Barbadian Artistes Show Strong Interest in Party Monarch Competitions

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is expressing satisfaction with the level of interest shown by Barbadian artistes in this year’s Party Monarch competitions, as preliminary judging started yesterday for the Sweet Soca category.

NCF music officer Kevin Moore said the volume of entries demonstrated that local performers remain eager to compete on one of Crop Over’s biggest stages.

“The NCF is pleased with the interest shown from the artistes in the Party Monarch competition,” he said.

“We’ve had some 220plus entries across the categories, which shows an interest from the artistes and we look forward with excitement.”

This year’s competition attracted 134 entries in the Sweet Soca category and 92 in Power Soca, creating a field of 226 contenders vying for just 16 spots in the finals.

Judges will select eight finalists and one reserve in each category.

The Sweet Soca preliminaries began yesterday and continue through the week, while Power Soca preliminary judging is scheduled to run through next week.

Unlike previous years, the preliminary rounds will not be open to the public.

Instead, contestants will perform live before a panel of judges in a closed-door setting, singing to backing tracks in hopes of advancing.

According to the competition rules, Sweet Soca entries must be performed at a tempo of 135 beats per minute (BPM) or less, while Power Soca songs must have a tempo of 145 BPM or higher.

Competitors will be judged during the preliminary stage on four criteria: lyrics (30 points), performance (30 points), melody (25 points) and arrangement (15 points).

The top eight scorers in each category will move on to the finals, with the ninth-highest scorer serving as reserve.

Following the completion of the preliminary rounds, Moore said the NCF is expected to host a media briefing to announce the finalists. Those selected will then have about three weeks to rehearse with the official competition band before taking the stage at the Party Monarch Finals on July 12 at the National Botanical Gardens.

The stakes are high, with more than $500 000 in prize money available across both competitions.

In both Sweet Soca and Power Soca, the winner will receive $100 000, while second place earns $50 000, third place $40 000 and fourth $20 000. Contestants finishing fifth through eighth will each collect $10 000. Reserve artistes who are not called upon to compete in the finals will receive an honorarium of $2 000.