Garlin confirms no more Road March races for him

Soca artiste Machel Montano has officially secured his 11th Road March title, tying with the legendary Aldwyn “Lord Kitchener” Roberts and cementing his place as the most decorated Carnival competition winner in Trinidad and Tobago’s history.

But the victory is not going down well with soca artiste Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez, who confirmed he will not participate in future Road March competitions.

The Trinbago Unified Calypso Organisation (TUCO) announced the results at the National Carnival Commission’s VIP lounge at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Montano narrowly edged out Garlin’s by just 14 plays, with his Pardy being played 267 times to Garlin’s Carry It (253 times). Garlin also secured third place with his song Thousand, which was played 22 times.

Montano will receive $250,000, a mobile headset with the option to port to bmobile and a one-year unlimited mobile plan.

Beyond his 11 Road March titles, Montano’s decorated career includes victories in multiple Carnival competitions—five Soca Monarch titles, one Chutney Soca Monarch, also achieved this year, and one Calypso Monarch title last year.

However, Montano’s win has been clouded by controversy, following claims that the competition was rigged.

Concerns surfaced after TUCO tabulator Samantha Richards publicly revealed that Montano was ahead of Garlin in the race during celebrations in San Fernando on Carnival Tuesday. While similar information has been anonymously leaked in previous years, Richards and a colleague were both fired soon after for allegedly breaching TUCO’s code of conduct.

Ignoring the controversy, Montano took to Instagram to celebrate yesterday, expressing gratitude for being linked to one of T&T’s most iconic musicians. Read More