Amunik ‘Nikie’ Martin showed the hereditary value of her entertainment factor when she stormed to the primary version of the Junior calypso competition last Tuesday.
Nikie, a C. W. Prescod student, rendered the song ‘Good grades’ and gained sufficient marks to outscore the other contenders for the throne. {{more}}
Nikie is daughter of talented cultural activist Angus Martin, and indeed from a vibrant family. US Top forty Chart Buster Vincentian Kevin Lyttle is close to the Martin family. Angus boasted of having more or less raised Kevin.
“Kevin is my nephew,” he said. Nikie, a Grade Four student, is not new to the stage. She appeared as a dancer at a dance festival two years ago and also at the Nine Mornings celebrations. She could not have waited to be on the calypso stage and armed with a song written by her dad, strolled right into royalty.
Nikie is not just a calypso girl. She won in the age ten to 15 category playing ‘Mama Killer’ in the Band Guinness Blondie Bird and friends.
Her cousin Rohan ‘Mint’ Martin, son of Jeffrey ‘Snuffy’ Martin, placed second in the Junior Soca clash.
Nikie beat Calder primary’s Danella ‘Singing DP Power’ whose number was ‘I have a plan.’ Kingstown Anglican’s ‘Renecia’ Louie took third place: ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction.’
The others were Fancy’s Shern ‘Kaiso Man’ Stay who did ‘The Soldier,’ Greggs Government School’s Ronal ‘Singing Mallo’ Maloney with ‘Jabless’ Owia Primary’s Shanta ‘Singing Shanta’ Cordice with ‘I am a hero,’ Layou Government’s Kerona ‘Lady K’ Samuel who sang ‘It depends on me and you’ and Belair Government’s Maressa ‘Singing Maressa’ Endeavour with a number called ‘Vagrants’.
There were three representatives from the C.W. Prescod School. They were Shonte ‘Singing Sophia’ Nicholls who did ‘Plenty Jamming,’ Samora ‘Singing Tash’ Richards with ‘Be prepared,’ and Tiffany ‘TJ’ Roberts who sang ‘Common Entrance.’