Janet Jackson: not a Soca Warrior

Crushing blow: Janet Jackson has cancelled her scheduled appearance at the Soca Warriors Fete, citing ‘health problems,’ says a report in the Trinidad Express.

The event is being held by TriStar promotions, and has been much hyped in recent weeks. Roy Maharaj, one of TriStar’s founders, seemed nonplussed by the cancellation. Although he refused to confirm names and details, Maharaj revealed that he is already in negotiations with ‘two other major female artists from the United States.’

I’m just hazarding a guess here, but one of these two is described as ‘one of the sexiest crossover Latin acts of the day’ – that’s surely Shakira.

The fete has now been rescheduled to Carnival Saturday.

I really hope none of the Warriors will actually be there. What with their packed schedule, they should be getting as much rest as possible.

Update: a blurb on the SocaWarriorsTT website makes it clear that the Warriors will not be present at the fete: “home-based pros depart on Carnival Saturday and the full team assembles in London on the Sunday before the friendly international against Iceland on February 28.”

A proportion of the proceeds from the fete will still go towards the team.