The curtains came down last night in what was a spectacular showing of local talent for the Baje to the World Season 3 Finals, and ending the night as monarch was singing sensation Kyrique Alleyne.
Alleyne closed out the night of vocal opulence at the Wildey Gymnasium with his performances of Just the Way You Are by Tarrus Riley and Number One Fan by Anton Jones in the first half. Last night, he became $20, 000 richer and also earned himself a Caribbean tour with Soca Queen Destra Garcia and a fully funded platinum production deal.
Queen of Bacchanal Destra Garcia, while speaking to the media post competition, said she was impressed with Alleyne from the time she heard him in rehearsals.
“They did bring their A-game, all of them, but I think some of them just got stage fright or just got a little bit of nerves. Some of the performers in the rehearsal last night brought it a little bit more than today, but I did expect the winner to be [Kyrique],” she said. It was clear from the performances tonight,” she said.
Commenting on his win to Barbados TODAY Alleyne said he feels like he truly deserves the top prize, but he “was humbled” by the win as well. “It showcases that they see something in me that I [also] see more in myself, and I can’t do that without my support system. The support system is a foundation of what you stand on and what continues to keep you going in life not only for this competition but for the future,” he said.
On hand in celebration mode was Alleyne’s manager Rico Bradshaw, who was all smiles backstage along with the team and support cast.
Meanwhile, second place went to Kymani Devonish – Mr Showman – who earned $10, 000, a staycation and a record production deal with Red Head Productions. Also stamping his name in the Baje to the World history books was Shaquan Smith, who topped all others in third place. He walked away with $5, 000 in cash and other prizes. Smith maintained his form from the start of competition and last night brought the church to the gym with his rendition of Tamela Mann’s Take Me to the King but also took the congregation to the fete with his medley of Mikey’s My Kinda Party, Roll It by Blood and Stage Gone Bad by Kes and Iwer George.
Other highlights of the evening included performances by Emari who was stronger in the soca genre with Rupee’s Jump, Down de Road by Edwin and Volcano by Red Plastic Bag. The younger finalists, such as eleven-year-old SkyyDrive and Neffi who danced her heart out on stage, showed up and represented well for themselves. Skyy has been making impressions from the start and last night was no different as she worked her magic with My Heart Will Go On, receiving a standing ovation.
Lone spoken word artist Cyndi Celeste was up there as she normally is, this time putting a spin on her performance range by actually singing during her set. Her vocals are pretty good too; it was good to see Celeste going all out in her creative element.
Asanta Blossom stood out once again with her medley of Edwin’s Band of the Year, Yardie and Jammers. We know Asanta could deliver should she venture into soca as her genre of choice, but looking back, she was excellent on the jazz and vintage nights as well.
Neisha always seems to pick the best songs when it comes to the tunes which motivate and inspire. Her rendition of Rise Up by Andra Day was powerful and her performance of Nikita’s Same Way was also top tier.
Reigning Junior Monarch winner in the senior category, Yahandje brought her all on the big day. Whispers in the crowd indicated that her cover of Sip by Joeboy was lovely but did not showcase enough of her vocal range. She was loved nonetheless.
Other performances included those of former Mr Baje to the World Tarique O’neale, Mikey, Destra and reigning Calypso Monarch Quon.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey also performed an original spoken word piece. It was remarkable. He took the audience back to the days of fly sticks and pigeon hunting, connecting with the older members of the audience and bringing stories of times past to the youth.
(MR) ]]>
