PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten’s local Cable TV Channel, TV15, has secured rights to broadcast the Caribbean’s premier International Soca Monarch festival live and direct from Trinidad and Tobago this Friday.
The event is being billed as the biggest Soca Showdown in the world, featuring a host of male and female entertainers vying for the title of Soca Monarch 2020.
According to Manager, TV15, Mr. Davey Woods, TV15 is collaborating with CCN TV6 in Trinidad to secure the exclusive broadcast rights for St. Maarten from the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain starting at 8:00 pm.
Organizers say the International Soca Monarch contest will feature a Power Soca Category and a Groovy Soca category with the whole mass of entertainment and talent in the mix.
“This is the first time that TV15 is broadcasting this event together with other islands to music lovers and Trinidad & Tobago nationals in Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts, BVI, and Jamaica,” said Mr. Woods.
He says the event is scheduled to run for six hours from start to finish Friday.
“TV15 is very excited about these developments because of our goal this year is to bring more live broadcasts of special events to tele-viewers on St. Maarten, especially events from around the Caribbean itself,” said Mr. Woods.
International Soca Monarch is an annual soca music competition/fete event, the finals of which are held on every Carnival Friday (aka Fantastic Friday) in Trinidad and Tobago. Contestants in the event vie for two separate crowns or titles, the International Soca Monarch (aka the Power Soca Monarch) for uptempo songs (135 bpm and above), and Groovy Soca Monarch for slower-paced songs (134 bpm and below).
The International Soca Monarch competition has become the mecca event for soca artists in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) where the event has been hosted since its inception; and also the rest of the Caribbean region, as many artists who have competed on its stage have moved on to successful soca careers. Dubbed the "Super Bowl of soca music" it is a highly anticipated and well-attended event that has been graced with internationally acclaimed recording artists such as SuperBlue (Austin Lyons), Machel Montano, Fay-Ann Lyons, Kevin Lyttle, Rupee, and Bunji Garlin (Ian Antonio Alvarez).
The 2020 Soca Monarch Finalists in both categories that will be competing on Friday, February 21st, 2020 are:
Power Soca: Iwer George; Luni Spark and Electrify; Lyrikal; Mical Teja; Olatunji; Preedy; Problem Child; Prophet Benjamin; Rome; Shal Marshall; Trinidad Ghost and Mr. Renzo
Groovy Soca: Asten Isaac; Blaxx; College Boy Jesse; Ding Dong; Isaiah; Kerry John; Preedy; Leadpipe; Rayzor; Rome and Skinny Banton.
