Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Music decline not unique to Festival Song Competition

Published:Tuesday | June 14, 2022 | 12:07 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I have been a fan of the Jamaica Festival Song Competition since I was a child. My first experience of it, and one which remains etched in my memory, was the night Roy Rayon won with Give Thanks and Praises. I was a young ‘80s baby’, but I recall he was wearing a gown and dancing across the stage as he sang in celebration of Jamaica’s 25th year of Independence. It is still a favourite of many today.

Growing up, I looked forward to the competition every year. Every Eric Donaldson is my favourite, because they all give me ‘the feel’. If I were to pick an all-time favourite from his catalogue of seven winning songs, it would be Proud to be Jamaican, which he sang when Jamaica turned 22. “Twenty-two years salute, we are no more likkle yute, fi wi country a 22 ... .” I have no recollection of that competition. But such is my love for Festival songs.

Fast-forward to 2020,when The JCDC pulled off a near star-studded line-up of contestants, which saw Buju Banton emerging winner with I Am a Jamaican. I loved it! Not just because Buju was in it, but it was a nice attempt at celebrating Jamaica with good music. The entries weren’t bad, but Buju’s song was the best for me.

Now, here we are in our 60th year and it is announced that the competition is being called off due to poor entries. What a bam bam! There is high drama at the prospect of no Festival song for a significant year. Let’s not be hypocritical in judgement. The songs, of late, leave much to be desired, to the point where some of us don’t want to hear them. I am of two minds about it. I don’t want to hear the foolishness in our 60th year, and my heart is broken that our music has declined so much that we don’t know how to pen good songs to celebrate it.

We are not at our best. Just listen to local radio and you will get the picture. Right know, dance is the best thing we have going for us. Yes, the dance moves are more appealing than the songs we are dancing to. Jamaican songwriters and artistes have work to do.

I am relieved that there will be a three-song competition, which includes stars like Alaine and Freddie McGregor, great songwriters and vocalists. Whew! It would be nice to have a female winner in our 60th year. Hint, hint, Alaine – you go girl. Heather Grant was our first female winner with Mek We Put Things Right (1992). Great song, by the way; big up the other females who followed suit.

But let’s not be too mad at the JCDC. I really thank them for saving me from being mad at poor Festival songs in our 60th year. As always, I have my YouTube mix ready to listen to Festival songs in a few weeks’ time. We have come a long way from The Maytals’ Bam Bam in 1966. And while we can’t go back, we must go forward with music of our time which resonates the world over, strengthening Brand Jamaica.

SUZETTE CAMPBELL