THERE WILL be three battles at Bushy Park on July 25 for the rebranded Soca Royale, with the overall winner driving home a brand new car.And officials of the National Cultural Foundation insist that the planned contest between the winners of the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions will not be battling on an uneven playing field.The winner will be chosen through a combination of texting (40 per cent) and scores from the judges (60 per cent).A question was raised as to the fairness of such a competition, given the different tempo stipulations for the two competitions and the fact that the Sweet Soca was for artistes who would normally not qualify for the Party Monarch. But festival coordinator David Jordan told the SATURDAY SUN it would come down to the popularity of the song.He added that it was entirely possible for the slower song to win the contest. While not going into too many details, Jordan said the contest was an attempt to make the event more exciting.“Hopefully, there are two and not one person winning both. One person could still win both technically, if they have two separate songs. “Create a hype and excitement around the face-off between the two of them, culminating in the prize being a wonderful and exciting car,” Jordan explained.Unlike last year, competitors will be unable to enter the same song for both competitions. According to the rules, a song vying for the Sweet Soca must be a maximum of 125 beats per minute, while the Party Monarch must be 126 and higher. (YB)
