A young, energetic and talented pool of musicians, mainly from the Old Road district of St. Kitts, secured their spot in the history books of carnival on Friday night, (22nd October 2021), when they scored a much-deserved victory in the inaugural Carnival Song Competition, held as part of the pre-activities for Sugar Mas 50, expected to be launched in coming weeks.
Performing their hit tune, Bring Back Di Sugar, they amassed a total of 403 points to defeat the other five finalists, namely Blade, Genesis, KO, Jeezy Sparta and De Awesome Navigator.
In addition to the $5,000 in prize money, they walked away with bragging rights, as the first winner of what will now become an annual contest, according to Carnival Chair, Shannon Hawley. The other finalists were presented with cheques for $1,000, handed over by the Minister of Culture and Carnival, Jonel Powell.
Their song will now be used to promote the golden anniversary of the National Carnival in the country and the victory comes just one day after the release of their carnival EP, Why Not.
The song captures the feeling of most Kittitians and Nevisians, who have been yearning for a return of major carnival activities, which, since 2020, have been curtailed because of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.
After the competition was launched in July this year, it attracted 11 entries. Following the Eliminations, held on 4th October, six artistes were selected for the finals. Those not making the cut for Friday night’s competition were Jazzique Chiverton, Lucin Joseph, Xoliq-Vidonje Richardson, Bernado Phipps and Kyle Roberts.