Feisha crowned Secondary School Calypso Monarch

Having placed second for two consecutive years in the Secondary Schools Calypso Monarch competition, Gillian “Feisha” Smart of the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown was finally able to take the crown home on Tuesday.{{more}}

The 14-year-old student was awarded high points for her patriotic song entitled “Vincy Nice”.

“I’m feeling elated,” Smart said. “I hope that I can retain my title next year”.

Smart, who has been performing for five years, revealed that she put extra effort into her performance this year, because of criticism she had been receiving.

She said some persons had told her that she would only win if the 2012 secondary school calypso monarch Shade Bowman did not participate.

“That pushed me. I didn’t know that she was not participating today…she didn’t come today because she migrated… but I still had a good performance,” the Calder Ridge resident stated.

In fact, Smart is confident that she would have won, whether Bowman had participated or not.

“If she was here, I would have beaten her,” Smart said with conviction. “I don’t think she would have come up with a better performance [than] mine”.

The St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown student thanked Geoff Venner for composing her song and the South East Steel Orchestra and her mother, Desmorie Deane, for their support.

Placing second in the competition was Shadaney “Tumpanks” Williams of the Bethel High School with her song, “Teenagers Wait”.

Moesha “Chowder” Thomas, who represented the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, earned third place with her song “Clean dem up”.

Other participants were 2012 Junior Soca Monarch and St Vincent Grammar School (SVGS) representative Ottis “Flippa” Cain, with his song “Love the Children”; Jasper “Loco” Alexander of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, doing “Carnival Calling”; Brandon “Ranking Brandon” Frederick of SVGS with his song “Unite this nation” and Samiesha Haywood from North Union Secondary, performing “Be Careful with Faces”.

Guest appearances were made by local artistes who got their start on the Junior Calypso and Soca Monarch stage. These included Pat Ralph and Shernelle “Skarpyon” Williams.

Shaunelle McKenzie, who started out singing calypso, treated the audience to the first song she sang when she competed in the competition twenty years ago.(BK)