Chutneymusic.com is an online media platform that promotes Chutney music, Chutney Soca and other related sub-genres.

We have sought to unite all Chutney music singers with the aim of exporting our culture internationally and facilitating Cross National Cultural Exchanges within our niche.

How did the Chutneymusic.com Rani & Raja Competition come about?

For far too long, the Chutney Music industry has been heading down the wrong road. A road leading to severe cultural erosion, loss of identity and for Chutney music to be subsumed into Soca music.

The basic instruments of Chutney music, the use and understanding of Hindustani in the Caribbean & by West Indians in North America is at all time low.

We hope to use the Chutneymusic.com Rani & Raja Competition (CRC) to encourage artists to compose close to 100% Original Hindustani Songs.

What is the Chutneymusic.com Rani & Raja Competition

The Chutneymusic.com Rani & Raja Competition competition is an ONLINE competition that is split into two main parts: the Raja part for men and the Rani part for women.

For the first time in history; a Chutney Music Queen or Rani will be crowned.

CRC will be an International Online Competition thus being open to all countries but focusing mainly on Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, USA & Canada. All other Countries will compete in the Rest of the World section.

Applications are currently open and will close April 17th 2019. Click here to see important dates

To enter the preliminary round is free and all you need to do is record a 1 minute long Acapella video of your 100% Hindustani Composition using a mobile phone alone and submit it here.

A panel of expert judges will chose a maximum of 10 males and 10 females for each National Online Semi-Final for Trinbagonians, Guyanese, Americans & Canadians.

All other entries go to a Rest of the World Semi-Final. Semi-Finalists would be required to sing their entire song acapella (3 minutes minimum).

The judging panel will now choose 2 males and 2 females per semi-final to compete against each other in the Grand Final. Where they would have to submit a live video recording of their song sung against a track that must have dholak, dhantal & harmonium. Tracks are free to incorporate any other instruments.

In the Grand Final, One male would be crowned the Chutneymusic.com Raja 2019 and one female will be crowned the Chutneymusic.com Rani 2019. The first prize for each competition is a guaranteed minimum of 2000 CAD and the second 500 CAD.

Rules

Must be sung in Hindustani (No English). Use of Bollywood melodies strictly prohibited and would result in instant disqualification. No dancers, props, fireworks are necessary as this is a Singing Competition only. Must be close to a 100% original lyrical composition. The closer a composition is to 100% original the better the chance of scoring Songs that have been professionally recorded by another artist cannot be used. For example, An artist cannot sing over Lootay La. “Book Songs” (book songs are songs written by Indian Poets) are allowed. Must be 18yrs old & over.

Volunteer Judges

Reserve Judges

Judging Criteria

Originality – 20 points Creativity with lyrics – 20 points Pronunciation (proper pronunciation of words to maintain meaning) – 20 points Intonation (Sing on Key) – 15 points Voice control – 15 points Moorkee – Rolling ending – 5 points Public Voting via Facebook – 5 points

Enter

Format: Artist – Song – Country

Footnote:

In a forum called Floops & Friends (An Online Chutney Music Talk Show) viewers expressed that Chutneymusic.com should start a GoFundME campaign to help support this venture and that they would contribute.

Thus we have done so.

To donate via GoFundME, click here

Yours Truly,

Jason “Floops” Sookram.

Founder of chutneymusic.com.



Chutneymusic.com Rani & Raja Competition Preliminary Round

Watch this video on YouTube

https://www.facebook.com/djfloops/videos/10156534985082772/