Hotel & Convention Centre.”
“They will also be guaranteed the minimum appearance fee of TTD$30K at the Grand Final. They are also eligible to win the first prize of TTD$400K,” Southex said.
The ’WildCard’ option was introduced in 2024 and gives foreign based acts the opportunity to compete at the annual CSM by going straight to the Final of the annual event.
The Semi Final round of this event features 34 of the top artistes in the Chutney Soca industry who will now be vying for one of the remaining eight places at the Grand Final, as Rick Ramoutar will defend his crown on Saturday 1st March at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
The Semi Final also features some of the biggest names in the industry such as Machel Montano, the King of Soca and the 9-time CSM champion, Rikki Jai.
Both the Semi Final and The Grand Final are free to the public.