After a year marked by grace, purpose, and public engagement, Shan Lucien is preparing to take her final walk as Saint Lucia’s 2024 Carnival Queen. But as one crown comes to a close, another challenge awaits: the national Calypso stage, where Lucien is quickly emerging as a force to be reckoned with.
Reflecting on her reign, Lucien described the experience as “transformative” and “mission-driven,” far beyond the glamour typically associated with pageantry.
“I wanted to be a queen who could make a difference,” she said in a recent appearance on Vaval Central. “To be visible in the spaces that mattered most, especially among the youth.
That meant visiting schools, sharing my story, and helping young people find pathways into music and creativity.”
Lucien didn’t just wear the crown, she worked it. Throughout her tenure, she launched school outreach campaigns, held creative workshops, and used her platform to advocate for mental health and youth empowerment, especially through music.
Her efforts culminated in Saint Lucia reclaiming the Miss Jaycees Caribbean crown, something the island hadn’t achieved in over 30 years.
“I feel like I’ve done what I set out to do,” Lucien said with calm certainty. “I have no regrets. It’s time to let someone else shine.”
That next chapter of shine, however, isn’t in retreat, but in transition. Lucien is now one of the few female voices advancing in the 2025 National Calypso Monarch competition.
She’s performing two of three original songs this season, including “How We Love Thee” and “Crown Them”, both steeped in themes of national identity and accountability.
Her entry into Calypso was no accident, it was a calling.
“Music is my life,” she said. “I teach music, I perform, and I’m looking to study music therapy. I believe music can heal, our youth, our elderly, our society as a whole.”
Lucien says Calypso is where her love for singing and storytelling come together most powerfully. “It’s the one genre where people really listen to what you’re saying,” she noted. “That’s rare and beautiful.”
In the semifinals, “Lushan” experienced what many would call a pageant nightmare. She stumbled in her heels while walking on stage.
“I’ve worn taller heels in every performance,” she laughed. “But these things happen. I told myself: don’t let this shake you. Just perform.”
She also quietly revealed that she forgot a line during a performance, something even seasoned calypsonians face.
“I’ve learned that it’s not about perfection, but how you recover,” she said. “And I’ve recovered every time.”
Her growth as a calypsonian, she adds, mirrors her journey as Queen. “Both experiences forced me to stretch, to show up, and to connect with people.”
Her performances have earned praise from veterans, and her songwriting, especially her latest piece critiquing political hypocrisy, has positioned her as both a new voice and a respected storyteller.
Lucien is entering the finals with eyes wide open. “I’m not saying I’ll win,” she said. “What I can promise is my best performance, with heart and purpose.”
Though she won’t confirm whether she’ll include a picong, a traditional lyrical jab at competitors, she’s not ruling it out. “It’s part of the art form. Just watch and see,” she teased.
“I’m excited,” she said. “Big stage, big crowd, it’s going to be electric.”
Shan Lucien’s reign as Carnival Queen may be ending, but her impact is far from over.
Whether in schools, on the regional stage, or beneath the lights of Calypso, she continues to redefine what it means to lead, to perform, and to serve.
“I feel like I’ve just begun,” she said. “The crown was never the end goal, it was the beginning.”
