On February 14, 2026, ten calypsonians took the stage at Windsor Park Sports Stadium, delivering passionate performances at Dominica’s National Calypso Monarch finale.
Dominica: Following a highly competitive weeks long tournament of the 2026 Calypso Monarch, Calypsonian Chester “Daddy Chess” Lateng has been crowned the new Calypso Monarch of Dominica.
On Saturday, 14th February 2026, Dominica held the grande finale of the National Calypso Monarch. The finale took place at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium where 10 calypsonians took the stage, each delivering a passionate performance.
During the final round, Chester “Daddy Chess” Letang delivered powerful performances of his songs “Beauty and the Beast” and “Roof Leaking” which captured the audience’s attention and impressed the judges, helping him secure the first position.
The crowning ceremony happened shortly after the performances where first time finalist, Nacheal was announced as the first runner up while Joy, winner of the 2025 Calypso Monarch competition, came in as the 2nd runner up.
Chester “Daddy Chess” Lateng received his crown and trophy and expressed his delight at winning the competition. This will be the second time Daddy Chess is claiming the Calypso Monarch title, a title he waited 25 years for. Chess had previously won the title with his songs 'Your Destiny Depends on You' and 'Somebody Have to Pay' in 2001, one year after his debut.
Coming from a family deeply rooted in music, Daddy Chess started his music journey in 1990 where he discovered his love for drums. Later, in 1995, Chess discovered his talent for composition and 5 years later, in 2000, he decided to further combine his composing skills with his natural singing ability and made his debut on the calypso stage.
Many have congratulated the new monarch on his performances, saying it was a well-deserved win. Ilive Peltier, a Facebook user, shared her congratulatory message by commenting, “Congratulations! That song Beauty and the Beast did it for me last night. Lyrically strong and clearly rendered.”
Julia Alleyne too took to Facebook and shared, “Congratulations to all the finalists. Daddy chess you being crowned the 2026 Calypso Monarch of Dominica is timely; best wishes to you. Forward you go! Forward we will go!”