
Calypso Rose has been awarded the 2016 Artist Award by the World Music Expo (WOMEX), an international networking platform for the world music industry.
The event was held in Spain this year.
The Artist Award is the top award given out at the WOMEX event.
In announcing the award to Calypso Rose, WOMEX said :”In a style known equally for its outspoken messages and its party vibe, it truly takes a great Calypso artist to stand apart for their mastery and relevance, as Calypso Rose has done, for over six decades.
“In her long career, Rose has transformed calypso in many ways. Her most obvious achievement involve making the calypso scene more open to women: the scale of her talent and success made her impossible to ignore, leading to unprecedented prize wins, including the Trinidad Road March and, the highest of all, the title of Calypso King – renamed the Calypso Monarch in her honour.
“Rose is also a musical innovator of her style. She pioneered changes such as shortening her songs to three verses and writing fewer songs every season – both of which became the norm – and in her personal repertoire, she also explores styles such as soca, punta, reggae and ska.”