Who is your Breakthrough Artiste of 2018?

Nominations are open for the 2019 Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) awards. The public has been invited to vote for the Breakthrough Artiste and the Song of the Year awards.

Lila Ike, Naomi Cowan, Jada Kingdom, Rygin King, and Teejay have been nominated in the Breakthrough Artiste category. This accolade is given to an emerging artiste in recognition of his/her progress in the industry from dilettante to a professional in the previous year.

The JaRIA says that in determining the nominees, considerations include the artiste’s impact as gauged by growth of fan base, critical acclaim, extent of touring internationally, and increased recognition of catalogue.

In the Song of the Year category, Koffee has been nominated for her song Toast and Wayne Marshall for Glory to God. Dancehall artiste Ding Dong earns a nomination for his song, Flairy while Chronixx has been nominated twice ( Help The Weak – Capleton & Chronixx, and No Guarantee with Protoje). Kabaka Pyramid’s Kontraband, which features Damian Marley, has also been nominated in the category.

The Song of the Year award is given to a Jamaican song that has attained critical and commercial acclaim locally and internationally during the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The song cannot contain any profanity, discriminatory, or derogatory lyrics.

The deadline for voting, which takes place on JaRIA’s website, is March 4.