St. Lucia’s Soca Star Advances to Finals of World Contest.
St. Lucia’s two time Groovy King and soca star Teddyson John (TJ), is one of 17 who will vie for the prestigious title of the International Soca Monarch (IMS) this year.
Last Sunday, TJ delivered a stellar performance of his hit single ‘Allez’ at the semifinal competition at the Hasley Crawford Stadium leaving all present in total awe of his artistic and musical genius.
An article in the Trinidad Express titled “Poor vocals plague Soca Monarch semis” which sparked much public debate, provided a rather vivid description of the various performances of the night. After having highlighted the ‘bad and the ugly’ of the night , it then moved into applauding the better performances and, climaxed by articulating TJ’s performance as this: “They (competing artistes) will all be chasing St Lucian Teddyson John, however, come Fantastic Friday night. The ‘AllezAllez’ man gave a master class in performance art, striking the perfect balance between energy on stage and crowd engagement all while maintaining vocal integrity.”
Upon the announcement of the finalists St. Lucians, fans, supporters, artistes and well-wishers have all taken to social and digital media commending and congratulating TJ on his advancement to the finals. Media houses, djs and radio talk shows have also been outpouring with congratulatory messages.
Just hours before his performance on Sunday, TJ shared a short video with social media followers saying: “This is it! Today is the day .This journey has just began. I wanna thank everyone of u for your love and support. It means so much.”
In commenting on the official news of his placement in the ISM finals TJ had this to say: “Upon departing St. Lucia to begin this new journey on unfamiliar territory, I was determined to remain focused on my mission which is share my gift of music and this positive message behind ‘Allez’ but more importantly show the world what St. Lucia is made of. Many people have been asking why didn’t they know about me or my music sooner, but I’ve learned to trust the timing of the Most High. It is not coincidence that this is all happening now and I’m just happy I never gave up on my dream and I am proud of the work that I have put in day in and day out and so I am simply embracing it all.”
The finals of the ISM competition otherwise known as Fantastic Friday will take place on Friday February 5 at the Hasley Crawford Stadium.