Protoje promises special experience at The Lost in Time Festival
Published:Thursday | February 2, 2023 | 12:42 AMAaliyah Cunningham/Gleaner Writer
If the good vibrations that permeated through the small group that gathered at the AC Hotel Kingston for the media launch of The Lost in Time Festival foreshadow what is to come from the show on February 25, then patrons are in for a great event that reggae artiste and conceptualiser Protoje says is unlike anything ever done in Jamaica before.
Passionate about treating Jamaicans to a world-class event, Protoje explained that he had always wanted to bring this sort of show to the island.
“I wanted to keep a festival for a long time. People have come to my show on a kind of yearly basis. We kind of try to give off a festival feel, but we wanted to do something that was sustainable and not just a Protoje show. We decided to do it as a festival, and because of my travels, I have played many, many shows over the world like Coachella, Glastonbury, Paleo, [and] all the major shows, and I have seen the style and feel of it, and I wanted to see if I can bring that to Jamaica with stuff like having two stages,” he shared.
A feature of the festival, which is the primary differentiating factor of the event, is the use of two main stages for all the artistes on the roster as well as bonus performers to use.
“We will be having the New Wave Stage and The Lost In Time Stage, both of them are going to be proper band settings, but we wanted to give people the opportunity to walk around, go and see the artisans and the food village, very indigenous to Jamaica. Go and watch one stage while a band is changing and other innovative stuff that I have seen. There will be different installations there, like by clothing brands or by food vendors, and we are offering different sections too,” Protoje said.
“I personally don’t like when I go to a show, and there are like 50ft, and then people are way back. I didn’t want that. I prefer the concert experience where everybody can come up to the front. So, everyone can come close to the stage depending on what time you arrive,” he continued.
During the launch, he also made certain to share that a schedule for where and when each performer is set perform would be available so patrons can choose where they want to go. More importantly, no two artistes’ performance times will clash, and there is a break in between performances for eventgoers to move around. He also added that time is a crucial factor.
“We also wanted to do it from day into the night. It is not a 6 o’clock in the morning thing. It will be over by 1 o’clock, and it will be open by two, and people will be performing from 4:30 onwards. I encourage people to come out early and interact,” he explained.
Reggae artistes Lila Iké, Mortimer, Jessie Royal, Jaz Elise, Naomi Cowan, Samory I, Yaadcore, Tesselated, Ras -I, and of course, Protoje are on the line-up for The Lost in Time Festival set for Hope Gardens in Kingston. According to him, the artiste selection was based on one primary criterion.
“I wanted to put a lot of artistes on the show that I love and respect. I was on tour with Jessie and Lila (Iké) on the Lost in Time tour, and I was like, I really need to bring this to Jamaica, so it started with me, Lila and Jessie. Another feature I wanted to include was every artiste on the show has a project out, whether it is an EP or album, so I wanted to highlight the artiste here that are doing bodies of work because I think that is very important and we are giving them a chance to do that,” Protoje revealed.
Protoje’s most recent project, Third Time’s The Charm, is currently up for the Best Reggae Album at the Grammys. The Grammy Awards is scheduled for this Sunday. He anticipates The Lost In Time Festival becoming a yearly staple on the events calendar.
“This is the first in something that hopefully will be annual and again just bringing a difference to the event offering. This is not a stage show; it is a festival, and I encourage people to come out and don’t be late. I am looking forward to you seeing all the performances and all the artistes.”