Semi-finalists were punching, with nine selected for calypso finals, but management of show was below standard, critics say

Following a keenly contested semi-finals contest, ahead of the 2023
Carib Beer Calypso Monarch competition, nine finalists were
selected, including four former kings and two former queens.

The eliminations were held on Sunday night, July 16, at the Antigua
Recreation Ground, with the names of the finalists released on
Monday morning, July 17.

The finalists are: Raiine; Ge’Eve; King Young Destroyer; Willy Wawa;
King Singing Sudden; King Kaseba; King Fiah; Douglas; and Queen
Thalia.

They will come up against the reigning monarch on Friday, August 4,
at 8 p.m., at Carnival City, in a clash of titans.

Many fans believe that with this much “royalty” taking part in the
competition, it will be of a high quality and keenly contested. 

Meanwhile, several attendees on Sunday night tell REAL News that,
while the calypsonians came out punching, the management of the
show left much to be desired – beginning with its late start and
going on to other hitches.

“We’ve been doing this for over 60 years now, not so?” one critic
asks. “So, why – up to now – are we seeing such amateurish
displays? And where is Daryl Matthew, the minister, in all this?”
The man says it is this type of sub-standard management that has
caused the calypso audience to dwindle over the years, and it
continues to hurt Carnival, in general.