Jumo Primo last Saturday night reclaimed the Soca Monarch title in the competition hosted at the National Stadium. This win has made the ‘Rubber Waist’ artiste a six-time Soca Monarch.
After losing the crown to newcomer Samuel Medas last year, Jumo came swinging full force with “Living My Life”. Though he sang he did not care what others thought about him and that he was going to live his life and not be bothered, later in his performance, he mentioned how much his loss to Samuel last year affected him, before going on to say that he deserved the title.
Rounding out the top three were Ivelaw ‘Granny Ivy’ Campbell in second place, with defending champion Samuel Medas finishing third.
Making way for competition to get underway, recording artiste Kwasi Ace backed by a group of singers got the packed crowd warmed up with a medley of Soca songs.
By the time first contestant Asiah arrived onstage, the crowd was hyped for her performance of “Wine and Jiggle It”. While the song did not have a variety of lyrics, her energetic dancers certainly had the audience going.
The next performance brought a different energy. Former Junior Calypso Monarch Tennecia ‘Nekeita’ De Freitas who placed third in last year’s contest was welcomed by fans looking forward to her performance.
Nekeita’s song “Right Hay” reminded Guyanese that they did not need to go looking for what they wanted beyond the shores of Guyana as everything was right here. She sang of the markets filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, vacations kayaking in the Blue Lake at Linden or enjoying the rodeo in Lethem among other things.
Lindener Brandon Harding followed with his song “Mega Star”. The artiste was dressed like a star and sang about coming from nothing to something. He listed Guyanese singers who went on to become recognised, like Eddy Grant, Timeka Marshall, Natural Black, Times 2, and Big Red.
Besides his dynamic performance, Brandon also gave away his Golden Arrowhead coloured waistcoat and sunglasses, which he threw into the crowd.
Another zesty performance came from Nesta who sang “Uproar”. Wearing a leopard print piece in theme with the song, while her backup dancers followed suit in their prints, Nesta encouraged Guyanese to create an uproar in music in their respective cultural dances. In support of this, Nesta and her dancers did snippets of dances in representation of all six races in Guyana.
US-based Guyanese performer ‘Gucci Boss’ was next with “Big Uncle”. Referring to himself as the big uncle, the artiste said he came to keep his dancers in check and ensure they are representing their respective countries before adding that he represents Guyana where he goes.
The next contestant, with the stage name ‘Saddick’, sang “Little Wine”. This song mostly referred to dance moves and incorporated the popular nursery rhyme “Gypsy in the Moonlight” in the lyrics.
Jada Harry’s song “Voodoo Wine” was a few notches higher in performance, but it was also about gyrating.
Jada sang that there was no need for obeah as the “Voodoo Wine” could help women keep their men.
No stranger to the stage, Wilbur ‘B52’ Levans begged authorities to allow the party session to continue with “Don’t Stop”. According to B52, after a year of hard work, it was time for people to go outside and celebrate.
Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts, outfitted in a black and gold costume with her backup dancers in matching red, gold and white, performed “Salute”.
Vanilla sang that she could never have foreseen the pandemic happening two years ago but with another year over, she salutes those who made it through the struggle and encourages them to rejoice that they are still alive.
Always a crowd favourite, Granny Ivy did not disappoint when he performed “Bumper Tricks” But, though entertaining, the piece on learning dance skills was not enough for the win.
“Soca in my Soul” was sung by Vintage, a natural at Soca, who said he was prepared to fete this year with Soca in his soul.
Also singing about being able to party with the COVID guidelines somewhat relaxed, was Karizzma with “Can’t Wait for quarantine to be Ova”.
Samuel Medas’s song this year was “People”. He had been touring in St Kitts and when host of the competition, Malcolm Ferreira said Sammy was expected to be the first contestant performing but was in transit, fans were worried that he might not make it back in time. He was the last to perform.
Last year Medas had said he was not there for the crown, but took the title home. He said the same thing this year.
Following the announcement of the winners in the wee hours of Sunday, many in the audience remained for the concert headlined by Barbadian Soca performer Alison Hinds.
