Grenada will have to crown a new Calypso monarch in 2026 as eleventh time calypso king Finley Jeffrey better known as “Scholar” will be staying out of this year’s competition.
Speaking to THE NEW TODAY on Tuesday, “Scholar” who is also the Tent Manager of Kaiso Bards said that he is busier in writing songs for many artists who are taking part in this year’s competition.
He said that managing the affairs of the two tents – Kaiso Bards and Kaiso bards 2.0 is taking up a lot of his time.
“It’s a lot of hard work and time to get things moving the right way,” he added.
The current acting Clerk of Parliament also highlighted the unavailability of musicians as one of the serious challenges facing the local Tents in the country.
The reigning calypso monarch noted that for the past ten or so years, the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) musical band was the entity that produces the most musicians on the island that back calypsoes, especially the horn men.
“Right now, for the last ten or so years, the horn men are basically the same in the police band. No new people coming in, so at some point this will never be sustainable,” he remarked.
According to Scholar, he is really excited with the transition of suspended Roman Catholic priest Fr Gerald Paul into calypso at the tent level for the very first time.
He said that Fr. Paul “could sing, he can perform” and if everything goes well, he is confident that the Priest/Calypsonian will make it into the calypso finals to be held in August.