Grenada's soca star, Berbice, will be making his grand debut at the finals of the 2009 International Soca Monarch Competition to be held at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday, February 20. The New York-based artist, who has already won a Road March crown in The Spice Isle and has performed on international stages in every major continent, will join his fellow countrymen Electrify & Luni Spark as they vie against a slate of artists from Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and St. Vincent. Each of these artists will be going all out for the supreme international crown of soca and a first prize of TT1 million (approximately £115,000) dollars. To the pleasure of soca fans worldwide, the big show and competition on Friday would be broadcast live in over 31 territories through satellite television and online platforms via cable music channel-MTV TEMPO. The details of this announcement was made by Gregory Fernandez, the Executive president of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation, on Friday 13 at a media briefing held at Trinidad & Tobago's Ministry of Culture building at La Fantasie Road, St. Ann's. The entire list of artists moving on to the finals from the February 8 Semi Final competition are as follows: in the Power Soca category - i) Bunji Garlin (defending); ii) Fat-Ann Lyons (second in the Semi final); iii) Iwer George (first in the Semi final); iv) Blaxx (third in the Semi Final); v) Shurwayne Wynchester (sixth in the Semi final); vi) Patrice Roberts (fifth in the Semi final); vii) Berbice "Lester Bowen" (fourth in the Semi final); viii) Claudette Petere (Antigua's 2008 Soca Monarch); ix) Skinny Fabulous (St Vincent's 2008 Soca Monarch); x) Ricky T (St Lucia's 2008 Soca Monarch); xi) Khiomal (Barbados' 2008 Soca Monarch; and xii) Luni Sparks and Electrify (Grenada's 2008 Soca Monarch). Additionally, in the Groovy Soca category the finalists are: i) Shurwayne Wynchester (defending); ii) Fay-Ann Lyons; iii) Nadia Batson; iv) Hunter; v) Patch; vi) Kerwyn Dubois; vii) Benjai; viii) Zan; ix) Zoelah (St. Vincent); x) Tizzy (Antigua); and xi) Biggie Irie (Barbados). Since its inception by Grenada--born William Munroe in 1993, this competition has done much to advance its vision – "to ensure that the Soca art-form gains mainstream music status." And despite a few hiccups along the way, the managers of this iconic cultural forum are continuing in their labour of love, creating an "environment where[in] soca music could be exhibited on an international stage while simultaneously being enjoyed by fans of the genre." Other Grenadians who have graced the big soca monarch stage as finalists in past years, include Tallpree, who placed third in 2001 and Hollis "Mr. Killa" Mapp who came later. As Joseph "Rocking J" Douglas, the New York-based international promoter/producer who manages Berbice and is an agent for T&T's Patch, puts it, "soca music from around the Caribbean has come a long way, and this competition offers apt exposure to some of the region's most talented artists." The finals of the International Soca Monarch Competition is one of the major cultural events to be held in Trinidad & Tobago during the weekend which precedes the Carnival Monday and Tuesday festivities – February 23 and 24, 2009. Next to Brazil, T&T has the world's most colourful and artistically engaging Carnival, which showcases the works of costume designers, wordsmiths, composers, musicians (especially panists), playwrights and singers. Everyone - from masquerader to spectator - truly gets "ah piece" of the action in T&T's Carnival. From Gerry Hopkins Hopkins Communications & Hopkins Promotions INSIDE GRENADA NEWS