JCDC Festival Song Final on Saturday

Eleven finalists will vie for the coveted title of 2019 Festival Song Winner in the grand final of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Jamaica Festival Song Competition.

The event, which is free to the public, will be held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road, St. Andrew, on Saturday (July 27), beginning at 7:00 p.m.

It will be streamed live across three platforms – the JCDC Website, Facebook and YouTube.

The singer and writer of the winning song will receive $1 million each. If the singer is also the songwriter, then the person will receive $2 million.

There are also prizes for second and third places as well as sectional prizes for the finalists.

Chairman of the Festival Song Committee, Orville Hill, told JIS News that patrons can expect an “excellent show”.

“The finalists have done the rounds, going through a number of parishes and perfecting the art and they are ready to showcase their songs to Jamaica,” he said, noting that the group performed in the parishes of Manchester, Portland, St. James, St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.

The show will include performances from local artistes, including 2018 Festival Song winner, O’Neil ‘Nazzleman’ Scott.

“We will also have a special guest, who will be there to perform and excite the crowd …you have to be there to be a part of creating history,” Mr. Hill said.

He noted that the judges will be looking for a song that can “galvanise the Jamaican people to celebrate their Independence”.

He lauded the quality of the songs produced by the finalists, noting that each song “brings a different dimension to the competition”.

“There are some that carry a very heavy mento beat. There are some that are heavy in the Reggae beat and there are some that can be considered relatively soft music,” he said.

Mr. Hill said that more than 120 entries were submitted, with 35 persons selected as semi-finalists by a panel of experts in the field of music and entertainment.

The 11 finalists were chosen after a performance held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre.