Machel Montano and Rikki Jai head to BMobile CSM finals

Machel Montano and Rikki Jai have advanced to the Grand Finals of the BMobile Chutney Soca Monarch (CSM) 30th Anniversary competition, following strong performances in the semi-finals held at La Tropical Club on Saturday night.

Montano, a five-time Soca Monarch, and Jai, a nine-time Chutney Soca Monarch, will face off at the final on Saturday, March 1, at Skinner Park, San Fernando.

Both outperformed competitors, including former champions Neval Chatelal and Daddy Chinee, with only a narrow margin separating the top contenders.

The packed semi-final event led organisers Southex to announce that future semi-finals will be moved to outdoor venues to accommodate larger audiences.

The following is a list of the 12 artistes in the finals battling to wrest the title away from the 2024 Monarch Rick Ramoutar, and eliminate the ‘wildcard’ Terry Gajraj:

Machel Montano

Wackerman

Reehanna Gopaul

Ricardo Melville

Rikki Jai

Hurricane Hemlatha Dindial

Neval Chatelal

Warrior Princess Reshma Ramlal

Master Saleem

Adesh Samaroo

Veekash Sahadeo

Vanessa Ramoutar