OISTINS, Barbados — Newly crowned Queen of Dancehall Spice ruled over her kingdom at the highly anticipated staging of RISE, the soca and dancehall show, which unfolded in the Caribbean island of Barbados on Wednesday, as part of their annual Crop Over carnival celebrations.

She was in fine form at the event held at the Soca Area, an entertainment space created adjacent to the famous Kensington Oval — the seat of first-class cricket on that island.

Not even the intermittent showers which drenched the venue in the minutes leading up to the start of the show could deter the dedicated Spice fans, whom she calls her ‘Besties’, from taking in the performance which would end up lasting over three hours. While some complained of the late start to her performance, the vast majority stayed to the very end at near 5:00 am.

Not deterred, the artiste was determined to put on a show and this she did from her opening notes.

Spice was obviously on a high from her performance at Reggae Sumfest last weekend and gave her Barbadian brothers and sisters all she had.

It is Crop Over and Spice paid homage to the the popular carnival with a huge feathered ensemble and she burst onto the stage igniting the arena with her energy. Her audience gave her everything she gave to them and the reciprocity was electric.

The mixed audience saw other islanders showing their support for the popular artiste.

Cool It, Sheet, Sen’ It Up, Go Dung Deh, and Stunting were among the tracks she delivered to her Kensington audience. In true Spice fashion, she included her own brand of magic by inviting the audience on stage to share in the moments and they loved every minute. Males taking on her two acrobatic female back-up dancers, and females testing the the mettle of her set provided nothing but added excitement in Barbados.

Spice shared her joy of the upcoming release of her album Emancipated on August 19. The project is her first as an independent artiste after 10 years of being tied to a contract with a major label. Her first single Clap Clap dropped a week ago and she is looking forward to the growth and development of the project.

Spice’s set was preceded by performances by the Vincentian invasion as soca artistes Skinny Fabulous and Problem Child took to the the stage and made the the event even more electric.

Crop Over 2022 continues until August 1. A series of events, including song competitions and parties is sweeping the island nation in the days running up to Grand Kadooment Day, the big street parade through the country’s capital, Bridgetown on August 1.