Twenty-two calypsonians will vie for ten places in the finals of the 2025 Calypso Monarch Competition – Sunday July 06 – when they present themselves to the judges at the semi-final round on Sunday June 29, at the Cruise Ship Terminal.
The Upstage Experience will be represented by: 2023 and 2012 monarch Lorna “Fya Empress” Nedd, doing ‘Children of the drum’; Shaunelle McKenzie – ‘Ghetto mentality’; four times monarch (2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018) Zamfir “Zangie” Adams – ‘My nation’s democracy is in trouble’; 1980 monarch Michael “Lord Have Mercy’ Olliverre – ‘Hip hip hip hooray’; Divyne “Skye” Hackshaw – ‘No rush to grow’; Ronald “Ron B” Browne – ‘It won’t always be so’; Bernard “Reality I” White – ‘Heart Beat’; and Sheena Collis – ‘Our Nation’s cry’.
Grantley “Ipa” Constance, the 2006 title winner, is one of six from the Graduates Calypso Tent. His song is ‘Peace and love. Maxwell “Tajoe” Francis crowned in 2011 and 2022 is asking ‘Change for what?’ Robert “Patches” Knights – ‘Fake new’. Johnny Rebel Hall – ‘The Judiciary’, Kingsley “Hero” Roberts – ‘2025’, and Sonny “Sunny Banks” Young with ‘Your prerogative’ complete the Graduates semifinalists.
On Tour Calypso Tent sees: 2002 monarch Elvis “Abijah” Abbey doing ‘Is we mashing up society’; 1983, 1994 and 2007 monarch Kenneth Vibrating Scakes Alleyne – ‘Shockwaves’; Derek “Man Sick” Alexander – ‘Nothing good to say’; Alvin “Zion I” Dennie – We know who yo mean’; Cleo Hendrickson – ‘When Karma comes’; and Marvo “Marvolous Marvo” Morgan – ‘Calypso ah singing’.
Philicia “Nubian Empress” Alexander represents the New York based Dynamites Calypso Tent with ‘Views from the outside’, along with Dennis Bowman – ‘Plenty more to come’.
Two reserves, both from Upstage Experience, complete the list: Jerome ‘Parry” Samuel – ‘SVG will rise’, and Omani Cupid – ‘Omani for Prime Minister’.
The show is planned to start at 8 pm.