Social commentary kaiso ‘gaining ground’ ahead of Crop Over

Interest in social commentary among younger entertainers remains strong heading into the 2026 Crop Over season, with industry figures pointing to a new generation of performers eager to put their own spin on calypso and soca while preserving the traditions of the art form.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY ahead of the official start of the festival, the acting education officer in the Curriculum Section at the Ministry of Education Transformation, Randy Eastmond, who has spearheaded a number of music and creative projects within the island’s schools over the past several years, said this year’s season was already showing signs of renewed creativity and energy.

“Crop Over 2026 seems to be quite an exciting year for music, especially with the influx of new styles of music fusions from all over the Caribbean,” he said, noting the growing interest from young vocalists and musicians.

While welcoming the fresh approaches, Eastmond stressed the importance of preserving the roots of calypso and soca.

“We still have to acknowledge the fact that you have to preserve what is quintessentially soca, calypso, all the genres under the calypso form,” he said, adding that lyrical quality remained critical.

“The lyrical content is very important to calypso in terms of how we portray the concepts and the themes that we’re writing on.”

Eastmond said he was not surprised by the level of interest younger performers continue to show in social commentary, recalling that students often gravitated towards calypso once they became actively involved in it.

Eastmond, who now leads the Rhythms of Legacy tent, which caters to young calypsonians, said he has witnessed first-hand how storytelling and the ability to address societal issues through music have attracted young people who previously had little exposure to the genre.

“They’re quite interested simply because of the storytelling and understanding the power of the voice and how they can actually speak to certain societal issues,” he explained.

Eastmond also predicted strong participation from emerging entertainers in the relaunched Party Monarch competition.

“Based on the response I’m getting in the studio from the amount of young people who want to have songs to enter the competition, I think we’re gonna have an influx of young persons, along with the veterans,” he said.

Performing alongside experienced artistes would help younger entertainers sharpen their stagecraft, he added.

“Competition brings a different dynamic to just recording a song,” Eastmond said. “You can record a song that sounds really good, but if you’re not able to deliver it on stage, then that’s another thing.”

Manager of the CO Williams House of Soca tent, Sharon Carew-White, also expressed confidence in the future of social commentary among younger artistes

House of Soca tent manager, Sharon Carew-White.

Carew-White pointed to her tent’s junior monarch programme, now supported by COB and Sandy Lane Trust, as one of the important pathways for developing talent over the years, noting that it has proven to be a successful avenue for young entertainers to grow their art form.

She added that keeping younger audiences engaged, particularly with competitive spaces, was key to preserving calypso for future generations.

She welcomed the return of the Party Monarch competition, describing it as another valuable outlet for creativity and competition.

“This is another creative opportunity for youngsters, young at heart,” she said, noting that several established performers are returning to competition this year.

But Carew-White argued that winners should receive greater regional exposure beyond the local season.

“If you become the soca monarch or the power soca monarch, I would like to see this transition then into the next level,” she said, suggesting stronger links with carnivals in Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.

“I would like to think that bringing back these two competitions brings back an opportunity for further growth for individuals and for the country.”

(SB)