Soca Monarch Bunji: They cheated Fay-AnnBy Denise Balgobin Sunday, February 3 2008
Bunji Garlin won the International Soca Monarch competition held on Friday night at the Queen’s Park Oval, but he disagrees with the results. Yesterday Garlin told Sunday Newsday he felt his wife Fay-Ann Lyons should have won instead.
Bunji said this yesterday afternoon in answer to several calls from people to a radio station expressing dissatisfaction that Fay-Ann placed third instead of either first or second.
Garlin admitted he liked a fair battle and several things didn’t go as well as he wanted during his performance. “I like to feel victory and I didn’t get that last night. After seeing Fay-Ann’s performance, I told her: You win. You beat me tonight.”
He added that her father Superblue was there looking on at both of them and felt Fay-Ann had delivered a smooth, beautiful presentation. “He told me afterwards that he loves me and wants me to win, but he loves his daughter and she was taking the title,” Garlin admitted.
“When they announced her in third place, I felt they cheated her. She is very hurt about the whole thing. The majority of the nation does not agree with the second place. But we believe that what one hand takes, the other replaces. I don’t know what a good Road March tune sounds like since I never had one, but I know my wife is one of the favourites this year and I wish her the best.”
Fay-Ann echoed her husband’s words when Sunday Newsday spoke to her. “In the past years, I have always accepted the judge’s decision, but this time, I knew the title should have been mine. My performance was not a third place one. I want to openly express my congratulations to Bunji Garlin on his win. I know Ian likes to win outright and even he told me I should have placed either first or second. Bunji commented on it as a fellow artiste and even some of the other artistes who were there told me I should win,” she admitted.
“I don’t know what the judges saw, because if you compare the performance, lyrics, melody and even crowd participation, something is not right.”
Fay-Ann added that she feels the way Nadia Batson must have felt last year when people also felt she was cheated. “I think it’s because we are women. They don’t want a woman to win and I am thankful that the country is expressing their feelings about the results. If someone doesn’t speak up now, the same thing will happen again when another female artiste gives a winning performance.”
She also stated outright that “no matter how big my song is next year, I will not be entering the Soca Monarch competition.”
Described as “the people’s artiste” by many, by the time Bunji Garlin got into position to be hoisted into the air close to the end of his performance at the International Soca Monarch competition, it was clear he was the crowd’s favourite.
Garlin’s performance of his Maestro remake “Fiery” on Friday night at Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, had the huge crowd chanting “Bunji, Bunji” even after he left the stage. It therefore came as no surprise to many persons still at the Oval early yesterday morning when he was named the new Soca Monarch (his fourth win in the competition) pushing last year’s winner Iwer George with “Over Yuh Head” into second place, with Fay-Ann’s “Get On” third and Nadia Batson’s “My Posse” fourth.
In the Groovy Monarch category, Shurwayne Winchester placed first with “Carnival Please Stay”, while Patrice Roberts singing “More Wuk” came in second, radio DJ Shal Marshall and Kerwin Dubois with “Gal Farm” third and Farmer Nappy with “Own Woman” came fourth.
When contacted Winchester, he stated that the win was not just for him but for his new team, which is also overseeing his image and logo change.
“I am happy that I was able to do something for the team and my fans. It was also great for me since my mom was there to see me perform. She was helping with the presentation from day one and she even prepared the bake and shark that the masqueraders on stage were eating.”
He revealed that the food was for the team and he was supposed to get a sandwich as well, but the performers got so caught up eating that when he finished singing, there was none left for him.
