2018 Carib Soca Monarch, Brandon Harding managed to edge newcomer Steven Ramphal by a mere point to retain the title when the competition was held at the National Park Tarmac on Saturday evening.
Harding performed “Alone” with a full complement of backup dancers and props while Steven Ramphal performed “Soca in meh vein”. Ramphal bagged off $750,000 for copping the second spot while he will receive another $100,000 for the best new comer. Harding walked away with a whopping $1.5 Million.
Coming in third was the lone police officer in the competition, ‘Vintage’ who performed “Soca King” and in fourth position was the three-time monarch, Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo.
The top performers have definitely set a high bar for those who have aspirations coming into the competition in 2020.
Speaking with the Guyana Times, Harding noted that he was confident in retaining the title. He posited that a lot of work have been put into his performance which without a doubt was enough to win the judges’ hearts.
He explained that going into the competition, Jumo Primo was his biggest competitor but after seeing the performance by Steven Ramphal, he knows that it will be an uphill task.
He noted that Saturday evening definitely did not go well for Primo, but he is cognizant that the former monarch is still one of the greatest and most energetic Guyanese performers on stage.
Nevertheless, he was ecstatic when he was named the winner in the wee hours of Sunday morning. He thanked his team for the support and is expected to successfully defend his title in 2020.
