THE winner of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) FCB Junior Calypso Monarch is 14-year-old Marcus McDonald of Presentation College, San Fernando.

His song, Don't Spoil Them, topped the other 15 competitors on Monday to win the prize at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

Performing in 11th place, McDonald called on parents not to spoil their children by neglecting or overindulging them. He urged them to set good examples for their children

“You ent sharing, you ent caring, you don’t have the time to spare, you follow the ways of the world.

“You ent guiding, you ent loving, you ent giving or forgiving, how you want the kids’ life unfold?

“If you want the best for your children, don’t spoil them.”

McDonald said he'd spent the last two years working on the song with the help of his grandfather, Victor McDonald, and his mother Kerry Ann. His grandfather, also known as Mr Mac, performs in the Kaiso Showcase in San Fernando.

[caption id="attachment_1001058" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A'Janae King Fraser, who sang her way to second place. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]

McDonald said his inspiration for the song came from an event he witnessed at a Father’s Day event.

“There was a boy who wanted a soft drink from a vending machine from his father, and the father said no, they had to go, because he had a meeting to go to, and the boy threw a terrible tantrum. He was kicking and screaming on the floor and the father decided to buy it for him anyway, and the child went back to normal, and that really struck me as something that would bring the children of society to a bad place.”

He said he was not spoiled as a child as he felt what he received came through his work or with the assistance of his family.

“My advice for the youth is always work for what you need, always work for what you want, never stop believing that anything is possible, you need to be that one person that could exceed boundaries and be something great, don’t ever be mediocre, always try to be that guy.”

This is not the first time McDonald has been on stage, as he won the NGC Sanfest 2018 competition at age 10. He was the Chaguanas Calypso Monarch in 2020, and came second in the Junior Calypso/Soca Monarchs/Extempo/Chutney-Soca competition in 2021.

[caption id="attachment_1001057" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Josiah Jordan of Morvant/Laventille Secondary who placed third . Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]

He said during the competition, he saw his main rivals as being A’Janae King Fraser from St Francois Girls’ College, who came second, and Kai Anthony Salazar from St Benedict’s College, who placed sixth.

McDonald said he could see himself gracing a Dimanche Gras stage in the future, as performing was something he loved.

His father Rickson McDonald said his son was also a footballer and a guitarist. He said the help received from the school was indelible.

Second place went to A'Janae King Fras