
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Women took the second and third positions in the Soca Monarch competition on Saturday in one of the first instalment of the show in which a female placed among the top three.
Lornette “Fya Empress” Nedd placed second behind Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle while Shaunelle Mc Kenzie was third.
Skinny Fabulous won his fourth crown during the show at Victoria Park.
He and Delroy “Fireman Hooper”, who has won seven crowns, have dominated the competition over the past several years.
Skinny told I-Witness News that women were becoming a real challenge to their menfolk in the soca arena.
“… to have two [women] taking second and third, I think that is something commendable. … So they are now becoming a force to reckon with,” he said after being crowned.
Skinny said the pyrotechnics that was supposed to be part of his performance did not work and he was nervous that Fya had won.
Fya has been singing soca for 14 years and won the Ragga Soca crown on June 29.
In her presentation Saturday night, Fya, dressed as a green-eyed pirate in black and white outfit, entered the stage carried aloft in a boat before performing “Rum Please”.
Shaunelle, who has entered the soca arena through junior calypso, which she won previously, wore an elaborate feathered headdress and a black jump suit as she performed “Carry On”.
Fireman opted out of the competition this year and did not appear as a guest artiste, although the Carnival Development Corporation said they had agreed to his request to make a guest appearance.
No explanation was given for the non-appearance.