‘Vanilla’ cops Mash Road March Queen title for 10th time

When one thinks about Soca music in Guyana, one is immediately transported to the festivities surrounding Mashramani and those activities associated with the hosting of the Soca Monarch, the Calypso Monarch, and even the newly-added Dancehall Monarch competitions. These are all activities held in efforts to boost local artistes and their music.
But when one speaks about local female artistes and Soca music, immediately Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts comes to mind. No stranger to the road, ‘Vanilla’ has again been crowned Road March Queen for 2024. This is now her tenth win of the competition.
It was no different on the road this year, as revellers in ‘music trucks’ jammed to the tunes of Melissa “Vanilla’ Roberts.
For Mashramani 2007, she recorded the song “Queen of the Band”, which won the Road March competition that year, beating the reigning Soca Monarch and 30 others. That was a significant achievement, and commenced her streak as Queen of the Road. In 2009, she placed second at the annual Carib Soca Monarch competition with her song “Rude”, and also regained her title as Queen of the Road.
Fast forward to 2024, and with the determination to regain her title and be crowned a 10-time road march winner, Vanilla shared, “It definitely was not easy to successfully capture a win in any competition nine times in the face of challenges; and I knew I had to make it to 10 just for the satisfaction of it all. I wasn’t even anxious or nervous about getting the results this year, because I knew what I had delivered and my capabilities.”
She underscored that for all the years she had entered the road march competition, she never really had the opportunity to write or perform a song that catered specifically for the road. This year, it had to be different, keeping in mind the many challenges, beauty and freedom the road brings, and creating the song was specifically aimed at that and the spirit and vibe which was revealed.
Vanilla further shared, “Tears of joy came to my eyes. Changing the game doesn’t mean giving up, and I’m grateful for good guidance from my manager Mr. Burchmore Simon. Winning means giving thanks to all the persons who have supported me over the years. It means thank you to the real, true, genuine fans. It means consistency is the key”.
When asked why she decided to enter the competition again, as most would think, ‘Why go so many times?’, Vanilla simply replied, “I’m big on setting goals and achieving them. So, in order to achieve this particular goal, I needed to enter the road march again”.
Vanilla has become a staple in the activity, and most band leaders seek after her at Mash time. Even so, this year she is already burning up the airwaves with her latest track, “O weh O”. According to her, this new release is part of her two big projects slated for 2024.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, her big projects would each be a game changer, and she is looking forward to the possibly bigger opportunities they will bring.
Meanwhile, along with Vanilla’s big win, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has announced the winners of the Mashramani 2024 Costume and Float Parade Competition, which showcased the rich cultural tapestry of Guyana.
The judges panel was composed of esteemed judges, who had a challenging task of choosing among some 25 bands.