Soca Monarch has potential to go far in the VI – Artistes in retrospect
Two of the participants were particularly grateful for the experience and are already looking forward to next year’s Soca Monarch.
Antoni Tuckett aka Daddy Pit preformed the song ‘Fire in the hole’ and placed second in the Power Segment while Hashim Lewis with his song ‘Can’t miss it’ was in the finals of the Groovy Segment but did not place.
Daddy Pit/Splash Band
Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online about some of the highs and lows of the competition, Tuckett said he believes a lot more could be done in the area of melodies. “You have to make it catchy, because everybody wants something with action, something that they could sing along to.” He also said that most importantly was that whoever wins the completion should be able to perform at an international level.
“We have a long way to go but we started out on a solid ground and I would give the organizers kudos for the job they did at it,” said Tuckett. According to his assessment, those who performed this year can be rated at 5 ½ -6 on a scale of 1-10 when compared to the other leading soca artistes around the Caribbean.
“We definitely passed the half mark. Some of the artists were actually at 6 and 7. I think it is a good thing. I think it’s going to be really big and I think it’s going to get bigger and will make the calypsonians and the calypso competition realise that they have to step up too.”
When it was decided that there was going to be a soca competition included in this year’s Festival activities, Tuckett said he was ready to enter. He added that he is a seasoned artiste in the Virgin Islands but had stepped aside for five years to allow for other “focus”. Coming back on stage especially for the Soca Monarch, Tuckett said he and his team spent time looking at videos of other accomplished soca singers in order to ensure that they compose something that was of quality and that would have had the potential of landing him the 1st place prize in the Power Segment.
“We decided on using the fire truck, which was a task of course. After several meetings, the firemen agreed that they would have done it for us.” For him, the use of the fire truck and fireworks made a good entrance for him and did just what they had set out to do. “Really and truly we wanted to just be different and I think we delivered with that part of it. It was quite interesting,” Tuckett said.
“I would have liked to come in 1st place for the first competition but 2nd place was good. It means that we did something well because there were a bunch of artists there also who had performed at an international level too so I think we did well coming for the 1st runner up,” he added.
Tuckett and his team see 2014 as a really big mark for the Virgin Islands with the festival celebrations and he said that the coming out this year was a strategic move in order to prepare for the 60th Anniversary. “We wanted to come out early and build our groove back, put a fan base in place, inspire younger musicians who don’t really play music they are just in the rhythm box. We also wanted to train our crew so we handpicked certain people.”
Hashim Lewis
“Naturally I was upset that I didn’t place. I mean everybody set out to win the competition. But on the other hand I don’t feel sad that I lost. My objective whether I won or lost the competition was to show everybody in the BVI what I have been learning in the music industry this past year being away,” the budding artiste told Virgin Islands News Online.
On the night of the finals when Hashim took to the stage, many persons said there was a high level of professionalism and were surprised when he didn’t place.
“On the night of the Soca Monarch everybody saw that yes he is learning something out there. I wanted to show that I could give a great if not the best performance that I possibly could and that is exactly what I did,” Hashim said.
Following the competition, he was told that some of his weak areas were time management and originality. “The judges said the song was not original because it had a rhythm that other artistes have sung on before even though I had permission from the producers of the instrumental to be on the song. That was one of the factors that they thought was the reason why I shouldn’t be placed,” he said.
With no animosity against the judges, Lewis said he respected their decisions but will be back next year. “I am happy that I had to the opportunity to showcase the BVI through my music and definitely there are great things to look forward to come next year,” he added.
Like Tuckett, Lewis felt that this year was a tester for both the artistes and the organisers and once on its footing the Soca Monarch has the potential to become one of the signature activities of the VI Emancipation Festival.
The coordinator of this year’s Soca Monarch competition, Mr Eustace ‘Boss’ Freeman, had told this news site following the finals that himself and team had recognised the potential of the competition for the future and they would have already started planning for 2014.
Meanwhile, Tino and Kingman etched their names in the history books as the first ever Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival's Soca Monarchs. The two emerged victorious in the Groovy and Power segments respectively when the competition was held at the Ira Oliver Skelton Festiville on July 31, 2013.
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