ÂFya EmpressÊ takes Calypso Queen title

LORNETTE ‘FYA EMPRESS’ NEDD is the 2023 Queen of Calypso in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

She earned the honour, in her debut entry in the competition, when she dethroned defending Queen- Shaunelle ‘Singing Shaunelle’ McKenzie, and defeated nine other contenders, on Saturday 3rd June, at the Russell’s Auditorium, Kingstown.

‘Singing Shaunelle’ slipped to third in the pecking order having been also outdone by ‘Nubian Empress’, whose second place was her most successful showing to date, albeit in a short career. ‘Fya Empress’ rendered the song ‘Price of Neglect’ which focused on children’s issues, skillfully crafted around the basis of the African Proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’.

She presented with a command that was unmatched on the evening. Her elocution, punctuated with appropriately placed emphasis, her sustained melodious and precise interpretations, her in-person delivery that exuded empathy made for an allround, near perfect presentation which if equalled, and/or improved, will make her a strong contender should she be selected for the National Calypso Monarch competition, which from all indications so far is a given.

Her performance moved at least one patron to voice that she reminded him of the late, great Barbadian-Trinidadian calypsonianFrancine ‘Singing Francie’ Edwards. Quite a compliment.

Unlike in the past when there was speculation as to who might have written a song for whom, ‘Fya Empress’, in an interview with the API, made public her thanks to the song’s composer — Christopher Grant, a renowned Trinidad and Tobago attorney/calypso composer who has written for no less than five National Calypso Monarchs in that country. This was the first time, according to ‘Fya Empress’ that Grant had written for her.

With this victory, ‘Fya Empress’ has added to a suite of firsts she has already accumulated here.

She lists two National Calypso Monarch titles on her resume - 2012 and 2017; Ragga Soca and Road March titles in 2012; and a second place in the Soca Monarch competition — 2012.

She is one among a rarefied class of three females to have won the National Calypso Monarch title, the others being Monique ‘Princess Monique’ Hector in 2003, 2004, 2008 and Bridget ‘Joy_C’ Creese in 2009 and 2010.

And she has already made known her intention to add another National Calypso Monarch title to her accolades. Saying that while winning the Queen of Calypso Monarch is an accomplishment in itself, her ‘real game’ is the National Calypso Monarch where she will come toe to toe with the best male bards in the land.

Given her Queen of Calypso performance, she should not be taken lightly.

The top three female bards: Queen ‘Fya Empress’ (seated), Ist Runner up ‘Nubian Empress (right) and ‘Singing Shaunelle’.