Soca songstress Nailah Blackman was crowned the inaugural National Chutney Foundation of TT (NCFTT) Intellectual Chutney Monarch champion at Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas on Saturday night, and claimed a $450,000 prize after topping the competition with her composition, Jam of the Year.
Blackman beat nine other artistes in the Intellectual category of the competition, with Rakesh Yankaran walking away with a $400,000 prize as he won the Traditional Chutney Monarch competition with his song, Mowsie Rasooiya Halwa. In a tightly contested final in the Intellectual category, the top six contestants were separated by a mere four points. Performing in position number ten, Blackman, who included a hook line from Om Shanti Om, a legendary song from her late grandfather Ras Shorty I, got the judges' nod as she amassed 237 points.
During her winning performance, Blackman preached the importance of harmony and togetherness to the audience.
Blackman said, "This is the meaning of Trinbago. One island, one culture, one unity. We are no longer separated. We are bound together in unity."
Bethany Lightbourne finished a close second with 235 points, with Anthony Batson and Mohip Poonwassie – both 234 points – tied for third spot. Fresh from winning the primary schools category of the 2024 Schools' Intellectual National Carnival Chutney Soca Monarch competition last Wednesday, Katelin Sultan, nine, teamed up with Aaron Duncan to rack up 233 points as they finished tied for fifth-place with Paris Coutain.
Sultan, a Warrenville TMI Primary School student, was crowned the Chutney Soca Monarch Queen in 2023 and also copped a fourth-place overall finish in last year's competition.
In the Traditional Chutney category, Yankaran rattled off 258 points to lead the ten finalists in the competition. Sunil Ramsundar finished second with 252 points, Ramesh Basdeo placed third with 249 points, Devanand Gatoo grabbed fourth spot with 247 points and Batson grabbed fifth place with 245 points.
[caption id="attachment_1063232" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Rakesh Yankaran, winner of the Traditional Chutney Monarch competition on February 10 -[/caption]
NCFTT president Vijay Ramlal-Rai was ecstatic with the hosting of the inaugural competition, and he stressed on the need for more positive themes and songs in chutney music.
"The event was extremely successful. It was so successful that everybody was stunned," Ramlal-Rai told Newsday. "The traditional chutney is sung in Hindi language. But the melody and rhythm is what is kicking. The intellectual is in English. The lyrics are important in the intellectual chutney.
"For the first historical staging of this competition, to have a great superstar like Nailah Blackman taking that title, has just done wonders for the art form – in terms of her being an ambassador for this intellectual chutney category."
Ramlal-Rai said the chutney songs should have a lasting impact on its audience and set a platform for aspiring artistes in the industry.
"The competition was really to make the mark
