BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THIS year’s National Carnival Calypso Monarch Competition is shaping up to be an intense one and it is possible that the reigning Monarch, King Astro, could snag the crown for the third consecutive year. But with other competitors promising to bring their A game, it is impossible to say in whose favour the pendulum will swing.
Seven calypsonians will sound off against King Astro next week Thursday (Dec 29) at Carnival Village.
While indicating that he has no claim on the title, King Astro insisted that in entering the competition he is confident that his material is sound and he could deliver like only he can.
“My confidence level is extremely high. I have great confidence in the material that I’ve put out. Practice was not going as well as it should have, but other than that I am extremely confident that what happened two years ago would repeat itself.”
His competition pieces – which were written by Creighton Pencheon – are ‘Calypso Crisis’ and ‘Maturity’.
The first “speaks about the condition that I feel calypso is in right now, especially in Nevis where we are struggling to find a good complement of calypsonians to take part during this year. St. Kitts is much better in a sense. I based it on some factors like people not getting the proper writers to help them. The committees themselves seem to be more leaning towards Soca as opposed to Calypso. So I used that as some of the reasons why Calypso is not doing as well as it should over the past couple of years”.
The King explained that the second song addresses his view that the people of the land are – relative to politics – mentally immature.
“Maturity speaks to the thinking of our people politically, where even though we see leaps in infrastructure and things like that, mentally I am not certain that our people are that mature because of their behaviour.”
Participating in the National Carnival Calypso Monarch Competition for the past nine years, the tide did not begin to turn in King Astro’s favour until 2014 when he won the crown. And he repeated it in 2015.
The seven-crown holder said he is ready for the final night showdown and promised his fans a performance that only he could give.
“I am always prepared one way or another. If it is going to be good on the night, it is going to be good on the night. What I can say is that I will give it my best shot and at the end of the night whatever the decision is I am quite comfortable with it. I don’t claim to have ownership on anything. I just go and take part and hope that the judges would find favour in my performance. I am going to bring my A game and that is all that I can bring. And when the dust is settled, one way or the other, I’m willing to accept whatever.
“I will give a complete package of everything. Good props, good presentation, good delivery on the night of the show. And come expecting what you have seen from King Astro over the last two years in St. Kitts, especially since the last two years.”
King Astro holds four Culturama crowns, two National Carnival crowns and one Farm King crown, while admitting that there were times when he was discouraged during his 20-year career. But he explained that the special relationship he holds with his fans has encouraged him and kept him going.
“You have to have a love and a passion for what you are doing. And to me, a major part of singing calypso is the fun part.…enjoying myself and making sure that the fans are given their money’s worth. They drive me and they always motivate me. They always tell me that the results don’t define me.
“It was difficult in the early years when I started in Nevis. There was a point in time when discouragement was creeping in, but then the fans keep me going. And besides that, I do love what I do. I love the final night. The production art of it is very challenging but the final night is what gives me the thrill.”
Will King Astro be able to pull off a hat trick in capturing the crown? We wait for time to tell!
