Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 21:09

New calypso monarch crowned

HELON FRANCIS has been crowned the National Calypso Monarch. On the "big stage" at Dimanche Gras in the Queen's Park Savannah, on Sunday, Francis topped a field of 12 in the finals to capture his second crown since first winning in 2018. His feat was all the more impressive as the finals saw a field that included seven past monarchs including himself. Francis's song, To Whom It May Be, helped him edge Kurt Allen The Last Bardjohn of Calypso, by one point. Allen sang a political critique, Your Turn. Clear crowd favourite Akhenaton "Yung Bredda" Lewis placed third with his anthem-like call to action, We Rise. Performing his rallying cry to the nation, Yung Bredda got viewers to keenly wave their hands in support while he sang. When he left the stage, the Grand Stand went wild, demanding that he return for an encore. Later, the crowd shouted its disappointment and disapproval that he had not placed higher. [caption id="attachment_1142154" align="alignnone" width="1024"] CROWD FAVOURITE: Akhenaton "Yung Bredda" Lewis was the clear crowd favourite at the calypso monarch finals but placed third. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] Karene Asche placed fourth with what are surely her pre-general election guidelines in A Leader. Defending champion, Machel Montano, fresh from his win on Saturday in the Chutney Soca Monarch, placed fifth with Bet Yah, a song which continued his thrust from last year's calypso monarch winning performance to blur the line between soca and calypso. Montano's overall production was captivating, including dressing like a jockey, levitating dangerously high above the stage, lively dancers and a dog greedily scoffing down doubles in a retort to criticisms of the popular street food by Jamaican dancehall artiste Beenie Man. Yet, seemingly, Montano's lyrical content did not impact sufficiently. He got a big crowd cheer but it was nowhere near the explosive roar that greeted Yung Bredda. Rounding out the finals were Roderick "Chuck" Gordon (sixth), Duane Ta'zyah O'Connor (seventh), Terri Lyons (eighth), Samraj "Rikki Jai" Jaimungal (ninth), Young King champ Anthony "Squeezy Rankin" La Fleur (tenth), Rosalyn Reid Haynes (11th) and Ann Marie "Twiggy" Parks-Kojo who placed 12th. 'THIS FEELS SURREAL' Speaking moments after the crown was placed on his head, Francis told reporters about his journey which saw his cool, stoic delivery of a non-partisan and non-judgemental story of him writing a letter to Prime Minister-select Stuart Young, offering quiet words of advice such as, "keeping your ear to the ground." [caption id="attachment_1142151" align="alignnone" width="1024"] CALL ME KING: Helon Francis who was crowned new calypso monarch at the Dimanche Gras on Sunday at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] When asked by Newsday, he saluted Yung Bredda, who has already won hearts with his song Greatest Bend Over, which won him second place in the Ultimate Soca Championship. "This feels surreal," the modest and soft-spoken Francis said his victory. Reflecting on his first monarch win seven years ago, he said, "This time around, it is definitely much sweeter. "I am always confident because I write my music, and I always frame it for the people." Francis said he always aims to give the public insights into TT, which they may have missed. Asked if he had thoughts ahead that he would have to dethrone Montano, he said, "For you to win, you have to dethrone someone, so obviously I thought that was a possibility. Yes." Reminding Newsday that this was his sixth time at the finals, he said, "So I understand the ground well. I have perfected my own style of writing and my own style of music. I went in with the same intentions I usually have, and this time, I was victorious." Asked if his win was a win for calypso, given the soca leanings of Montano and Yung Bredda, Francis smiled and replied, "That is a good one. I like that one. "I think traditional calypso is in an evolution phase. I think what we knew as traditional calypso is evolving. And many versions can come out now." He said the future of calypso all depends on what the public accepts. Francis disagreed with a reporter's suggestion that he had enjoyed an edge in the contest due to being a senator. "In the Senate, I sit as an Independent Senator, so I always take the approach of having a balanced perspective, most of the time, eh. "I would have my views about the islands and I would try to put them in the best way possible, in song. The things I think the nation would not know at this period, at this point in our history. I think that is what gave me the edge." Francis said people knew him as a calypsonian before he became a senator. "I am doing the exact same thing all the other artistes are doing, living their lives, being creative, functioning in society the best way they can. I'm doing the exact same thing as everyone is doing. It is just that I was victorious tonight." [caption id="attachment_1142153" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Kurt Allen The Last Bardjohn of Calypso, placed second in the calypso monarch competition. Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] He hailed the other contenders. "Everyone did a fantastic job. This was a very tight show, as you could obviously see. So I give kudos to all of them." Asked his thoughts on Yung Bredda, Francis said he had not seen the youngster's performance as he was focusing on his own. "But from what I (previously) saw of Yung Bredda, he has a fantastic interpretation of calypso. He was fantastic at the semi-finals." Francis said if Yung Bredda's performance that night was like past performances, it would have been a great performance. "He is doing great and he is a fantastic and very versatile artiste." [caption id="attachment_1142155" align="alignnone" width="683"] Former calypso monarch Machel Montano, seen here soaring high during his performance, was brought crashing down to earth by the judges, placing sixth in the calypso monarch finals. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption] On bring crowned calypso monarch, Francis won $700,000 and an SUV worth over $300,000. Allen's prize for second-place was $500,000. Yung Bredda won $350,000 for placing third. The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) which oversees the calypso monarch competition released the scores of the finalists placing in the top six. They were: 1. Helon Francis, 268 pts 2. Kurt Allen, 267 pts 3. Akhenaton "Yung Bredda" Lewis, 260 pts 4. Karene Asche, 259 5. Machel Montano, 256 6. Roderick "Chuck" Gordon, 256. While Montano and Gordon got the same points, they were not announced as a tie.   The post New calypso monarch crowned appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.