Calypso season is officially underway in Saint Lucia, and if Kaiso Pros Tent’s opening night performance is any indication, the art form remains very much alive at the heart of Carnival culture.
Despite ongoing debate in some circles about calypso’s place in the modern carnival landscape, Saturday night’s packed showing at the National Cultural Centre demonstrated that the genre continues to command a loyal and enthusiastic following. Kaiso Pros Tent (KPT), though only five years old, drew a full house for its season opener and delivered a polished production that balanced traditional calypso with contemporary flair.
Backed by seasoned names such as former Calypso Monarch TC Brown, Lennon Blaze Prospere and Barry George, KPT has steadily built a reputation as one of the island’s leading tents.
Known for pushing creative boundaries, the tent once again opted for a different approach this year, staging what was promoted as a blue-and-white affair featuring essentially two shows in one. Traditional calypso performances formed the first segment before patrons were later invited onto the grounds of the National Cultural Centre for a soca and Dennery segment showcase.
For calypso purists, KPT presented a full dose of new calypsos from their cast on the night, which opened up with the audience singing the national anthem. That was not by design. After some delay in having the anthem relayed over the sound system, a few in the audience started the first stanza and everyone else followed.
Once the show got underway, KPT proved that the tent has some of the best voices in the business. Not only that, they all dressed and looked the part too.
The show started off with two junior calypsonians, Lady J of the Ciceron School with Change That Mentality and Mr Personality of Dugard Combined School doing Remember Me. Both were confident on stage, with Mr Personality exuding a stage presence beyond his years.
As the night unfolded, the tent highlighted a strong mix of emerging talent and established performers, while also maintaining notable balance between male and female artistes.
Among the female performers was Mystic who delivered When is the Right Time?, a piece advocating a woman’s right to decide if and when to have a child. Black Berry showed good vocal range with Open Your Eyes, while Keytina’s play on words with Ms Miss was quite evocative. Divine declared I Am Ready while Lady Ce Ce paid tribute to the late Saint Lucian songstress Nicole David.
On the male side, J’urgen earned an encore performance for Douvan Ensamn, while Kcey threw his support behind the Prime Minister with Philip Cares.
Newcomer Anwar displayed confidence and strong vocals with Another Day at the Office, while Blaze spoke on behalf of society’s overlooked with Nobodies. TC Brown closed the first segment with Jodi Pa Ye, a follow-up to his 2025 offering My Choice, which supported the Prime Minister. This time, however, the veteran calypsonian delivered a reminder that leadership is ultimately judged by present actions, not past promises.
Breaking away from the traditional intermission format, KPT at this point had the soca and Dennery segment on the grounds of the cultural centre.
In the second round, Realist rebounded from an earlier lyrical slip-up with Look in the Mirror, while Dez Chattel made an impact with Go Away. Keytinna maintained her momentum with All Ah We, and Anwar returned with the patriotic-themed Do You Really Love Country?
One enthusiastic supporter held up a handwritten sign declaring, “Blaze is better this year” – a sentiment many in attendance may have agreed with as he delivered Before It’s Too Late during the second round.
Overall, it was a strong opening night for Kaiso Pros Tent. Credit must also go to the Extreme Band with Brass for its excellent musical accompaniment, while MC Mr Legacy showed noticeable growth and composure in his role compared to his debut last year.
