New champ to be crowned Heritage Monarch

Delanie Baynes (Lady Baynes) will not be defending her Heritage Calypso Monarch title on July 20 at the Plymouth Hard Court as she now sings gospel.

Baynes, 36, of Signal Hill confirmed on Tuesday that she will not be defending the title as she was now a gospel artiste, having found her calling in that arena. She said she was also strengthening her spirituality in the Seventh Day Adventist faith where she first began fellowship as a child.

Baynes, who started her career as a calypso singer at Signal Hill Primary School and Scouting for Talent, followed this up over the years with appearances at various competitions including the Tobago Calypso Monarch competition, Stars of Tomorrow competition, Calypso Fiesta and NJAC Queens. Her fist ever victory was however, when she captured the 2017 Tobago Heritage Festival Calypso title in 2017, singing “Leh We Lose We Hand” written by Dr Verlene Bobb-Lewis. “Given the years I have been singing in that Heritage competition, since 2005, I have never won. I would normally be a finalist…last year, I wasn’t a finalist because I didn’t get pass the audition and I didn’t get in in 2014 also. During the years, I would have placed second, third even came last, but the winning this year came as a shock,” she said in an interview with Newsday Tobago after the event.

She also told Newsday Tobago then that though calypso remains a passion, that she was looking to move on into the gospel arena.

“I already sing and write my own gospel songs,but I have been focusing on calypso,” she had said in an interview. “My transition from calypso to gospel was always in the pipeline, so it just happened gradually.”

Finalists for the Tobago Festival Calypso Monarch competition 2018

Gilbert “Happy” O’Connor

Alex “Tobago Chalkie” Gift

Shamika Denoon

Lesley-Ann Ellis

Wendell “Excite” Fredrick

Giselle “GG” Fraser Washington

Reserve - Henson “Calypso Prince” Wright

The competition begins at 8pm at the Plymouth Hard Court.