‘Breakthrough Artiste of the Year’ – new soca judging category

In an effort to make the Soca Monarch competition more exciting, the Carnival Development Coorporation (CDC) has introduced a new judged category of the competition called “Breakthrough Artiste of the Year.”{{more}}

At a press conference on Tuesday, co-ordinator of shows Marlon Stevenson said the CDC, in looking at ways to add entertainment value to the show, agreed to introduce the new category.

“We are trying to give the young soca artistes the opportunity to feel more valued. It will span the two categories of competition. That person could be either a ragga or a soca competitor,” Stevenson told the journalists.

He said to be eligible for the award, the artiste should not have entered the finals of the Ragga Soca and Soca Monarch competition on more than three occasions.

“If you won a competition before, you can’t enter this competition. It is for young up [and] coming artistes,” he said.

Stevenson said the initiative is a way to introduce a new category for judging, create opportunity and incentives for up and coming artistes and to help to raise standards.

“There is going to be a prize for this person, so they have to work hard to get this. It’s to create a category that is both young and hip and different, targeting the new generation of audience. When we look at our audience, we find it is changing. We have to take care of them,” Stevenson said.

“We have heard the cries of the artistes, time and time again. Getting on shows, getting air time, so we have to do something for them,” he said.

Touching briefly on other matters, Stevenson said the CDC has made some improvements for the shows, especially in the area of sound.

“Patrons have complained about the sound quality at the Victoria Park. Some low-cost initiatives are going to be taking place to see how we can improve this and ensure that patrons have a better experience as far as the sound quality is concerned,” Stevenson noted.

The Ragga and Soca Monarch competitions will be held on Saturday, July 5, at the Victoria Park.