Originally posted on the blog Sokah2Soca (www.sokah2soca.com). We bring you only the best new music, while Island Vybe Radio rocks it live on the air!

Trinidad and Tobago had a surprisingly uplifting carnival with excellent music and new emerging stars that bodes well for the future of this yearly festival. The steel bands have taken a prominent role as a driving force, especially for those living overseas who want to view this event online. 

 

Now that King Carnival has concluded, preparations for the upcoming year are already underway. Reviews of what went wrong and what can be done better, along with new ideas, will be conducted, and a new plan will be put in place for the next year.  While all of this is happening, people are searching online for the results of the recently completed Carnival 2025. We have put together most of the results and will update the post as more information becomes available.

 

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to share their experiences and highlights from the event in the comments section. Your insights will enrich our coverage and help shape future Carnivals into even more exciting and memorable celebrations.

1. Republic Bank Exodus—Too Own Way—Voice—Terrance "BJ" Marcelle—288 Points
2. bp Renegades Steel Orchestra—Bet Meh—Machel Montano—Duvon Stewart—285
3. Heritage Petroleum Skiffle Steel Orchestra—Retro—Voice—André White—283

• Chutney Soca Monarch—Machel Montano
• Reshma Ramlal—Queen of Chutney

• Blaka Dan—Ultimate Soca Champion
• Zachary Ransome—Primary School Junior Soca Monarch
• Jaleese Lazarus—Secondary School Junior Soca Monarch

• Helon Francis—National Calypso Monarch (Senior)
• Xaiden Darius—Junior Calypso Monarch
• Singing Sonia—NWAC National Calypso Monarch
• Squeezy Rankin—Young King Calypso Monarch
• Phillip Murray—Black Sage—Extempore Calypso Champion
• Akeem Chance—Preedy—Freestyle Calypso Champion

Brass Bacchanal Champions 

1. Pardy—Machel Montano—267 Plays—National Road March Champion
2. Carry It—Bunji Garlin—253
3. Thousands—Ian Alvarez (Bunji Garlin)—22

Originally posted on the blog Sokah2Soca (www.sokah2soca.com). We bring you only the best new music, while Island Vybe Radio rocks it live on the air!

 

As the National Junior Calypso Monarch, Xhaiden took the stage at Carnival Lagniappe, strutting and leaving a legacy that 'the future of Calypso is bright!' Not since a young Machel Montano took the stage decades ago have we seen such a talent. We are blessed, in Trinidad and Tobago, to continually discover and showcase talented people. Xhaiden ascends to the top and will remain a formidable presence for years to come. 

 

For this post, we feature two performances by Xhaiden. One Calypso and the other Chutney, yes Chutney, and with that one can understand that he is culturally grounded  and will dominate with such diversity in his musical arsenal. Experiencing Xhaiden's talent alongside those at the Savannah in Port of Spain and an international audience was a pleasure. 

 

We wish much success and the development of  his talent and rise to fame and fortune as a future Calypso, Soca, and Chutney Soca giant! His unique blend of genres not only honors tradition but also expands the boundaries of contemporary music. As he continues to innovate and inspire, there’s no doubt that Xhaiden will leave a lasting impact on the Caribbean music scene and beyond.

Originally posted on the blog Sokah2Soca (www.sokah2soca.com). We bring you only the best new music, while Island Vybe Radio rocks it live on the air!

Sometimes winning isn't everything! Winning makes you feel good and may even have a monetary reward and a title attached to it, but being the people's champion is even sweeter! He is the man who delivered Carnival Tabanca, something many of you reading this are experiencing right now. "Carry It" may have placed second for the Road March competition, but what is even better is the fact that it has become an anthem that will continue with fans for the rest of the year! Today we feature  Bunji performing his hit song at PREStige Fete to reminisce a little as you get ready for Carnival Lagniappe. 

 

Bunji had the crowd going, and this was in the early days of the fête season. He not only delivered a stellar performance; he had the revelers in a frenzy. We express our gratitude to Trini Jungle Juice for creating this video, which perfectly captures the Viking of Soca at his peak. 

 

The carnival is over, but the memories linger. We are confident that placing second to Machel Montano will not deter Bunji, and we do hope that he continues to compete regardless of the circumstances and problems with those in charge of and holders of 'fair play' to keep competitions legitimate.  

 

As you continue to celebrate Bunji's successes, and if you did not see the performance, we hope that you can share in the magic and relive the moment as Bunji continues to "Carry It" for all his fans. We do believe that this song will be heard at various Caribbean Carnivals for the rest of the year and that it has a special place in the hearts of Soca music lovers all over the world.  As Bunji continues to inspire and uplift through his music, we encourage everyone to embrace the joy and energy that his performances bring. Together, let's keep the spirit of celebration alive and support our local artists as they shine on both national and international stages.

 

After Trinidad and Tobago's carnival, you may have missed some pleasant surprises. For this post, we are featuring the performance of Kern Summerville and The Sensational Band's performance for Brass Bacchanal on Carnival Monday Night. The previous night featured the Dimanche Gras show, where the King and Queen of the bands and the event of the night, the Calypso Monarch, were selected. After that came J'ouvert and Monday Mas. Monday Mas is for anyone and everyone to go out there with a band or just take to the streets and have fun. After the day's events, tired feet head home to rest for Carnival Tuesday. Now is that it? Absolutely not! On Monday night, at the performing stage erected behind the North Stand was the resurgence of a part of Trinidad Carnival that some of us may have forgotten... Brass—O—Rama, or as it is now labeled, Brass Bacchanal.

 

Remember, back in the day, brass vibes infused Calypso music. But wait—festivals and mas on the road always had a brass band playing sweet music. Then, without anyone noticing, DJs on trucks replaced the brass and steel bands for music on the road. Even worse, brass bands disappeared for feting events in favor of DJs and the newly minted Soca music. This year, we are experiencing a resurgence; Calypso music is once again gaining popularity! Indeed, the resurgence of brass in the music signals the return of brass vibes! The event on Monday night was promising overall, although it began shakily as some bands needed to refine their performances and enhance the sound quality of their instruments. But before you get disappointed, we want you to know that they came through and saved the evening just before the Internet feed 'crashed." This occurred when half of the scheduled bands had already performed. We cannot comment on what we did not witness, nor did we stream the second half of the show. The word is that WACK Visual Radio 90.1FM digitally recorded the event to be shown at a later date. 

 

As mentioned, when Kern Summerville and The Sensational Band took the stage and warmed up before their performance, playing Merchants "Be Careful" (yuh got tuh be careful) with vocals by Chuck Gordon, the vibe of the event changed. The quality of the brass music was excellent, and they electrified the evening's proceedings. It was wonderful! Then came their main performance, where they dazzled by playing Machel Montano's "Bet Meh." 

 

Kern Summerville and The Sensational Band not only played excellent music, but they also added to the evening presentation with a skit on stage showing the cast betting to add life to the song of choice, "Bet Meh!" After the live stream abruptly stopped, my desire to hear more increased, but then the feed crashed! The vibe will not be the same listening after the actual event, but if the bands live up to expectations with sweet music, then the sadness of not being able to experience the event on that night will  be negated. Let the music play, and let's ensure that brass music remains a part of our Carnival culture.