Icom's Blog – January 2019 Archive (13)

Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival will officially culminate on March 4 and 5 and will set off another Carnival circuit throughout the Caribbean and the diaspora for yet another year. But with so many Carnivals to choose from and with all basically offering similar events, parties with the same top soca stars and costumes with the same aesthetic, Carnival lovers are spoiled for choice.  If you’re wondering if T&T’s Carnival should stay on your…

For many Jamaicans the mesmerising pull of soca music is undeniable. It is this same hypnotic force that draws them more than 1,000 miles across the Caribbean Sea to revel in the beats, melodies and excitement that comes with Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, annually.

“For Jamaicans, who are ardent soca fans, Trinidad Carnival is definitely a bucket list item,” said Kandi King, Director of…

Car­ni­val is se­ri­ous busi­ness in T&T, gen­er­at­ing more than $30 mil­lion in rev­enue an­nu­al­ly.

For cre­ative en­tre­pre­neurs in fields rang­ing from mu­sic to fash­ion and art, this means op­por­tu­ni­ties to build brands and launch em­pires.

Car­ni­val al­so has an im­por­tant ex­port…

What’s the time Mr.Wolf? Bac­cha­nal time! Car­ni­val. A time to wear things you may not usu­al­ly be seen in at any oth­er time of year. A time to show up and show out, if you so de­sire. But, if you need some help fig­ur­ing what’s in and what’s not, then this ar­ti­cle should give you an idea on what’s trend­ing so you can in­cor­po­rate them in­to looks for this sea­son.…

After treading lightly for Carnival 2018 while her broken ankle healed, Destra Garcia is back with a bang.

The Queen of Bacchanal has been blazing up Instagram with sizzling photos from her recent video shoot for the song ‘Wine of the Century’.

In 2018, she did two videos for…

Soca Vi-queen, Fay Ann Lyons Alvarez has been named to oversee this year's International Soca Monarch.

The announcement was made by her uncle, NCC Chairman Winston 'Gypsy' Peters, on Morning Edition today.

An official designation for Lyons-Alvarez has not been…

She is the soca recording artiste who sings, "sokah till I die, sokah give me life," and she is serious about that. But would you believe that growing up, Nailah Blackman did not like the meaning behind the music of her birthplace?

As the daughter of calypsonian Abbi Blackman and the granddaughter of the proclaimed father of soca, Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman), Nailah was witness to all the makings of…

Choc’late Allen has toured the US and Caribbean sharing her story of our music and this year she’s taking it to a new level, with a new sound and new team.

“I’m homeschooled and that essentially is a defining aspect of my life,” the musician pointed out. “Growing up in a musical family, given the direct link to my dad, it’s one of those things I simply could not ignore. Music is my high, when a song comes…

THERE are some fetes that have stamped their place on TT’s Carnival calendar. There is little denying that the annual “Bishop’s fete” is one of them.

This year’s fete will take place on February 2 at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain.

Le Rouge et Noir –City of Red and Black is the fete’s 2019 theme. The fete’s organising committee the Old Hilarians Association said, in…

CHUTNEY BRASS is now Chutneyland. One of Carnival’s mainstays has re-branded itself for the 2019 season. In a release issued to media, its organisers, Randy Glasgow Productions (RGP) said the time had come “when even the biggest and most popular of events must evolve and transition to a higher level. RGP has therefore decided to lay the Chutney Brass Festival to rest and introduce for Carnival 2019 a new and much more dynamic event titled,…

Jamaican reggae love crooner Jah Cure has been added to the cast of entertainers for Tobago Loves Soca, a new three-night event. 

In a release, TLS promoter Randy Glasgow said Jah Cure is as much a staple to Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean’s entertainment circuit as are artists like Machel Montano, Bunji…

ANDRE JEREMIAH SANDIFORD, 20, touched his family and friends when he rapped at his father’s funeral. His passion for music pushed him to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Now, calling himself Soca Dre, he is aiming to make a name for himself in Carnival 2019.

Soca Dre loved to perform as a child. He started singing calypso when he was eight in primary school. With the help of his parents he…

The Soca Drome may be a central part of Carnival 2019 as the National Carnival Commission (NCC) moves to incorporate the Jean Pierre Complex parade with the mainstream mas.

NCC chairman Winston "Gypsy" Peters shared this detail with Sunday Newsday as he addressed the perennial concern about routes for Carnival bands. Peters said the issue has been a talking point for the NCC for some time but details are…