Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell is aiming to have the International Soca Monarch competition staged in 2025.
Mitchell said the Soca Monarch competition had been absent from the calendar for too long (three years) and, the public’s interest had waned so revitalising the competition is crucial.
Speaking at the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) awards ceremony on Tuesday night, Mitchell said: “I will be instructing that an expression of interest go out. I putting it out from now for those . . . anyone who is interested in partnering with the NCC, partnering with the government for a new, renewed Soca Monarch-type competition to come back in 2025.”
“We’re not going to wait until the last minute and then be caught in shambles. We’re doing it from now. We’re going to say how much we’re willing to partner with upfront and we’re inviting anybody who wants to be a promoter for the Soca competition to come on board.”
The last Soca Monarch competition, held virtually in 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, was won by Farmer Nappy with “Backyard Jam”.
The previous year, the last public edition of the event saw Neil Iwer George and Kees Dieffenthaller cop the Power Soca title with “Stage Gone Bad”, while College Boy Jesse won the Groovy title with “The Happy Song”.
The competition was discontinued because of a drop in attendance at an event that had been a marquee on the Carnival calendar since 1992.
During the awards, Minister Mitchell also challenged artistes in all genres to follow in Machel Montano’s footsteps and try their hand at calypso.
“If you name man, come into the Big Yard, come into the gayelle. You can’t be a true Trinbagonian performer without participating in a Young King’s or a Calypso Monarch,” he said.
The event featured performances by Road March champ Mical Teja and Calypso Monarch Machel Montano.