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Giselle “GG” Fraser is heading to one of the biggest stages in calypso -- the Dimanche Gras stage. The Tobago-born calypsonian is in the finals of the Calypso Monarch competition for the first time, despite controversy this season over who deserved a place in the line-up.

In an interview with the Express Thursday at the draw for performance positions at the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain, Fraser, from Carnbee Village, was in good spirits, after picking position four. “This is my first time in the competition. It is a privilege because I always look forward to making it to the final round every time I make it to Skinner Park, so this is just an opportunity for me to just go to a different level where the calypso is concerned,” Fraser said.

Her song, No Village Can’t, written by Sheldon Nugget, tackles what she sees as a breakdown in community responsibility. The title plays on the old proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” arguing that today, that village is missing. “When I first heard it from the first verse, I knew that this is a song I wanted to do. That was due to my profession and the experiences I am seeing now in society,” she said.