Nine advance to Chutney Monarch finals – Slated for Feb. 22 at Better Hope Ground

Feb 12, 2020 News

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After a packed programme of 16 thrilling performances, nine persons have advanced to the final leg of the National Chutney Song Competition 2020.
The finalists are Pooran Seeraj, Christopher Ramphal, AW Lyrical, Tony Cuttz, Vanita Willie, Bunty Singh, Arjit Singh, Young Bill Rogers and Vicadi Singh.

Come February 22, at Better Hope Community Ground, these nine songbirds will compete in a bid to dethrone the competition’s reigning Monarch, Steven Ramphal.
It was Ramphal who brought the curtain down on last Friday’s semi-final hosted at the Skeldon Heritage Resort, Corentyne Berbice, Region Six.
There, he did a musical tribute to his wife, while giving the audience a hint of what his defending performance will look like.The young father of one also showcased his talents in other genres of music, including Reggae and Soca.
Ramphal, also the second place finisher of the 2019 Soca Monarch Competition, is pledging to bring his ‘A’ game to the finals of both the Chutney and Soca stages, because judging by the semi-finals of both competitions, the road to the crown is certainly not smooth.
The semi-finals of the Chutney competition opened with a ‘warm up’ performance from ‘Roger P’ of the Shakti Strings Band, who dished out a number of engaging Soca pieces that set the tone for an exciting competition.
The actual competition commenced with a performance from Chandrapaul Nathoo who delivered a piece called, ‘Guyana Together’. The performance sought to promote the unity aspect of the Golden Republic Jubilee theme – ‘Guyana Together; Reflect. Celebrate. Transform.’
After the first performance, the competition took on a rather culinary flare, with Pooran Seeraj’s ‘Dhal and roti’, which tells the humorous tale of how a woman’s delicious roti and dhal got him hooked.

Third on the list of competitors was Trinidadian, Ravi Mohabir who belted out a piece called ‘Hari Naam.’ His performance was followed by that of finalist, Chris Ramphal, who rolled his waist to the beats of ‘Dholak Bajay’, which had the audience ‘screwing bulbs’ and beating dholaks (drums).
The competition maintained its energetic pace with Bunty Singh’s performance of ‘She want me to be she Raja’, a song seasoned perfectly with a dash of relatable Creolese lyrics that told the story of how the ‘Raja’ refused the advances of “an outside woman”.
In the song, a witty Bunty declared that he will not be leaving his wife for a “sweet woman”, since he only likes his wife’s porridge.
Next on stage was Ravindra Singh who delivered another up-beat number, this time, telling the story of a wife’s dedication to preserving the Hindu culture of wearing hers indoor to showcase her marital status.
Singh’s performance did not earn enough points for entry into the finals, but it did earn him a few new fans.
Picking up from Pooran Seeraj’s food-centered performance, was AW Lyrical who took to the stage with a piece that declared his unwavering love for seven-curry; a love that was portrayed so tastefully, that it earned him a spot in the finals.

The competition took another brief diversion from food as Mona Singh serenaded the audience with her song – ‘My Guyana’. Although she managed to score well in her delivery of the Hindi lyrics, the performance in its entirety was not enough to secure her a spot among the finalists.
But, she was not alone; Queen Alisha and her piece, ‘Me nah have no man’ may have had a catchy chorus that stayed with the audience, but her overall performance was not enough to take her closer to the Chutney crown.
The same was not the case for Ramesh Brijnauth called ‘Tony Cuttz.’ This well-groomed newcomer managed to almost instantaneously win the hearts of not only the audience, but the judges as well.
He turned up the heat, dishing out another food-inspired piece called, “Neighbour roti”, a witty tale of how he would sneak into the neighbour’s house when her husband leaves for work, to “eat her roti”.
The competition then took a rather sentimental turn with former Chutney Queen, Vanita Willie belting out a dynamic piece called “A Mother’s love”. The song’s inspirational lyrics, according to Willie, were a tribute to all the strong, dedicated women in her life, including her mother.
Despite the emotional words, the song was perhaps one of the most up-beat pieces of the evening. Willie’s captivating dance moves and excellent delivery of Hindi lyrics were perhaps just two of the areas that propelled her to the finals once more.
Willie will be joined by the energetic Vicadi Singh, who belted out a piece called ‘Mousie and she Tassa,’ a catchy dance number that had sections of the audience engaged in a dance off.
The dance sessions continued when another former Chutney Monarch – Young Bill Rogers took to the stage with a riveting piece that pays tribute to the Chutney legends of Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad. The delivery of this insightful number earned the former Chutney King a much coveted spot in the finals.
Also heading to the finals is Arjit Singh, a memorable performer from the 2019 Chutney competition, singing his new song, ‘Sangeet Bhaaje.’ The spicy number took a nationalistic approach by calling for unity and harmony among all Guyanese.
The final competitor of the evening was Eze ‘King Solo’ Baird who performed a piece called, ‘Lowtie’.
In addition to many of the humorous pieces, the audience was also guaranteed a few hearty laughs with the presence of Malcom ‘Wickedee’ Ferreira who emceed the programme alongside the glamourous, Ms. Umadevi Bux.
At the end of the competition, most of the contestants expressed gratitude to the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport, along with the Republic Golden Jubilee Committee for hosting the competition.
All in all, the Semi-Final performances of the Chutney Song Competition sent a crystal clear message that exciting things are slated to happen at the finals, come February 22, at the Better Hope Community Ground, East Coast Demerara.The contestants will be vying for more than $2.7 million in cash, with King/Queen set to walk away with $1.5 million.

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