When businessman William Munroe, a longstanding patron of calypso, organised the first Soca Monarch competition more than three decades ago, his vision was for an entire show where soca lovers could party and express themselves.
In the early 1990s when Munroe went in pursuit of that dream, soca was already an established musical genre but was only granted an occasional cameo in the National Calypso Monarch competition, which to this day continues to be dominated by social and political commentary.
From the first Soca Monarch competition in 1993, the event grew in popularity, featuring the Road March contenders and providing the musical content for pre-Carnival fetes and the parade of the bands.
By the time the competition was rebranded International Soca Monarch (ISM) in 1996—a significant transition because for the first time acts from around the world were eligible to compete—it had become one of the major events in T&T Carnival.
It became synonymous with Carnival Friday, which became known as Fantastic Friday, and attracted participation by soca heavyweights from across the Caribbean, as well as sell-out crowds.
With titles at stake for Power Soca and Groovy Soca, ISM was, at its peak, one of the most highly anticipated events on the Carnival calendar.
From the start, the Soca Monarch competition attracted the best in the business. The first final was held on February 11, 1993, at The Spectrum, a venue located on the site now occupied by MovieTowne, and featured a lineup that included Sparrow, Shadow, Gypsy, Crazy and Baron.
SuperBlue won that first title with Bacchanal Time and went on to win the competition seven times —a record that remains unbeaten.
Sadly, despite this and many other memorable Soca Monarch moments, the competition had been in decline since the mid-2000s, struggling to attract sponsorship and plagued by poor attendance after several major soca stars, including Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez, opted out of the competition.
Although there were protests by some diehard soca fans when ISM was cancelled in 2022 due to a lack of funding, by that time the event had more detractors than supporters.
Munroe stepped away from involvement in ISM, which is owned by the Caribbean Prestige Foundation (CPF) for the Performing Arts, many years ago and for a while after his departure, his successors were able to keep his dream and the event alive.
The factors that led to the demise of ISM two years ago need to be front and centre now that Tourism and Culture Minister Randall Mitchell has set in motion plans for the competition’s revival.
For any chance of success, however, it cannot be the same show. New and innovative elements must be included to make it a star-studded marquee event, attracting both top-flight and emerging artistes.
That is the only way to regain the sold-out crowds that will guarantee ISM’s Carnival Friday domination.
Taking Munroe’s vision to the next level requires the involvement of proven professionals from initial planning to the grand finale, otherwise, even with support from the state, the return of ISM will be an exercise in futility.
A crucial first step will be to assemble experienced event planners, marketing and logistics experts, promoters, investors and other qualified individuals with proven track records.
Do it properly, or not at all.