Damian ‘Boney Man’ Noel, the winner of the 2018 Junior Calypso crown (secondary schools category) is one of the most humble and positive youngsters you will ever meet.

Last Tuesday at Carnival City, Victoria Park, Boney Man, representing the St Martin’s Secondary School (SMSS), performing a song called ‘Silence Never’ (written by Sebastian ‘Bassy’ Alexander) placed first out of a group of seven other hopefuls.

Boney Man said that this was his third year in the competition having taken part in 2016 with ‘CPEA’ and placing second in 2017 with ‘The Man with the Plan’.

Last year, some persons thought that Boney Man should have taken the crown, but he was edged into second place by Kristiana ‘Singing Kristy’ Christopher.

When asked about this, Boney Man said that he thought he had won last year but he respects the judges and was motivated to do better. “I felt I should have won but the judges’ decision is final.

That did not affect me but motivated me to do better this year,” said the 15-year-old McCarthy resident who had no doubt that he would have claimed the crown in 2018.

The fifth form student said he is excited that he won the crown and that he gets his confidence from the fact that he knows a lot of persons.

“I am someone who is always outside, I know a lot of people, like, a lot ah lot ah people, so I ain’t fraid of the crowd,” explained Boney Man who, to subsidize his income, sells vegetables from a push cart in Kingstown on Saturdays.

When asked about his business venture, Boney Man said that it is his hobby and he does it not because he has to but because he wants to become an entrepreneur, so he is getting an early start. He said his grandmother plants the vegetables and he sells them.

Boney Man also noted that he is hoping to move on to the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College when he finishes his stint at the SMSS and he will continue singing as he pursues his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

In second place in that competition was M’riah ‘Young Siah’ Robertson of the West St George Secondary with her song ‘Minivan Lover’. She also placed second in the Junior Soca Monarch category, down one from first place last year. Third place was taken by Christopher Bacchus, also of the SMSS. He did a song called “Caribbean Dream”.

The other performers were Tyrique ‘D Fusion’ Thomas of the St Vincent Grammar School with ‘War’, Kristiana ‘Singing Kristy’ Christopher of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School with ‘The changing face of Vincy Mas’, Delisha ‘Soca D’ Bracken of the Sandy Bay Government School with ‘Who is Poli-tricks’, Daleann ‘Lady Dale’ Nero of the Sandy Bay Secondary School with ‘All Rise’ and the Girls’ High School’s Chachani ‘Lady Chachani’ Morgan with ‘Conflict Resolution’.