By:Curtis Morton
Charlestown-Nevis-‘I will call it REDEMPTION. Maybe that may not be the right word for it…but I know what I mean.’
Oscar KING ASTRO Browne was speaking in an exclusive interview with this media house, when he made the comments.
He was speaking in reference to his unprecedented, historic achievement of defending his national carnival calypso king title, on the evening of Monday 28th December.
‘I feel vindicated,’ said Astro. He explained that when he created history last year, by winning the coveted title, many persons opined that it would be a ‘one off thing,’ as it was a ‘fluke.’
He says he is pleased that he was able to prove to the naysayers that he was championship material and that his successes did not come by mere ‘luck and chance.’
He further made the point that despite what a few persons may be saying, he won last year under the Labour government and this year he won under the Team Unity administration. So there……
King Astro noted that he had put in many hours of hard work in preparing for this title defence and had high praise for his ever present writer and mentor, Creighton CRUSADER Pencheon, a former top calypsonian out of St.Kitts.
‘I was a good calypsonian but Crusader has made me into a great calypsonian,’ said Astro.
He further indicated that from the moment the material was presented to him for this year’s title defence, he knew that the crown was ‘his to lose.’
‘I knew that it was winning material from the outset, he said.
He also had high praise for musical genius, Antonio ABONATTY Liburd, who he noted, has been masterful at arranging his music.
‘The guy is just great,’ said Astro.
He also paid tribute to his many fans who travelled to St.Kitts to support him in his bid to retain the title and also had a special thank you for his ever increasing Kittitian fan base.
He recalled that one of the more touching moments after winning the competition on Monday night, was when some of his fans formed a virtual guard of honour for he and his wife, as they made their way onto the ferry, to return to Nevis.
As regards the future, Astro is not done yet.
“With the form am in, am serving the calypsonians on Nevis due notice, that I will place my name in the history books once again for Culturama 2016, when I will do what has not been done before and that is to win the Culturama calypso crown for two consecutive years.’
After his vintage performance on Monday night, all concerned would be taking his message quite seriously