BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LAST night (Dec. 29) was chilly but the capacity crowd was kept warm by the excellent performances of every contestant, which saw Astro making history by being the first Nevisian to be crowned King of the Sugar Mas Senior Calypso Monarch Competition in the 43-year history of the event.
With the political landscape providing much fodder, the calypsonians zeroed in on topics such as corruption and social ills.
Veteran calypsonian Astro was the first contestant to grace the stage singing a politically-tainted song entitled ‘Flush It’, in which he was calling on politicians in St. Kitts and Nevis to bring an end to character assignation and mud-slinging.
Although that song can be said to be one of the masterpieces of the competition, it did not seem to have motivated most members of the audience.
But, in the second round, the multiple Culturama title holder had the crowd swaying and cheering to his ‘Carnival Therapy’, a crossover of Calypso and Soca, which suggests a possible cure for citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis suffering from stress, by participating in the various activities slated for this year’s Carnival.
These two renditions earned him 802 points and the judges’ nod to take the crown across the Narrows to Nevis.
In the First Runner-up position was former Legends Band backup singer Lady Diva with 787 points. In the first round she sang a song entitled ‘Cancer Free’ which speaks to a healthy lifestyle, while in the second round she brought attention to the influence of foreign votes – Chinese, Guyanese, Cubans, Indians, Spanish and Nigerians – in a piece she called ‘Dear Fans’.
Veteran calypsonian Socrates, who had indicated that this year would be his last competing in the National Carnival Calypso Monarch Competition, was adjudged Second Runner-up. He dished out one entitled ‘Holy War’ which highlighted the religious conflicts in the Middle East, and belted out another called ‘Socro don’t have to Sing’, both of which earned him 479 points.
He was followed by another veteran, Queenie G, who tallied 478 points singing ‘Legacy Speaks’; a song in which she told politicians that they would be judged by the legacy they left behind when not in government. Half way through that song, she had to end her performance due to a power failure that left certain sections of the venue without electricity, including the technicians. However, on resumption of power, she was given the opportunity to restart.
Her second rendition was one entitled ‘No other Being’, which hinted at the qualities of a good woman.
The other contestants were Big Lice with 756 points, defending Monarch Richie Buntin 741, Lord Kut 737 and Rudder brought up the rear with 713 points.
Speaking to the media after being crowned, Astro stated that when he picked number one as his performance slot, he was very optimistic about his chances of winning the crown even though his supporters were not too fond of his selection.
“I proved to them tonight that number one is not as difficult as people may think. I felt comfortable onstage, my band was playing what I wanted to hear and they made me feel loved and appreciated,” King Astro said.
He added that even though persons had indicated to him that it was a challenge to win the competition in St. Kitts, he had always remained optimistic about his chances.
“I come to St. Kitts to compete and win and to compete on the night of the show I will put out my best and I am expecting to win. I kept tell people this year if the atmosphere is right I can win, and that’s what I did.”
Meanwhile, Socrates was joyful in his farewell performance. He told SKNVibes that he is now going to focus on mentoring the next generation of calypsonians.
“I just went out onstage to have a good time. From the first song I laid a good foundation and the second one I followed, I sang for the judges. And my fans are happy with it...I will be mentoring from this point forward.”
According to several members of the crowd, this year’s competition was very entertaining and one of the best shows they had attended in years.
However, a number of patrons were disgruntled and many of them were heard saying: “They give it to Astro because election is near”, while the majority was pleased with judges’ decision, noting “he gave us a mixture of politics and folklore”.
The judging criteria were: Lyrics 40 points; Music 30; and Performance 30 points.
Among those in attendance were the Governor General, His Excellency Sir Edmund Lawrence; Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas; and a number of Government Ministers and officials as well as other politicians.
