Tomorrow, April 20, is the day marijuana is celebrated across the globe. 4/20, as it is called, is usually marked by major music shows in different cities worldwide as ganja lovers ‘light up their spliffs’ in recognition of the herb. Celebrations...
As the COVOID-19 virus continues to spread throughout the world, the face of live entertainment as we knew it has been altered. In a matter of weeks, major music festivals and concerts across the world have either been postponed or cancelled. Now...
Even as content creators are being encouraged to build on their online platforms during this time of self-isolation, artistes are being reminded not to go overboard in the name of entertainment. In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner last week,...
There is an atmosphere of doom and gloom currently blanketing the globe as the coronavirus continues to spread. With entertainment and sporting events coming to a complete halt in many countries, quarantine and chill have become the new norm. As...
Organisers of Jamaica Carnival are the latest to announce the postponement of their season of events due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Jamaica. They have now joined BRT Weekend, UWI Carnival and Sterling Gospel Awards who are among the big...
As the world celebrated the 75th birthday of one of the world’s greatest musicians last Thursday, attendees at a public symposium were given some sound business advice as panellists analysed Bob Marley’s rise to fame and the structures he put in...
Today, veteran reggae artiste Junior Byles turns 72 years old. As the singer continues to suffer from mental-health issues, with recent videos that seemingly show him wandering the streets of Kingston, his daughter, Christine Byles, wants to dispel...
For most entertainers, longevity in music is high on their list of priorities. However, with the entertainment industry as fickle as it is, there is a constant changing of the guard. And so when a solo artiste or a group manages to rack up at least...
For too long, Jamaica has swept the necessary conversation of masculinity and mental health under the rug. As a society, discussions surrounding anxiety and depression have been largely ignored, and the consequences of avoiding such dialogue have...
At the start of 2019, The Gleaner asked music industry insiders to list artistes they believed would have an impact on the entertainment scene. At the time, Koffee’s name was on everyone’s lips. It’s safe to say that those predictions were right as...
When asked to coin a piece recapping some of the top entertainment stories for 2019, I have to admit, I was a little bit overwhelmed. After all, so much happened last year, it would be hard pinpointing those moments that were music’s most impactful...
The 30th staging of the annual Ghetto Splash may be over but some of music’s up-and-coming acts are still overjoyed at being able to make an appearance. Dubbing the Ghetto Splash event as one of the best platforms for fresh acts to showcase their...
Yesterday, December 7, 2019 marked the one-year anniversary of the release from prison of Grammy-winning reggae artiste, Buju Banton, and what a year it has been. Following his release, Banton, who spent eight years in a US federal prison on drug-...
For every dancehall artiste with crossover dreams, getting signed to a major record label is a top priority. Having a large multimillion-dollar international company working on one’s behalf could be the window to a world of opportunities. Still,...
The Grammy nominations are out, and for the second year in a row, the reggae Grammy category is void of non-Jamaicans. Like last year (with the exception of Sting on his joint album with Shaggy), only Jamaican talent occupies the five nomination...
As son of the late reggae icon Jimmy Riley and brother of Tarrus Riley, Ryan Riley has music running through his veins. It may, therefore, come as no surprise that the 33-year-old is also an artiste. Though not as established as his brother and his...
News that reggae music is being replaced by Afrobeats on United Kingdom radio stations has turned the local entertainment industry on its head. Selectors, producers, artistes, and radio disc jocks alike have all been weighing in on the issue that...
When Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis started classes at the Mona School of Business and Management in 2017, his classmates thought the seasoned comedian was perhaps pulling off another prank for his TV series, The Ity and Fancy Cat Show. Ellis told The...
Image is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as the way that something or someone is thought of by other people. In The Gleaner’s most recent staging of its Entertainment Forum, industry insiders discussed imaging as they pointed out that it may be...
Ever since Kanye West announced that he would be turning to Christ, there have been doubts surrounding his sincerity. Questions about whether his decision was real or just a ploy to push album sales spread like wildfire. There have also been...
“Can you imagine getting your breakthrough at the lowest point of your life emotionally?” That was the question music producer Damage posed to The Sunday Gleaner as he opened up about his battle with depression. On the day that the world...
Internationally renowned reggae artiste Ky-Mani Marley has years of musical experience under his belt. As son of reggae legend Bob Marley, the Grammy-nominated artiste knows exactly what it takes to make music timeless music, songs that will...
National Public Radio’s (NPR) most talked-about live concert series may be called Tiny Desk, but the recording sessions are anything but. In fact, they are a pretty big deal. Since its debut in 2008, the live series, held at the desk of NPR’s Bob...
“Music is not about talent anymore. It’s about how much money you have.” That was the sentiment shared by ’90s deejay Benzly Hype at a recent Entertainment Forum hosted by The Gleaner. The artiste, who was a member of the now defunct dancehall...
An alter ego is defined in popular culture as an alternate personality. From Beyoncé (Sasha Fierce) to Nicki Minaj (Barbie, Roman) to local artistes like Spice (Grace Hamilton), some of the most popular music personalities across the world have...
