Ricky T delivering his energetic performance of Mass Attack
Saint Lucia’s reigning Groovy and Power Soca Monarch Ricky T did not enter this year’s Trinidad Soca Monarch competition because the funds required for his trip did not materialise in a “timely manner”.
Below is a press release from Stratosphere Muzic on the matter:
This belief that the most important thing is to be in the Trinidad Soca Monarch competition regardless of your chances of success is a fallacy. The reality is Saint Lucia’s reigning Groovy and Power Soca Monarch as well as Road March King Ricky T – winner of an unprecedented 15 titles – did not enter the competition this year.
Following his success in the 2013 soca competitions, Ricky T and his label, Stratosphere Muzic – devised a plan to ensure he not only entered the competition but that everything was done to ensure he would be a successful representative for the country. That plan included the production of two music videos for his 2013 title winning songs, a public relations trip months ahead of the competition to ensure the songs received airplay and were known to the public and a budget for presenting the songs at competition.
To be successful, that plan required funding in a timely manner which did not materialize. Proof of this can be found in the release of his “40 Days 40 Nights” music video on January 23, 2014 – ironically the very day of the deadline for applying for the soca monarch competition in Trinidad.
Furthermore, while the video has to date only been released online, it has received over 14,000 hits and was the number 3 of ten Top Videos for the Week on trinijunglejuice.com, one day after the popular website uploaded it. In other words, had everything gone according to plan, there is no telling how successful Ricky T could have been in that Trinidad competition.
The online speculation and innuendo that has accompanied the release of the semi-finalists in this year’s Trinidad Soca Monarch is baffling. The Saint Lucia Soca Monarch is not required to compete in Trinidad or anywhere else. Further in the past three years when no Saint Lucian has competed, the blame for it was a lack of government funding. Why then is this time around a matter of Ricky T not qualifying?
Did HP not qualify when he did not go to Trinidad in 2010 and Ricky T not qualify one year later when he too did not compete in Trinidad? Did TJ and Superman HD not qualify in 2012? Then why must the reason this time around be that Ricky T did not qualify?
Ricky T is the undisputed King of Saint Lucian Soca. It is not a title that should ever be questioned – his success speaks for itself. Further, Ricky T will be accompanied by his Stratosphere Muzic label mates Mongstar and Marie-Anne in Martinique where they are slated to headline a show the very week-end of Trinidad Soca Monarch.
This booking is only one of other commitments overseas. There is more than one way to measure success and going to a competition “just to be there” with no chance of success could never be anyone’s definition.