Slashe Proves He’s the Best

A name change, perhaps, did the trick for this year’s Festival Song winner ‘Slashe’, the artist formerly known as ‘Iceman’.

His song, ‘Best in the World’ took the top prize of $3 million, beating out an impressive field of 11 entries, including ‘Mr. Festival,’ seven-time winner of the competition, Eric Donaldson.

The 2023 Festival Song winner, who entered the competition in 2004, admits that he did not expect to win.

“The CEO of Penthouse Records, Donovan Germaine, reached out to me and told me to enter because he thought that I had something to offer, and

I must admit that I went in with very little expectation,” he notes.

He put in the work and crafted a masterpiece in a beautiful song that paid homage to the national heroes, describing the beauty of the island and the innate characteristics that make Jamaicans the ‘best in the world’.

“I am humbled, thankful and elated about it. It represents a fresh new start for me. The work has now just begun and I have already hit the ground running in many different ways,” he tells JIS News.

Slashe, whose given name is Donald Anderson, tells the JIS that the name change from ‘Iceman’ was a “rebranding”.

“I’m quite deeply immersed in singing and music, so Iceman represented a different artiste at a different time. Iceman was an actor, comedian and I am now fully immersed in singing and in music,” he notes.

Ironically, the new name has its origin in his comedic past.

“Well, I was doing a show some years ago and when I was being introduced, they said he is an actor, slash comedian, slash singer, slash writer, slash DJ. It stuck because it is true; I am all of those things, so we added the ‘e’ and I am now Slashe,” he laughs.

Acclaimed Reggae/Dancehall music producer and Chief Executive Officer of Penthouse Records, Donovan Germain, says he knew Slashe had a great song on his hands.

Germain is also the producer of the second-place Shuga (Dancing Same Way) and the third-place Exco Levi (Feel Like Home).

“It’s a good feeling that all three songs were in the top three but I have to give the artistes most of the credit because they are the ones who came up with the lyrics and the melody of the songs. I just put the musicians in place and oversaw the whole process as a producer,” he tells JIS News.

He adds that he is pleased to have encouraged Slashe to enter the competition.

“He’s been with us since 2014 but, sometimes, you have to be patient and try different things. He wasn’t too enthusiastic about entering the competition but I was adamant that he should enter if it was even just for the media coverage you get. Ultimately, he won the whole thing, so if he never entered, he couldn’t win,” the record producer says.

Speaking to JIS News about his winning song, Slashe says he wanted to focus on the “ancestral history of Jamaica, the people who helped us to enjoy the freedoms that we currently enjoy, the Nanny, Cudjoe and Tacky and from there all the other lyrics flowed.”

He spoke glowingly of his experience with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and says he enjoyed the entire process of the competition.

“It improved from day-to-day – more zeal, fervour and enthusiasm and towards the build-up to the competition, like two weeks before the finals, there was greater excitement. I would say it was a great experience and a beneficial one,” he adds.

Asked where he thinks the win will take his career, Slashe says “it’s a catalyst”. “This is the springboard that I have always sought my entire career to take me to a different dimension of growth, development and flourishment,” he says.

“I now have to continue to make quality songs and align myself with the right timing, people, and just try to ascertain a higher level of interest and familiarity with the fans that make up brand Slashe locally, regionally and internationally, and see where that takes me,” he says.