BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SINCE his official introduction as the Constituency Number Three candidate for the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, fans of Konris ‘King Konris’ Maynard have launched an inquisition into whether or not he would be defending his crown as the Sugar Mas’ 41 Calypso Monarch.
More than a month ago, rumours were confirmed when the SKNLP declared to the electorate that King Konris would be contesting the seat against former Deputy Leader and former member of the SKNLP, the Hon. Sam Condor.
In gleaning from calypso pundits and other individuals who have a profound appreciation for the King’s body of work over the past eight years, it is clear that while some could not wait for him to release his songs for Sugar Mas’ 42, there are those who would prefer if he foregoes defending his crown be more focused on his political aspirations.
But, ultimately, the decision to defend or not defend rests with the King himself.
The winner of six local Calypso Monarch crowns, King Konris was interviewed by this publication and asked if he is mindful of defending his crown.
“I still have some time to decide on whether or not I will compete. But whether or not I compete, I will try to make some sort of a contribution…I think I have a pretty good idea of what I am going to do. I still have some time before I make that announcement. The fan base would love nothing more than to see me sing and perform, so they have been asking me to ensure that that happens. Whether or not that would take the form of a competition is left to be seen.”
The calypsonian intimated that his entry into active politics plays “a significant role” in whether or not he competes, and although he did not reveal his decision to sing or not, his comments are very insinuative.
“That has a significant role to play because I’ve now taken on a different path or avenue which has all sorts of implications etc. and…maybe it is best if those two things are kept separate because we are very anxious when it comes to our calypso and bacchanal and all manner of things can be said and insinuated and so on. So it might be best for me to keep those two things separate at the moment because we are in an election season and we do not know when an election can be called. I think at this point it might be best to keep them separate.”
He said it is not unheard of for “a budding calypsonian on the brink of an election season to compete in a calypso competition (and) even if “I don’t compete, I think my fans would understand because of the decision that I have taken to contribute at a higher level”.
Regarding the Soca Monarch Competition, King Konris informed that he would not be competing this year.
He won that competition in 2010 but did not see success in 2011 and refrained from competing last year.
