Confident, bold, and with promises of surprises, a fireman, two party boys, a singer recently returned from the fashion world, and a wall breaker are some of the persons hoping to be crowned king (or queen) of Soca this year. Hyped and passionate, they all plan to dethrone current Soca King, Malo, handing him some formidable competition. With each one predicting his or her triumph, this should be a close one to call.
The Scene’s Gaulbert Sutherland and Zoisa Fraser spoke to some of the competitors including current Soca Overlord Malo recently.
Marlon Webster aka Malo
Reigning Soca Monarch, Malo is confident that he will retain his title. For him this year is all about celebration and this is exactly what he intends to sing about. The song “Celebration” speaks of what goes on during Mash time. Malo who has taken part in the competition since it began back in 2002, in a recent interview with The Scene said he believes he will retain the crown since his popularity has grown. Asked if he was excited about the competition, he replied in the negative stressing that it would just be like another performance for him.
Nevertheless, he believes there is reason for “Celebration” and sings:
Push yo flag up and swing
Behave mad, just do yo thing
Do what yo feel like now (x2)
All year round we working hard
Morn till dawn, yo must tired
Do what yo feel like now (x2)
Raise your leg and turn around
Stamp yo feet them on de ground
Do what yo feel like now (x2)
Start de waistline wukin up
Don’t watch face, just wuk it up
Put yoself in de gear
Express yoself anywhere
Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts
Maybe it’s the low, sultry voice used to good effect, but should Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts belt out her song in the same voice with which she spoke to us then she has a strong chance of winning.
She believes this too and giving herself a strong rating (9 out of 10), the 25-year-old “committed” woman is only too ready to take on all comers. Hoping to smash through all hurdles with “Breaking Down the Walls”, a Burchmore Simon composition, which she explained is about the barriers that are hindering Guyana’s development, this is the second time Vanilla is entering the Soca Monarch competition.
Her first foray into the competition was last year and she candidly confessed to The Scene that it was just a reconnaissance mission, just to get the experience but “this year is all about performing to get the crown”. Watch out fellows, she has “a good feeling about this”. Last year’s winner of the Road March competition is ready to break down some walls with her song:
Break down the walls (x2)
What divides us, can’t unite us,
Please hear my voice, join me and sing,
Break down the walls,
Break down the walls, my brother,
Break down the walls,
Break down the walls, my sister,
Break it down (x3).
The Georgetown resident, who endearingly clings to her Hopetown, Berbice roots has her eyes focused on the prize. She is working on three new songs which will be released early next month in addition to a video.
Vanilla promises surprises, which we can hardly wait to see, and assures us that no one would be disappointed. A “realistic” woman, she knows too the sacrifice that goes into staging the competition and offered, “big respect to Carib for what they are doing for the artistes and for the entertainment scene” and notes that her sponsor Banks DIH is “very supportive”. But will all the support catapult her to the crown? She is confident it would.
Wilbur ‘Lil Man’ Levans
The signs are there. He comes from a pedigreed background and if everything goes as he feels it should, a supremely confident Wilbur ‘Lil Man’ Levans would finally reach the top of the ladder.
Not that the fireman has not covered the top rung of other ladders before. He has, but this particular one has eluded him and he is confident that he will hoist himself up to the top this year. With his grandfather and father both musicians; he started out in the art form since he was in short pants.
The self-confident Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara resident exudes his belief that he will win so much that you cannot help but believe his promise to burn up the Carib Soca Monarch competition this year. Not to worry though, he is a fireman and has experience in putting out real fires. But he wants this fire to burn.
He says that “Fiah Man”, his entry for this year’s competition is to “light the fire under the people” to support local musicians. The artist feels that for far too long, local art forms such as masquerade are dying because of the lack of support.
Dubbing himself the Chief Fire Officer, he sings:
This is the fiah man,
Lil Man, the fiah man,
This is the fiah man,
Fire burning through the land,
Lil man the fiah man,
This is the fire man,
Keep the fire blazing,
I want alyuh to understand.
With his third place in the 2006 competition and second place last year, is it inevitable that the crown is his this year? Lil Man certainly feels so and admits that there is “a little pressure” on him. Fans of his will look forward to his forthcoming first album, which he is working on. For the competition, he promises a surprise in addition to a performance out of this world. Very confident “I must consider myself one of the big ones”; the self-described “country-fellow” is eagerly anticipating the finals and what could be the realization of his dream.
Carlos `Lucky B’ Williams
After making a decision to take a break from singing and take up fashion designing, Carlos ‘Lucky B’ Williams has returned to the industry he loves so much with a bang. Lucky B has taken part in the Soca Monarch competition every year since its 2002 debut and this year his fans will be entertained with a tune entitled “Return of the King”. He explained to The Scene that the song is all about him coming out of retirement to please his fans who love him and want to hear his music once again. Lucky B stressed that his focus is not on the judges but rather the fans. Asked about winning this time around, he said that once he gets good sponsorship he will come out on top. According to him, since its existence, the competition has been unfair due to sponsorship. He explained that all the artistes don’t get equal sponsorship and that is needed for a good production.
Lucky B’s comeback song goes like this:
I decided to retire because of
the politics in de music business
But the people keep on bawlin’
for more Lucky B
We want Lucky B
So I come out of retirement
just to please my fans
Lucky B flag
Lucky B rag (x4)
Roger Bowen
His performance is something that will have to be seen to be believed. And not because we have seen this newcomer to the Soca Monarch competition in action, but because he promises something astonishing. He assured The Scene that he knows what he will be doing but cautions that this should not be done at home.
Roger Bowen, the brash self-described “upcoming star” certainly thinks he has a winning song with “In de Air”. He said that his piece was composed in the light of people partying to other music but hardly any Soca and this is a call for them to party to this genre. While the 20-year-old Pearl, East Bank Demerara resident is a greenhorn to the Soca Monarch competition, he is not a novice as he has been singing with the Mischievous Guys band for the past two years. He is confident, “I could beat almost anybody” and thinks his chance of winning is “very high”. The chorus of “In de Air” goes like this:
Put de rags in de air, flags in de air,
Jump up high, leh we get on bad,
Is Mash and we don’t care,
Rags in de air, flags in de air,
We coming big and bad
so just give we de way
He promises that fans will be hearing a lot more from him and revealed that he is currently working on new songs. The confessed excitement-loving “person who likes a lot of action” said that he is hoping to move back to the city. While he thinks current Soca monarch, Malo is “very good”, he says “but I am a newcomer and I gon surprise people”. And meantime, the people will be waiting.
Yannick ‘Nick Knock’ Wade
A beginner in the professional music scene, 20-year-old Yannick ‘Nick Knock’ Wade feels that his greatest competition is himself. He is looking to “sweat out” fans with his composition “Wet Inside de Fete”, which he says is more or less about people having a great time partying.
Unwilling to express his thoughts on his potential to grab the crown, the Georgetown resident would only coyly say that “it’s good to be confident”. A first-timer also to the Soca Monarch Competition, Nick Knock said that only he could put himself down.
The aspiring aeronautical engineer said his friends and girlfriend pushed him to enter the competition. The chorus to his song goes like this:
Soaking wet inside ah de fete, inna de dance
Don’t fuss and fret,
No, we will not be going home,
We’ll party some more inside ah de fete,
Soaking wet inside ah de fete, inna de dance,
No, we not going home, we party some more, dripping with sweat.
The song was the first he ever recorded and he is grateful for the support of the Brutal Traxx band. Wade said he would be producing more music. And what does he thing of current king, Malo? “Alright” and an “enthusiastic guy”, was his assessment. He refused to be drawn into stating whether he can overpower the king to take the crown. As he himself stated, only at the end of the competition, would that be revealed.
