Omi, En Vogue ready for firsts at Shaggy & Friends 2016

It will be the first time OMI and En Vogue will appear on a Jamaican stage when they join a host of other top-flight recording artistes for the January 2 staging of the Shaggy and Friends Concert. And make no mistake, they are excited about it.

OMI and En Vogue will be part of an entertainment package that includes Shaggy, Beenie Man, Popcaan, Ding Dong, Inner Circle, Bugle, Nelly and Ashanti, and many more.

It will be his first performance of 2016, but one he will come into with tons of practice - the kind that having boasted the longest-leading reggae No. 1 on the Hot 100 by a solo male since 2007 can give you. Notwithstanding having performed in many places around the world so far, OMI remains excited about being able to hit the stage in the land of his birth.

feeling really good

"Boy, being able to come home and hit the stage is exciting. I can't imagine what that will feel like, and it will be even more special because of the event. I couldn't ask for a better place than the Shaggy and Friends Concert to have my first performance in Jamaica since Cheerleader top the charts, being able to give back and to entertain at the same time. I'm feeling really good about it," said OMI.

The American all-girl R&B group, En Vogue, formed in 1989, is known for hits like Hold On, My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), Give Him Something He Can Feel, Free Your Mind and Don't Let Go. They, too, are excited.

"We've heard nothing but exciting things about Jamaica, and we're ready to put on a great show. We are really excited to be able to be performing for the Shaggy and Friends show, and being able to help the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The cause is near to all of us, and we would easily jump at the chance to help raise funds and awareness for the hospital to better care for its vulnerable patients," the group said in a statement.

Rebecca Packer, executive director of the Shaggy Make A Difference Foundation, said that the concert has been lucky to host the kind of talented artistes it has in the past, and plans to in the future.

stellar entertainment package

"The music industry, locally and internationally, has been very generous to us, and so we have been able to have a really stellar entertainment package each

staging. It is a trend we are looking forward to continuing as we won't stop until all the needs of the Bustamante Hospital are met," Packer said.

The fifth staging of the Shaggy and Friends Concert is set to be its biggest yet. Set for the lawns of Jamaica House, the concert will welcome the likes of OMI, Nelly,

En Vogue, Beenie Man, Ding Dong, and Popcaan.

The event has four categories - Diamond ($35,000), Platinum ($23,000), Gold ($12,500), and Silver ($6,500). Tickets for the event have already gone on sale and are available islandwide at outlets including The Jamaica Pegasus, Liguanea Drug and Garden, Cannonball, Chocolate Dreams (Loshushan and Devon House), Fromage, Fontana Pharmacy, General Foods (Ocho Rios), and Music Mart. Diamond tickets are only available at The Jamaica Pegasus. Kids tickets for the gold section cost $6,500 while kids tickets for the silver section are $3,250.