The management of the SAO Soca Awards Ltd/Soca Awards Organisation, Inc (SAO) has announced the nominees for the 12th annual International Soca & Chutney Awards (iSC) ceremony and the launch of the new-look website www.socaawards.com The event is being promoted in the USA and around the world as “the premier Soca event in the heart of the Labour Day celebrations in New York.”
This year iSC Awards will be featuring 15 categories highlighting some of the Caribbean greats. Everyone has a chance to cast their votes, until September 4, for their favourites in each category. Log on to the official website www.socaawards.com for further information.
As expected, the competition is keen in the Soca Song of the Year category, with T&T artistes getting two nominations against Barbados (two); Grenada and Antigua (one each).
The T&T songs and their singers are Like Ah Boss (Machel Montano) and Ola (Olatunji Yearwood). The other nominees are Ah Feelin’ Ah Feelin’ (Lead Pipe & Sadist—Barbados); Ducking (Fadda Fox—Barbados); Vagabond (Ricardo Drue—Antigua): and Soak it Good (Skinny Banton—Grenada). Contenders in the Male Soca Chutney Artiste of the Year are Raymond Ramnarine, Ravi B and KI (T&T), and Terry Gajraj and Mystic (Guyana). A surprise omission in this category is multiple T&T National Chutney Soca monarch Rikki Jai.
nominees
SAO Soca Awards Ltd/Soca Awards Nominees:
For recordings released during May 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015
1—Female Soca Artiste of the Year
Destra (T&T)
Fay-Ann Lyons (T&T)
Alison Hinds (Barbados)
Nadia Batson (T&T)
Imani (Barbados)
Valene (Grenada)
2—Male Soca Artiste of the Year
Fadda Fox (Barbados)
Lyrikal (T&T)
Machel Montano (T&T)
Olatunji (T&T)
Riccardo Drue (Antigua)
Lead Pipe & Sadist (Barbados)
3—Best Soca Compilation Rhythm of the Year
Patrol Riddim (Produced by Don Iko / Martian Music) T&T
Flair Skirt Riddim (Mr Rootz for Wiz records) Grenada
Jam Band Riddim (Precision Productions) T&T
Horn Child Riddim (Mr Rootz for Wiz records) Grenada
Kan Kan Riddim (Produced by AdvoKit Productions) T&T
4—International Soca DJ of the Year
Back 2 Basics (New York)
Private Ryan (TnT)
DJ Stephen (Los Angeles)
Eternal Vibes (Miami)
Dr Jay (Canada)
DJ Spice (New York)
5—Soca Song of the Year
Lead Pipe & Sadist—Ah Feeling Ah Feeling (Barbados)
Fadda Fox—Ducking (Barbados)
Riccardo Drue—Vagabond (Antigua)
Skinny Banton—Soak It Good (Grenada)
Machel Montano—Like Ah Boss (T&T)
Olatunji—Ola (T&T)