Carnival 2019: History and sweet Soca

Trinidad & Tobago carnival season has ended and this year history was made.
This year, Soca artists from Grenada and St Vincent made a massive impact and one or two historical firsts.
Now that it’s over life starts returning to normal for some but for many others such as the Soca artistes, foreigners, and Djs like myself, the business of spreading the love of carnival and Soca music has only just begun.
The International Soca Monarch title has gone to Grenada as three Grenadian artist, one St Lucian and two Trinidadian emerged at the top of the International Soca Monarch this year. It’s the first time a Soca artist from another Island won the Power Soca Category.
And it drew criticism by a few, especially from the Chutney singer Nermal “Massive” Gosein, who condemned the song saying it encouraged criminal behavior.
Mr. Killa walked away with $1 million and it was well deserved.
Many Soca lovers around the world are grateful that Mr. Killa helped revive power Soca.
Some say it has been dying over the last six years, and artists from the other islands were able to catch up and even master it. As we say in Trini “Snooze Yuh Lose”.
History was also made in the 2019 Road March competition.
The song, “FAMALAY” sang by Machel Montano, Ian ‘Bunji Garlin’ Alvarez and Gamal ‘Skinny Fabulous’ Doyle was announced the winner, having been played 346 times, as opposed to Kees Dieffenthaller’s song ‘Savannah Grass’ which was played 207 times. In the beginning of the season there was debates whether or not the song “FAMALAY” was eligible for Road March as it featured a Vincentian. TUCO then put out a statement that the Road March competition is open to all nationals and naturalized citizens of Trinidad and Tobago but, “in the event of a collaboration between a National of Trinidad and Tobago and any foreign artiste/artistes, the majority of the lead vocal performance of the Calypso must be undertaken and carried out by nationals of Trinidad and Tobago in order to qualify for the Road March Title”.
In ‘Famalay’, each singer has a verse, which gives the two Trini artistes the majority of the lead vocals. This win puts Machel Montano at 10 wins for Road March, making him tied with Super Blue.
This also gives Bunji Garlin his first win for Road March! Skinny Fabulous is the third person on the track; even though he is Vincentian he now has his first Road March win in Trinidad and Tobago.
More history this Carnival season as “London” family ran away with three titles. The Calypso Monarch “Ronaldo London” the Extempo “Brian London” and the Junior Calypso Monarch “Rivaldo London”.