BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NINE contestants have now moved on to the Calypso Finals in Dominica scheduled for Saturday, February 13.
A total of 20 calypsonians competed on Saturday (Jan. 30) with the hope of making it on final night against the reigning Monarch, Lord Karessah and an EC$20 000 purse.
The nine Finalists and their songs are Dave ‘Soul Puss’ Pascal (Respect of A People), Davidson ‘Observer’ Victor (The Next Level), Chester ‘Daddy Chess’ Letang (Fly Your Kite), Marja ‘Lady Star’ Jeffers (Rights and Responsibilities), Cecil ‘Checker’ Burnette (Deviance), Daryl ‘The Bobb’ Bobb (Fugitives), Tasha ‘Tasha P’ Peltier (He’s A Boy), Murphy ‘Sye’ Jno Jules (Doctor Finger) and Joey ‘Explosion’ Lloyd (Grace, Mercy and Peace).
According to Ian Jackson, Dominica Calypso Association Public Relations Officer, the Semi-Finals went well and those who attended were pleased with the results.
“The show lived up to expectations and everything went well. People have been calling the radio stations expressing how pleased they are with the results,” he said.
Jackson said now that the Semi-Finals are over, the Finalists would release their second songs and have as many rehearsals as possible in the two calypso tents.
There are three newcomers to the Finals - Tasha P, Explosion and Soul Puss.
DBS Radio, the station that had earlier banned Sye’s song, ‘Dr, Fingers’, refused to give it airtime during live broadcast of the Semi-Finals. Sye has also made it to the Finals.
“The radio station that brought the Semi-Finals live did not broadcast Sye’s performance; instead they ran commercials while he sang. Up to now they will not play the song. They say it’s defamatory to air; however, the calypsonian added another verse to the song during the Semi-Finals talking about the banning of his song on the radio and that certainly catapulted him into the Finals,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the reigning Monarch would sing about the recent tragedy in Haiti, and his second song would be titled ‘Dog Race’.
