Calypso, soca and the Calypso Monarch

Calypso is a song style from Trinidad and Tobago that emerged from West African storytelling traditions mixed with colonial musical cultures. It became tied to carnival and masquerade after emancipation in 1834.

Its lyrics are witty and topical: social comment, satire and storytelling.

Soca emerged in Trinidad in the 1970s, credited chiefly to Lord Shorty. It is a faster, dance-driven offshoot of calypso, built for the road and the fete.

The Calypso Monarch competition crowns the top calypsonian of the year. In Canada it is run by the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes, which The Canadian Encyclopedia says was founded in 1981. Some sources date the first Toronto Calypso Monarch to 1980, so we say around 1980 to 1981.

The competition lapsed for several years and returned in 2023 under the name Kaiso 365 Calypso Monarch, with tent shows leading to a final.

Past monarchs include Panman Pat, who held the title in 1983 and 1985, and King Cosmos, who won the Canadian title in 1995. Eulith Tara Woods, as Macomere Fifi, won in 2023.

The Road March is the tune most played by bands as they cross the judging points on parade day. The Soca Monarch is a live contest for soca artists, judged on song, performance and crowd response. It is the lyric-focused Calypso Monarch's dance-floor counterpart.