It was a homecoming for the International Soca Monarch semifinals when the competition returned to the Arima Velodrome on Sunday evening. With competitors from across the region–including soca artistes from St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and Jamaica–the show took on a truly international tone. More than 60 performers hit the stage and there were some moments that went from the sublime to the ridiculous. But that's all part of the charm of the International Soca Monarch (ISM).
Guardian Media, the official media partner for the ISM, broadcast the show across a variety of platforms. On television, people checked out CNC3, others followed it on radio via Vibe CT 105 and those in the T&T diaspora looked at the show on the Guardian Media Facebook live page.
Comments from the viewers were extremely entertaining, especially on Twitter where the "Trini Twitter" users commented using the hashtag #ismchubble.
One user praised up and coming soca star Sekon Star with the comment, "Sekon Sta, the saviour of Soca music. This tune brings with it so many joys. Euphoric. SALUTE SIR. #ISM2017 #ISMchubble."
Another predicted that defending champion Voice will keep his title: "All d ting n ting. The way it look once voice man come proper he could defend his crown successfully #UnbiasedOpinion #ISMchubble."
And looking forward to the final on Fantastic Friday on February 24, one Twitter user said: "It was nice. We using this same hashtag for fantastic Friday?#ISMChubble."
�2 The International Soca Monarch final takes place on Fantastic Friday, February 24 at the National Stadium, Port-of Spain.