Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 12:53

Helon Francis is Calypso Monarch

HELON FRANCIS is the 2025 Calypso Monarch, topping a field of 12 at the finals held at the Dimanche Gras show at Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain on March 2. He topped a field which boasted seven past monarchs, including Francis himself. His song, To Whom It May Be, saw him edge Kurt Allen by one point who had sung his political critique, Your Turn. Crowd favourite Akhenaton "Yung Bredda" Lewis placed third with his anthemic call to action, We Rise. The crowd roared its disappointment that Lewis had not placed higher. Karene Asche came fourth with A Leader. Defending champion, Machel Montano, placed fifth with Bet Yah, a song continuing his thrust from last year to blur the line between soca and calypso. The other contenders were Roderick "Chuck" Gordon (sixth), Duane Ta'zyah O'Connor (seventh), Terri Lyons (eighth), Samraj "Rikki Jai" Jaimungal (ninth),  Anthony "Squeezy Rankin" La Fleur who is 2025 Young King (tenth), Rosalyn Reid Haynes (eleventh) and Ann Marie "Twiggy" Parks-Kojo (twelfth). Regarding mas portrayals, the night saw Curtis Eustace win King of Carnival with his portrayal Journey to Mayaro, bringing his king titles over the years to ten. Placing second was Fareid Carvalho, offering Dralozo, A being from the Sun, while third was Erron Sookdeo and his outfit African Drummer. Russell Grant, portraying King Sampson, was the only king that was not a float – being a moko jumbie from the band Moko Somokow – placed a joint ninth. Roxanne Omalo portrayed Sirena, Mistress of the Sea, to become Carnival Queen, her third time winning this title. She beat Rana Kandoo, portraying Maiya, Goddess of Creation, who came second, and Nicole Hercules portraying D' Tiger Butterfly, who placed third. There were 11 kings and 11 queens of Carnival. The post Helon Francis is Calypso Monarch appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.