THE stage is set for the biggest calypso picnic and after party at Skinner Park, on February 22, from 2 pm.

What is left to be seen, is who among the 40 contenders will be selected to do battle with reigning National Calypso Monarch Machel Montano for the title at Dimanche Gras, Queen's Park Savannah, on Carnival Sunday night, March 2.

In the mix are some young inexperienced, calypsonians who are making their debut and will face off with veterans, some of whom have already worn the crown and others who have competed before but never tasted victory.

History is also being created as the semifinals would serve as a platform for the first mother and son contenders – Ann Marie Parks Kojo, known as Twiggy, and her son Jelani Kojo, whose stage name is Lani K and who performs first. Twiggy will perform in tenth position.

Not only is Twiggy competing with her son, but with the writer of her 2025 offering, 65 and still relevant, the Last Bad John of Calypso Kurt Allen.

[caption id="attachment_1140055" align="alignnone" width="683"] Kurt Allen - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption]

Allen, who is coming with his biting political commentary Your Turn Now, has also co-authored for another aspirant –Rikki Jai. Jai's song Kaiso Chutney was also co-written by himself and Kenny Phillip who also arranged the tune.

[caption id="attachment_1140057" align="alignnone" width="684"] Rikki Jai - Photo by Innis Francis[/caption]

This is not Jai's first rodeo into the fiesta, having been selected in 2021 and actually making it to the Big Yard in that same year, placing seventh overall. If he makes it to the finals, this would be his second test with Montano, as they are both among the finalists in the Chutney/Soca Monarch competition on March 1 at Skinner Park.

The last time Twiggy made it to Skinner Park was in 2010. Her return one-and-a-half decades later, she said, “feels wonderful.”

In a candid interview on February 20, Twiggy told the Newsday that having been thrown out of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) because of her age, she will be taking the Skinner Park stage, to prove that although she is 65, she is still relevant.

She explained that after serving for many years on the TUCO executive as trustee, property manager and in charge of hospitality, it was felt that at her age she no longer had the ability to perform such tasks.

“They asked me to leave, so I did. Hence the reason for my song.

“Now that I am free, I decided to get back into the ring. Kurt Allen who knows my history and my struggles wrote the song for me.

“Competing against Kurt is one thing, that is no problem, that is what calypso is all about, but I am competing against my own son.”

Third-time entrant in the fiesta, Lani K will be performing his own composition called Death Row- Lord I Repent.

He has never made it to the Big Yard, but his mother did, back in 2009 and 2010.

She would like to see one or both of them advance to the finals.

“I think we both have a good chance, once everything goes right, the voices are