Caribbean Music Awards Announces First Wave of Performers For Trinidad & Tobago Debut

NEW YORK, New York – Organizers of the Caribbean Music Awards (CMA) have announced the first group of performers for the event’s fourth staging, scheduled for Sept. 19 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The lineup includes V’ghn, Freetown Collective, Jah Mason, 450, 1T1 and Theomaa, representing soca, reggae, dancehall, bouyon and contemporary Caribbean music.

Several of the performers are also nominees in this year’s awards. V’ghn has received seven nominations and Freetown Collective three, while 1T1 is nominated in the bouyon categories.

Dancehall entertainer 450 is nominated for Dancehall Album of the Year, while Theomaa is in contention for Bouyon Song of the Year.

This year’s event will also spotlight Dominica as the birthplace of bouyon, a genre that has gained wider international attention through social media, carnival celebrations and other cultural events.

The Government of Dominica, through the Ministry of Tourism and the Discover Dominica Authority, will serve as a category sponsor.

Organizers said the partnership would help promote the artists and cultural traditions associated with bouyon while highlighting the genre’s importance to Dominican identity.

Dominica’s participation also reflects the awards’ broader aim of providing Caribbean territories with a platform to promote their artists, musical styles and cultural identities, the CMA said.

Trinidad and Tobago is the first Caribbean destination to host the awards as part of what organizers described as a new phase for the event.

The ceremony will form part of the inaugural Caribbean Elite Weekend Experience, scheduled for Sept. 18-20.

The weekend will begin with a welcome reception on Sept. 18, followed by the Caribbean Music Awards on Sept. 19 and the Stars & Steel Concert & Awards on Sept. 20.

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Trinidadian singer Nailah Blackman and comedian Majah Hype.

Among those to be honored are Belizean rapper and politician Shyne, Trinidad and Tobago calypso icon Calypso Rose, Haitian singer Alan Cavé and Jamaican dancehall artist Patra.

The event is being presented by Tourism Trinidad Limited, with support from the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited, the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism, and Global Trinidad and Tobago.