‘Let’s build a spirit of togetherness’
Grange urges airplay, purchase of festival songs on streaming platforms
Published:Friday | July 8, 2022 | 12:07 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
It will go down in history as the Festival Song Competition that nearly wasn’t, but that was almost totally forgotten when the 10 songs were unveiled with a flourish to the media at a Zoom press conference on Thursday. With 20 days to go until the finals, the organisers of the competition, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), are ensuring that the songs are in the spaces that they need to be, including radio, social media and online streaming platforms.
The songs will be distributed through VPal, the distribution arm of VP Records, and there is a thrust to capture sales through downloads.
Promote, purchase via downloads and vote were among the watchwords of Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, as she addressed the conference. She noted that in the past, festival songs were not positioned as income earners, but they definitely should be. And in answer to concerns by some finalists about where the songs could be heard, she explained that snippets would be posted on social media and YouTube, but emphasised the importance of downloads, especially from the diaspora. “And radio is playing them,” Grange added.
The session was chaired by a thrilled Orville Hill, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) general manager, finance and procurement, who told attendees that “we want you to feel the vibes and the energy that comes with each song”. The media then listened as 30 seconds of the songs were played, and the finalists who were present introduced themselves and said what was the inspiration for their lyrics.
The finalists are Magic Flute, Orkid, Dez I Boyd, Inspiyah, Nitty Kutchie, Nazzleman, One1, Intrestt, Stamp, and the lone female, Sacaj. Brimming with patriotic lyrics, the song titles are I’m A Proud Jamaican, Nuh Weh Nice Like Yard, Diamond Jubilee, Jamaica Sweet Again, Jamaica Nice Again, Defend Jamaica, Out Of Many, S ixty (Anniversary Time), Rock To Da Beat, and Bring Back The Love. From the clips played, it was obvious there are a few front runners who could really up the excitement ante of the festival celebrations in the year of Jamaica 60.
ALREADY A WINNER
Minister Grange told the finalists that “Each of you by being selected is already a winner.”
She explained that this year, the winner will be a combination of telephone voting by members of the public and judging scores, a departure from last year when the winner was chosen solely by voting. Also, voting is limited to five votes per day per person. Digicel is the official telecoms partner; however, persons connected to the Flow network will also be able to send in their votes. In the diaspora, voting is open on the Reggae Jamaica app.
Grange also sounded the reality trumped when she stated, “Not everyone can win, so in the spirit of brotherhood give each other your support. Let’s build a spirit of togetherness. May the best song win.”
Acting Executive Director at the JCDC, Marjorie Leyden-Kirton, echoed Grange’s sentiments and added her touch of excitement. The former Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen (1986), she shared that she also performed on stage with Roy Rayon when he won the Festival Song Competition in 1987. “So, you see that I am a Festival Baby,” Leyden-Kirton said with a laugh, noting that she was looking forward to this year’s competition.
The final 10 songs are a mix of those selected when the competition was reopened for one week, after it was initially scrapped – and 209 entries were received – and some from the original batch of entries.
The winning song will be selected following two televised live shows on July 14 and July 28, which will be the official opening activity for the Independence Village.
There is a grand prize of $3 million for the winning song, to be shared by the producer, the writer and the singer.
Jamaica 60 celebrations are being observed under the theme ‘Reigniting a Nation for Greatness’.