Stratosphere Muzic the company responsible for Saint Lucian artiste Mongstar says they are elated by his victory, adding that his hard work and dedication to the art-form continue to pay dividends. Marley “Mongstar” James on Monday won the inaugural ‘All for One Caribbean’ singing competition that was held in Martinique.
Winning the Jeff Joseph Trophy and a cash prize, Mongstar beat out singers representing eight other islands namely Martinique, Haiti, Trinidad, Barbados, St Maarten, Dominica and the Dominican Republic. Performing “Saint Lucia We Love” and “Glo Ko Ko” – Mongstar was followed in position number two by Loriane Zacharie of Martinique and in third by Darline Desca of Haiti.
Delivering masterful performances in both rounds that had the packed audience at the Atrium in Martinique waving and on their feet, Mongstar won unanimous favour with the Jury pool of representatives from each of the participating countries – none of whom were able to vote for their country representative.
Mongstar returned to Saint Lucia on Tuesday and is already back in studio with producer and CEO of Stratosphere Muzic Courtney “Curty” Louis. The two are working on new material to be released by the label in the coming days.
The 2010 Piton Soca Starz champion who also placed third with “Glo Ko Ko” in the 2011 Groovy Soca Monarch says he was almost moved to tears when he was announced the winner of the competition he set his sights on since he first learned of it in August this year.
“When I didn’t win the Groovy Soca Monarch title with Glo Ko Ko and then Saint Lucia We Love one year later, it left me and my fans very disappointed. I wanted to win with these two songs for that reason and because I really felt this trophy needed to come home to Saint Lucia,” he says.
Along with expressing gratitude to his management team, Mongstar has also credited the efforts of Cultural Attache to Martinique Shazi Chalon who funded his team’s trip to Martinique.
“Shazi really came through for me, even designing the shirt I wore to perform Glo Ko Ko and assisting me backstage during the show. None of this would have been possible without him.”
Now that the competition is over, the organizers of All for One Caribbean who selected Mongstar because of his popularity in Martinique and the French territories are looking towards the future, which includes touring him around the world in Africa, Cuba and the wider region.
As for what he will take from this, Mongstar says it is his friendship with the other competitors, understanding and respect for the level of professionalism of the organizers as well as gratitude for being able to participate in an event of that magnitude.
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