Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
The competition was intense among the Schools’ Intellectual Chutney Soca Monarch contestants this year.
From Morvant to Marabella, students across the country from as young as five years old took to the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, to perform their best chutney songs.
Out of the five primary school contenders, it was Katelin Sultan, of Warrenville TIA Primary School, who shone the brightest with her song entitled Unity. She copped the Primary School category.
Speaking to Guardian Media following the competition, Sultan said she was overcome with joy this time around after placing second last year.
Sultan said, “I am speechless but I am also very happy to be first place in this primary category ... I will continue singing to make my people happy.”
While this was Sultan’s second year entering the competition, she is not new to the art form.
Sultan was the 2023 Queen of Chutney Soca and has done several collaborations with artistes such as Ravi B and Aaron Duncan. She also placed fourth at last year’s Chutney Soca Monarch.
Jah’Majesty Charles, last year’s winner in the primary schools’ category, placed second this time around.
Meanwhile, it was straight As for the wealth of talent displayed at the secondary school level.
Many students used the competition as an opportunity to address several issues, including school violence, and most songs called for unity.
While the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner, it was two newcomers, Zkinga Moses, from Queen’s Royal College (QRC), and Marcus McDonald, of Presentation College, San Fernando, respectively, who took over the show with their sterling performances.
While Moses did an excellent job of wowing the audience and judges, earning him second place, it was McDonald who was crowned the monarch.
Last year, McDonald walked away the 2023 Junior Calypso Monarch but was later disqualified by TUCO for allegedly breaching the rules.
While celebrating his win, he said he was grateful for this victory.
“I am just really grateful and thankful that I am able to come up here and show everybody that I have the ability to enter a chutney and win,” he said.
McDonald said he has entered calypso competitions before but wanted to try something new this year.