By Tony Nicholas
“Yo oh oh oh oh, wham to dem, yo oh oh oh oh, Tizzle again,” has been his trademark opening refrain and this year Ricky T has certainly done it again. The energetic soca performer has copped the Road March title for the ninth time.
The road march is the most popular song played on the road during Saint Lucia’s Carnival. The two- day street parade, which brings the cultural festival to a close, ended on Tuesday July 16, 2024.
The results of the Road March and other carnival winners were announced on Wednesday July 17, by the chairperson of the Carnival Planning and Management Committee, Ms. Tamara Gibson during a media briefing at the Financial Centre.
According to the official tabulation, Ricky T’s “Look Something to Talk About” received 35 plays on the road. In second place was Imran Nerdy’s “Start De Party” with nineteen plays and third was “Better Than Dem” by Bronxx and Mata featuring Ricky T.
This is Ricky T’s 24th carnival title over the years. The Saint Lucia born entertainer has won the road march a record nine times, having last won in 2017. He has also won the Soca Monarch crown nine times, Groovy Soca monarch three times and the OECS Soca monarch three times.
This year, Ricky T also won the Power Soca Monarch competition, held on July 6th, placed 2nd runner up in the Groovy Soca competition and 2nd runner up with Bronx and Matta in the Power Soca Monarch competition.
“I really want to thank my fans and all the people who love the song and came out to say so online and in person,” Ricky T told St. Lucia Times following the announcement. “We wanted to take the people back to where it all started, back to the days when it was real mad people segment, not phones in hand or people just standing there. We wanted to give them the old Soca Monarch feeling, real Saint Lucian Power Soca and I’m glad they received and embraced it,” he added.
St. Lucia Times also spoke to Courtney Louis, CEO of Stratosphere Muzic, Ricky T’s management company who shared similar sentiments.
“We wanted to show that Saint Lucia’s power soca could make our people and the world move. That goal was accomplished, not only with Ricky and his two titles but also Bronxx and Mata and the “Can Do” collaboration with Ricky, Lavaman and Claudette Peters. We are not against mixing genres and trying out new things but our music has to remain our own sound and vibe,” Louis said.
Ricky T’s team also informed us, that the artiste is already booked to perform across the Caribbean, North America and Europe as well as Bali and Japan for the first time later this year.
