Tobago Cops 1st & 3rd Place At Junior Calypso Monarch
Nataki Thompson is the 2024 Junior Calypso Monarch.
The 14-year-old student wowed the judges with her performance of Your Purpose, beating the other 15 contestants who competed for the top prize.
Speaking with members of the media following her historic win, Nataki struggled to find the words to adequately articulate her emotions.
“Honestly, words can’t explain how grateful, how thankful I am to experience this because a lot of people said that we made history coming to Trinidad. Four of us came to Trinidad and I feel great to know that I won from Tobago…words cannot explain.”
A relative newcomer to the world of Calypso, the young singer said her success is the result of hard work and sacrifice. She expressed her gratitude to her family and friends who supported her journey.
“Mrs Duncan, I’d like to say thank you to my musical mentor since I think the age of nine. She played a really big role in this song because she is the one who I got it from and she is the one who helped me, guided me through and made the costume. I just want to say thanks to my mummy, my number one supporter…and my friends and family who are watching at home…”
Asked to share the story behind her winning song, she said:
“Not many people know their purpose in life. I know my purpose is to be a lawyer…not Kant people know about their purpose so they need to focus on finding their purpose instead of the negative.”
She had these words of advice for the children of Trinidad and Tobago: “Just ignore the negativity if you need help or anything you could ask someone for advice just focus on yourself.”
Ten-year-old Zachary Ransome came in second place. He said his song Save The Teachers came about after he observed the stress that his teachers often endured. Speaking with Your Caribbean Guide after the results were announced on Monday, the Montrose Government Primary School student said he was proud of his accomplishment but noted his plan to come even harder next year.
“I feel very happy about my results, I was aiming for first but I got second. Last year I actually got third so it’s a number sequence, third, second and I’m aiming for first next year.”
Commenting on his mindset as he prepared to perform on the big stage on Monday he told YCG: “I was like Zachary, pray, pray, breathe, just breathe. And look where I am now!”
Just last week, Zachary copped the coveted crown in the Ministry of Education’s Junior Soca Monarch competition, in the Primary School category.
Coming in third in Monday’s competition was another student from Tobago. She was pleased with the result.
“Really what is going on in society with children and schools, you know, children being disrespectful at school and we’re just asking for revision of the declaration that was created in 1959.”
Her song was written by Verlene Bobb-Lewis.
Chairman of the National Carnival Commission, Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters seemed pleased with the talent portrayed on the competition stage. Seeking to dispel the rhetoric that Calypso is dead, Peters said the Calypso fraternity is bigger today than its ever been.
“Who say Calypso dead? We have people walking around talking about saying Calypso dead but let me say to you, we have more Calypsonians and more aspiring Calypsonians now than we have ever had before. I want to say to you that when I come to these junior Calypso events I hear more significant Calypsos than I do when I go to the senior Calypso events.”
The NCC Chairman further encouraged the younger members of the Calypso fraternity to get in the habit of writing their own songs.
“I want to encourage you to write your own songs. Write your own Calypsos so that when you write your own Calypsos, what comes out when you get onstage is what is inside of you and what you see for yourself. So I am asking the teachers and maybe TUCO to maybe ensure that we have some short writing courses for young Calypsonians or young aspiring Calypsonians…”
