THE 2018 Calypso Monarch is glad that he was crowned the King Supreme. But winning the title was never his first or only priority.
TC Brown won the national calypso crown for a second time in 17 years last weekend, edging out all contenders — and defeating the 2017 Monarch, The Mighty Pep.
His two songs – ‘Rasta’ and ‘Hand That Feed’ won the judges’ nod – and audience approval — at ‘The Sab’ (Vigie Playing Field) last Saturday evening.
Asked how he feels about winning the crown again after all of those 17 years, TC said, “As calypsonians, we always want to win. But for me, the most important thing is to make my contribution every year – and if I win, I win…”
“It’s not only about winning. It’s also about the contribution you make to the whole calypso cake…”
“That’s where you start to weigh your chances against the competition,”
The dedicated calypsonian is also a full-time broadcaster, daily spinning tracks and venting words on The Wave, one of the island’s most popular FM radio stations.
The veteran singer, who is also a musician, won the national calypso monarch’s title for the first time back in 2001 with two songs ‘Rise and Shine’ and ‘I Like’ (Wha’ Wrong Wid Dat?)
The first (song) was also the year’s test tune for the Diamond Steel Orchestra, which earned the pan-side the winning place in the National Panorama contest that year. The second song (written with Semi Francis and Teddy V) was presented onstage with popular entertainer and radio personality ‘Solange’.
TC Brown gave his all for the season and the Rastaman took home all the (proverbial) bacon.
And while winning was not his sole objective, his crowning and his return to the local calypso monarch’s throne cannot but be a splendid achievement for one of the island’s most dedicated calypsonians.