Hance John takes Ragga Soca crown with ‘Spectacular’

Winning his third Ragga Soca competition was not the best thing that happened to Hance John on Saturday July 6, 2024.

Sharing the stage with former Minister of Culture Rene Baptiste, founder of the Mije Personal Development and Advertising Agency, Jean Johnny-Findlay, and his daughter Paige was the highlight for him.

John won the crown with his song “Spectacular”, a piece aimed at uplifting women.

“It is a great feeling and I am very happy, but most importantly, we wanted to deliver a message. There is always a message in the music,” John said of the song that was produced and co-written by Wetty Beatz and encapsulated an experience at Notting Hill Carnival, UK, a few months ago.

“We wanted to highlight women not being sexual…we wanted to uplift women and make them feel good about themselves, and we want them to know that no matter what you do you are spectacular,” John explained, noting that several women were mentioned during his performance including former head of the Beauty Shows Committee Cheryl Rodriguez and athlete, Shafiqua Maloney.

“My daughter will remember that moment, us being on the stage with such eminent and great women who she has to look up to as role models,” John told SEARCHLIGHT.

He was thankful that God has blessed him “with this talent to deliver a message in a time where so many things are happening to women and in a time when we need to highlight this with social commentary”.

John, a former junior calypso king, said he always has some level of confidence going into competition, even as he paid compliments to his support team whom he singled out.

“They were very critical about everything and we always want to raise the bar in terms of quality,” said John who pointed out that quality productions add value to the festival and make SVG stand out.

About the winning purse which this year moved to EC$30,000, John said the increase was something everyone wanted to see, and it was long overdue.

“We are grateful it came at a time like this,” he said, adding that anyone involved in any sort of production can attest to the increased cost of needed commodities, but the hike in appearance fee and prize money helps to cushion the costs.

John expressed that sometimes persons who pursue careers in areas like music are looked down upon, but he is grateful to have the support of his friends and family, including his mother Cynthia John.

“I will like to thank Team Global, my dancers, all the women who took part.

“It is very rare you get Rene Baptiste to come out and be on stage, and she has been supporting me from the juniors. It feels good to have her on stage with me,” John said.

“I will like to thank Evesham, my village, and the Carnival Development Corporation for creating the platform to showcase talent.

“I thank them for the preservation of culture. It would be lost without the CDC and I want to pay homage and respect because what they are doing, we take them for granted; the role must not be overlooked.”

John said over the years, the CDC has seen the value of the competitions and carnival, and this is a good time for stakeholders to sit and discuss the way forward.

“ I would…advise that we have a proper sit down with stakeholders and do a proper post mortem and have a plan to deal with unforeseen events that can hamper the festival, put risk management in place. We have to do this and not come across as insensitive, but monies were invested,” John noted, in reference to criticisms that the scaled down festival went ahead in the wake of the destruction caused by the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

The Ragga Soca monarch is currently making preparations for his event “Uptown Party” on August 1, 2024. He said after the event he will donate to the Hurricane Beryl relief effort through the Rotary Club.

John, expressing solidarity with the victims of the hurricane, said persons who had purchased tickets for the event but had to leave the country, can contribute their ticket money to the Beryl relief effort or request a refund.

John won the Ragga Soca competition in 2017 with “Sugar Mami”, and in 2019 with “Uptown Party”. He placed second in 2018 with “Déjà vu”, second in 2022 with “All I need” and second in 2023 with “Bruk out time.”

In the 2024 Ragga Soca competition, Utamu “Bongo Prime” Rose with “Special Invitation”, placed second, while Javid “Jay-R” Rouse with “Fun dat”, and the duo Claydon “Dymez” Roache and Elrico “Da Pixel” Hunte with “Rub ah Dub” tied for third.