The Jamaica Festival Song Competition is now one step closer to naming the 2018 Festival Song as the competition is currently in the entries assessment stage. Organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, an Agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Jamaica Festival Song Competition is the longest running original song competition in Jamaica and continues to serve as a musical platform for cultural exposition and for entrants to make an indelible mark on Jamaica and the world.
“We know that the public is excited to see our 30 semi-finalists in action at the upcoming semi-final round, but before we can get to the on-stage action we must first go through one of the most critical steps, the entry assessment process to determine which of the over 200 entries are eligible to remain in the running to be the theme song for this year’s Independence Festival.” said Interim Executive Director at the JCDC, Orville Hill.
The entry assessment will take place over a period of four days, between Thursday, March 8 and Monday, March 12. The adjudicators who are a panel of industry experts, include: renowned Jamaican music producer, Sly Gordon, international Reggae recording artiste, Alaine Laughton, Alex Morrisey, CEO of Esirom Jamaica, Derrick Wilks, radio presenter on RJR 94 FM and Richard ‘ZJ West’ Henry, Zip Jock on Zip 103 FM.
“The deliberations over which songs are to be selected will be quite an intensive process and so the JCDC has done it’s best to ensure that the judges will work in a undisturbed environment, such as a music studio, in which they will be able to hear the songs at their truest.” Hill said.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange stated at the Competition’s launch last November that the competition has been revamped for the 2018 staging and will carry an overall prize purse of $10 million, which will be shared among the performers, songwriters and producers, with the top ten finalists also receiving prize packages.
The Competition will also feature a series of road shows and special appearances, which will give the performers the necessary exposure and give members of the public the opportunity to get to know the songs.
The Jamaica Festival Song Competition, which started in 1966 has been the driving force behind some of Jamaica’s acclaimed singers and song writers and boasts past winners like Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Decker, Eric Donaldson, Roy Rayon and Stanley Beckford.
