Machel Montano in Chutney Soca Monarch semis

SOCA SUPERSTAR Machel Montano has entered the Chutney Soca Monarch and qualified for the semifinals of the event.

Southex announced this in a statement.

The semifinals will take place on February 8 at La Tropical, Rig Compound, La Romaine.

Montano, the current Calypso Monarch, has ten Road March and seven Soca Monarch titles.

On January 22 he released a collaboration with DJ Private Ryan and chutney superstar Drupatee (Ramgoonai), who sings the hook in chutney.

This is not the first time the pair has collaborated. In 2012, they created the smash hit Indian Gyal, which they performed at that year's Chutney Soca Monarch final.

This year’s track, Pepper Vine, also features zess dance sensation Lady Lava and is a fusion of soca, chutney and zess.

Montano did not play an active role in Carnival 2024, as he was still at university.

Also returning to the chutney stage are past nine-time winner Rikki Jai and Neval Chatelal, who have been absent from competition for a few years. Other notable returns are Chris Garcia, Veekash Sahadeo and Hemlatha “Hurricane” Dindial.

Thirty-four artistes will compete in the semifinal for  only nine spots in the finals. Current titleholder Rick Ramoutar will defend his crown as well as last year's Queen of Chutney, Rawytee Ramroop. She, unlike Ramoutar, is required to qualify through the semifinal round.

On January 13, Montano, along with a group of talented musicians, made history as he became the first soca artiste to perform at NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. The 20-minute concert was uploaded to YouTube, which has over ten million subscribers and nearly 3,000 videos.

He opened the show, in front of a live audience, with his 2007 hit One More Time, before moving on to the rest of his set.