Carnival Rewind: Ten of the Most Talked About Moments of Trinidad Carnival 2024
The curtains have closed on Carnival 2024, leaving us on a high with memories to last until the next go-round.
As we reminisce on the magic of the short season, Your Caribbean Guide takes you through our wrap-up of 10 of the biggest moments of Carnival 2024.
Machel wins Calypso Monarch title
MM fans experienced a range of emotions this year, as the King of Soca announced he was bowing out of the season to focus on his studies- he’s currently reading for a Masters at the University of Trinidad and Tobago in Carnival Studies.
It came to everyone’s surprise, then, when Montano released a single in late January, ‘Soul of Calypso‘, announcing that he would perform the calypso at the Divas Calypso Cabaret at the Little Carib Theatre. It would later be revealed that he performed before judges at the tent, securing a spot in the Calypso Fiesta stage alongside 39 other contestants.
His performance at Skinner’s Park in the semi-final round earned him a space on Calypso’s biggest stage, where he and 11 other contestants would vie to take the crown from the 2023 Monarch, Ta’zayah O’connor.
On Dimanche Gras night, Montano delivered a high-energy performance to take home calypso’s biggest crown, marrying elements of kaiso and soca, and including on-stage cameos by Trinidad Rio, Cro Cro, Super Blue and Terri Lyons.
Karene Asche, who won the crown in 2011, placed second while Roderick ‘Chucky’ Gordon, who previously won the crown in 2015 and 2016, placed third.
A New Road March King
The song that dominated the entire fete season, DNA, translated well on the road, earning Mical Teja his first ever Road March title.
It was without a doubt a peak season for the entertainer whose meteoric rise over the past few years is eclipsed by at least seven years behind the scenes working as a writer for some of soca’s biggest names.
It was a close Road March race with Bunji Garlin’s Carnival Contract which advanced in popularity in the two weeks leading up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday. But in the end, Teja took home the title with 341 plays, while Garlin’s tune earned 225 road plays. Patrice Robert’s Anxiety was the third most played track on the stage, with 48 plays.
Carnival 2024 also saw Teja winning the Young King’s Crown and having his name attached to a Panorama title, as DNA was the winning tune of choice by BP Renegades Steel Orchestra.
A Panorama tie
BP Renegades and Massy Trinidad All Stars equally wowed judges of the large band Panorama finals, each earning 285 points to win the top spot.
The tune of choice by Renegades was Mical Teja’s DNA, while All Stars played Inventor by Olatunji. A first-place tie in Panorama happened two times prior- Harmonites and Starlift shared the title in 1971, while Renegades and Desperadoes shared the championship title in 1985.
Renegades, who won the title in 2023, is now the steelband with the most number of Panorama wins under its belt- that position had previously been shared with Desperadoes which has a total of 12 steelband wins.
Conflict of interest?
Should the head of the National Carnival Commission- the organizing body for Carnival- be allowed to enter competitions hosted by said organization? That was the question posed by many as Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters, a career calypsonian, offered himself as a contestant in two NCC-hosted events.
Peters walked away with the crown in this year’s Extempo finals, dethroning Brian London. He also made the finals of the Calypso Monarch with his double entendre ‘Yuh Mudda Can’t”, for which he placed 10th out of 12 finalists.
As for Peters, he’s unconcerned with what naysayers have to say about his presence in state-funded competitions, saying, “I am a calypsonian. That is who I am. That is what I am.”
Lost Tribe takes Band of the Year
For a second consecutive year, The Lost Tribe won the Large Band of the Year title with their 2024 presentation ‘Fly’, also copping the overall Band of the Year title. which they won back n 2020.
Ronnie & Caro’s Bushfire presentation placed second in the large band category, while Paparazzi’s Ihoka came in third.
In the Medium category, Kinetic Mas came out on top with their presentation, ‘ Yokoso’ while K2K Alliance’s ‘The Salt Crossing came second. In third place was Image Nation’s ‘Jouvay’.
Patrice Roberts channels AI in tribute to late fiancé
Fans attending this year’s edition of Patrice Roberts’ I Am Woman concert were likely expecting a more than usual intimate show, given the entertainer was still publicly mourning the loss of her fiancé and her daughter’s father, fellow entertainer Ricardo Drue, who died suddenly last December.
What they were not expecting, perhaps, was a cameo from the late entertainer himself. A 40-second artificial intelligence-generated video showed Drue addressing an attentive Roberts who became visibly emotional on stage.
“If I was there with you I would tell you to go out there and do your best,” the AI-version of Drue directed to Roberts.
“I would encourage you to show them what you got and tell you do not hold back. I just want you to know that I am ok and I am proud of you. Don’t cry for me. I want you to take care of yourself and continue being a great mother to our daughter and to my boys. I love them all. To my family, friends and fans, I miss you all and appreciate the love you have shown me. I’m at peace and I love it here. I love you all.”
Fans had mixed views about the choice to feature the late entertainer’s likeness, but one thing’s for certain: Patrice and her team have never shied away from pushing the envelope and going against the grain.
A change in the Carnival landscape?
Was it the shortness of the season? The musical offerings? Or a sign of a changing Carnival culture? Many seasoned fete-goers began reporting early on in the season, that there was something different about the vibe at fetes this year, something missing, some might say.
That sentiment was acknowledged by those who work in the industry, with some of them sharing their thoughts on the why behind the changing phenomenon in conversation with YCG. (Read the full article on this topic here). Toronto-based DJ, Dr Jay, attributed it to a waning love for soca music.
“It just seems like the love of the music isn’t there as much. If you love the music, you stream it. You cannot blame radio stations, you cannot blame DJs,” he told YCG. “As a DJ… we see certain songs go viral we have to play it so don’t just kinda sit back idly then wonder well how come this isn’t playing or how come that isn’t playing.”
Lyrikal, meanwhile, acknowledged that fans have been more keen to document moments, as opposed to being fully immersed in a moment.
“I personally understand it, sometimes it might affect the reaction from the crowd, you mightn’t see enough hands or whatever but at the end of the day everybody want to document something you know. When you go somewhere and see your favourite artiste after the season or after that day you want to have that memory you want to go back and say ay, this was me then, this was me in Carnival 2024 in Army Fete, you know what I mean?”
Bend Right Over!
Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is largely regarded as the Mecca of all Carnivals, so it’s understandable that soca artistes from across the region seek to establish a fanbase here for the advancement of their career.
USVI-based, Kittitian-born entertainer Pumpa, real name Dennis Liburd, burst onto the scene with a bang, almost immediately capturing the hearts of fans with his A-List offering.
Expressing gratitude for the reception he’s received, he shared, “Trinidad, the love is really real! This journey was no way close to easy because there were times I wanted to say F trying to break into the Trini market but I knew if I did so I was letting down the others who look at me as inspiration coming from my region who specialized in the same sound/vibe (BRAM). Thank you…for accepting me for who I am and what I sound like. The love is really being felt.”
3Canal J’ouvert farewell
For those seeking an authentic J’ouvert experience sans ropes modern ‘inclusivity’, it was indeed a blow to learn that 2024 would be 3Canal’s final hurrah with their J’ouvert band, after an impressive 30 years.
YCG spoke one-on-one with group member Wendell Manwarren on their decision, in a conversation that spread even further to analyse the changing landscape of the Carnival ritual, and the ways commercial interests have compromised authentic expressions.
“Mas, for me unfortunately, I think we’ve lost the plot and mas has been appropriated by commercial interests who have managed to manage it in such a way that they have a stranglehold on it and a lot of young people now coming up don’t understand that you don’t need to engage in that transaction to be a part of the festival,” Manwarren shared.
The interview (which you can find here) received heavy traction online, forming the basis of continued national and regional discussion.
Phylicia Rashad visits T&T
Everyone’s childhood television mother Phylicia Rashad, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show, paid a brief visit to Trinidad, immersing herself in aspects of the Carnival celebrations while also exploring other treasures on the island.
The 75-year-old was invited to visit the island by former president of Howard University, Trini-American Dr Wayne Frederick and his wife.
Her outings included visits to the Caroni Swamp, the Bamboo Cathedral in Chaguaramas, Phase II Pan Groove where she met the legendary Dr. Len Boogise Sharpe and Queen’s Royal College. Rashad also met with soca royalty Machel Montano and his family during her four-day stay. Of her experience in Trinidad, she hailed the island as “a magical place”.
