Icom's Blog (777)

The format for the finals of the International Soca Monarch (ISM) Competition has not yet been finalised but it should be mostly the same with a few changes.

The Caribbean Prestige Foundation’s Play Whe ISM’s new creative director, Simon Baptiste said he would like to put his stamp on the event but does not want any changes to be an injustice to the brand or the fans.…

The format for the finals of the International Soca Monarch (ISM) Competition has not yet been finalised but it should be mostly the same with a few changes.

The Caribbean Prestige Foundation’s Play Whe ISM’s new creative director, Simon Baptiste said he would like to put his stamp on the event but does not want any changes to be an injustice to the brand or the fans.…

Usain Bolt dropped off a new soca single “Energy To Burn” remix with Trinidad’s own Ultimate Rejects.

Usain Bolt has always branded himself as not just a speedster but someone who can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. He has dabbled in football, having trained with Borussia Dortmund and even played for the Soccer Air World XI charity team. While he has hung up his football cleats, he has taken on…

In case you missed it, soca star, Patrice Roberts was a guest this afternoon on urban radio station, Boomchampions 94.1FM. She had a nice one on one interview and vibes session with hosts, Kevin Baker, SupaHype, Showtime Selvon and DJ Keron who doubles up as Patrice’s official touring DJ. Thing is, the Patrice we heard this afternoon was so in charge of her interview that not even the tricky questions could scare…

Just last year Usain Bolt created a stir when he added producer to his resume with the debut of the Olympe Rose riddim to promote his champagne of the same name. Now, the Jamaican sprint legend-turned-entrepreneur-turned-producer is ready to flex his vocal chops. The soca lover is featured on a remix of ' Energy To Burn' by Trinidadian group, Ultimate Rejects - as a recording artiste.

"I never put…

Gamal Doyle is heating up Soca stages once again in Trinidad and Tobago. Y’all know Gamal right? Yes! Skinny Fabulous! He’s back with pure fire ahead of Carnival 2020 in Trinidad and Tobago, delivering not just a couple hits, but several, among them, another big collaboration, this time with Machel Montano and Neil ‘Iwer’ George.

Skinny has been globe trotting over the past year. His…

Attorney Sunil Rishi Nowbutt has been selected for the semi-finalists of the 2020 edition of Chutney Soca Monarch.

He would compete against 45 artistes at Space, Gulf View, La Romaine next week Saturday.

Nowbutt, a part-time lecturer and radio announcer, said it was his first time entering…

Vincentian soca artiste Gamal "Skinny Fabulous" Doyle came to the defence of fellow performer Hollice Mapp aka "Mr Killa," denying claims that soca music contributed to gender-based violence or objectifying women.

Speaking with Newsday after his appointment as brand ambassador for Martell cognac in Macoya, Doyle responded to comments from Barataria MP and former Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan who suggested…

He says he’s got nothing to lose. “I’ve been releasing music, recording professionally since 2005 and I’m yet to make it to mainstream radio. What do I have to lose at this point?” he rationalized. From Guayaguayare, Trinidad, one of the most persistent, hardworking vocalists in the underground Soca music industry, is bursting at the seams, urging programme directors at radio stations across Trinidad and Tobago to create better systems to accommodate…

The de­bate over dance­hall mu­sic be­ing played or per­formed dur­ing the Car­ni­val sea­son in this coun­try has been rag­ing on over the past few weeks. It resur­faced af­ter lo­cal artiste Kern Joseph aka Trinidad Kil­la hit fetes with his 2020 hit “Dyy Zess” but al­so per­formed his pop­u­lar lo­cal dance­hall tune “Gun­man in she hole.” Joseph has had his say on the mat­ter but his man­ag­er, Deli­cia Pat­ter­son, has ex­pressed…

Former Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Fuad Khan has infuriated a sea of Soca music supporters this week, his statements on the influence of soca’s lyrics on the minds of would-be domestic violence perpetrators, causing mass hysteria.

Whether they have a right to be angered or not, his statement has hit hard, giving many a contentious topic to weigh in on. His comment comes…

PASSAGE to Asia Restaurant held the seventh edition of Senses, an all-inclusive fete at Jamboree Park, North Valsayn, on Saturday night.

The event, which promised to be the ultimate food and fete experience, did not disappoint as patrons of the $1,000-a-ticket party were treated to an abundance of food and drink choices from as early as a half an hour before the scheduled start.…

The 2019 In­ter­na­tion­al So­ca Monarch win­ner is in Trinidad and he is hop­ing to pick up an­oth­er crown.

But soon af­ter touch­ing down on T&T shores, the Grena­di­an singer found him­self de­fend­ing the genre of mu­sic as he ad­dressed crit­i­cism that some lo­cal so­ca artistes are re­spon­si­ble for men view­ing women as ob­jects, there­fore con­tribut­ing to do­mes­tic…

Producers of the film “Queen of Soca” being shot in Trinidad and Tobago are now crowdfunding to complete the movie. The movie is said to be 85 percent completed and the plan is to release it in cinemas nationwide by the middle of this year.

According to the producers “This is your opportunity to be part of it. We are raising $15,000US to complete the film. No, we are not asking you to give us $15,000. We…

The annual International Soca Monarch is on, says one of the franchise’s directors, Geoffrey Wharton-Lake. He spoke exclusively to Newsday via phone on Wednesday.

He also confirmed that soca artiste Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez will once again be the annual competition’s chairman.

While he promised to provide further details about the competition and its launch in a…

MSJ political leader David Abdulah slammed Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan for blaming domestic violence on soca in a media conference at the MSJ's Lord Street, San Fernando office on Sunday.

Pointing to what he called a "ridiculous" story in a leading newspaper during his first press conference in the new year, Abdulah said the blame fell squarely on members of Parliament.…

OVER 30 new events have been added to the Carnival events calendar for 2020.

Among those new events are Soka with Her Concert, a Randy Glasgow Production that comes off on February 7, at the Hasley Crawford Stadium and Escape Cooler Cruise that leaves from the Port of Spain Waterfront harbour on February 21 at 10 am.

These new events are just some of the 200 –…

A new event will occupy the Carnival Wednesday slot this year. Described as a mega “fetecert”, the event will feature KI and Neval Chatelal in KI-Neval (prononced Kahnival).

The show being put on by Randy Glasgow Productions will feature other chutney and soca artistes at the Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, from 8 pm on February 19.

Chatelal is the reigning joint…

I Love Soca has certainly grown into its purpose and objective – to create an experience that ­exceeds that of a soca fête. It has now ­become akin to a festival. The ­spacious venue – the cricket grounds of Sabina Park – was transformed into a ‘construction site’ with the signature black-and-yellow tape drawn across scaffolding and ­machinery such as a backhoe and excavator for photo ops bringing its ‘Caution’ theme to life.…

Po­lice Com­mis­sion­er Gary Grif­fith is dis­miss­ing crit­i­cisms of a video cir­cu­lat­ing on so­cial me­dia show­ing him and a so­ca artists danc­ing at his End of Year event.

The video has re­ceived mixed re­spons­es with some peo­ple be­ing crit­i­cal of the par­ty­ing while the mur­der rate re­mains at close to record lev­els, while oth­ers say he is hu­man and al­so…