BIGGIE IRIE HAS a chance of copping the Digicel International Groovy Soca Monarch Competition in Trinidad for the second time.
Biggie, who was runner-up to 2013 Sweet Soca champ Blood, was named among the 11 finalists to try to stop defending monarch Machel from scoring a hat-trick at the big Fantastic Friday showdown at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on February 28. He is the only Bajan in the line-up.
The finalists were announced on Thursday night and Biggie met with the Red Boyz, producers of Need Ah Riddim, yesterday afternoon to discuss the strategy for the night, and ideas for sponsorship.
He did not give a figure on the cost to put on the production, but he said he wants to take the crew that helped him to second place at Soca Royale last year with him to Trinidad.
“I know cost is a very important factor, but I don’t wanna spend nuh big set on presentation, because I don’t wanna take away the focus from the song. I find in Soca Monarch a lotta people get these big elaborate presentations and the focus on the actual song is missed . . . . When I won in 2007 I din have no big elaborate presentation. I went and sing de song.
“I just went up there with a couple dancers, a couple girls in Carnival costumes and I presented the song well.
I would like to do something probably along the lines like what we did at Sweet Soca with the African theme, and about the rhythm and thing and incorporate rhythms of Trinidad in it,” Biggie explained.
He said the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) assisted with airfare to go down for last Sunday’s semifinal and they also got a monetary contribution from Bryden Stokes, but they need some additional assistance.
“It think this is a good opportunity for people to jump on board. They know I won it already in 2007 and there is a possibility that I can win it again. It would be good for Barbados too. It would be good for us to go down there and bring that back home again. It will be a good look for us,” Biggie said.
Noting that Need Ah Riddim is enjoying a lot of airplay and he expects more now that the finalists are known, Biggie said the song enjoyed a good response at the semis and there was loud support from Bajans in the crowd.
A switch with his Vincentian counterpart Skinny Fabulous saw Biggie going on at 14, rather than the original 31 and he said it worked in his favour.
“I always wanted to go on early. Going on down in de back, down in 30 and 31, I think you have to work a little harder because the crowd is bigger. So I was glad for that. I don’t know what number I’m going on at this time, but they’re only 11 of us. I would like to go on at five or seven.” Even though he said he didn’t think Need Ah Riddim is as big as the winning Nah Going Home, Biggie said people know it and that it has another good look because it was written by Trinidadian Jason “Shaft” Bishop.
Even though he expects big challenges from the likes of Machel, Destra and Kerwin Dubois Biggie said “I feel I could bring it home. If not I could get up in dey man.
“I just gotta work on my presentation and make sure that I sing de song real, real sweet. ’Cause the song has melody, it’s groovy and it’s sweet already. So it’s just how I deliver it now,” he stated.
Biggie said the crowd that witnessed him in his attempt at a fourth finals appearance saw a little bit of riddim from his waist just like the Sweet Soca fans last year.
“I wine Sunday. I ain’t wuk-up bad, but I wine Sunday and the people enjoy it. I gine gi dem a li’l piece more on the 28th,” he added.
