Caribbean Music Awards to Honor Four Regional Music Legends

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – The Caribbean Music Awards (CMA) says legendary calypsonian Calypso Rose, as well as Shyne, Patra and Alan Cavé, will be honored during its fourth annual awards at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) here on Sept. 19.

 Calypso Rose will receive the Elite Calypso Honor, while international recording artist, humanitarian and former Belize Government official Shyne will receive the Global Ambassador Honor.

Acclaimed Haitian-American singer-songwriter Alan Cavé will receive the Elite Konpa Honor, and Jamaican dancehall icon Patra will receive the Lifetime Achievement Honor.

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, CMA said this year’s celebration serves as “the centerpiece of the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards Elite Weekend Experience, bringing together artists, fans, industry leaders, cultural tastemakers and visitors from across the Caribbean and around the world for a destination celebration honoring the sounds, stories and global influence of Caribbean music.”

Inspired by this year’s theme, “Sounds of the Caribbean,” CMA said the Fourth Annual Awards will “celebrate four cultural figures whose contributions have helped shape the global impact of Caribbean music.”

CMA said Calypso Rose will receive the Elite Calypso Honor, celebrating her “legendary contributions to Caribbean music and her role in bringing calypso to audiences worldwide.

“A trailblazer for women in music, the Tobago-born icon has spent more than six decades shaping the genre, making history as the first woman to win Trinidad & Tobago’s Road March title and achieving global recognition with milestones, including her platinum-selling album, ‘Far From Home,’” CMA said.

Patra will receive the Lifetime Achievement Honor in recognition of her groundbreaking career and enduring influence on dancehall, reggae and global Black music.

Born in the western parish of Westmoreland in Jamaica, Patra began her career as a female DJ under the name “Lady Patra” before rising to international prominence through her collaboration with Shabba Ranks on “Family Affair.”

Her 1993 debut album, Queen of the Pack, released through Epic Records, made history as the first album by a Jamaican female artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart and was later certified Gold in the United States.

The project produced her signature hit “Worker Man,” which reached No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, entered the Top 20 on the R&B chart, and topped the US Dance chart, CMA said.

With additional hits, including “Romantic Call,” “Scent of Attraction,” “Black Cinderella,” and her acclaimed remake of Grace Jones’ “Pull Up to the Bumper,” Patra became “one of the most recognizable female faces of Jamaica’s 1990s dancehall movement.”

Patra’s crossover presence extended into American hip-hop culture through appearances in music videos for artists including The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, “while her distinctive style, commanding presence and unapologetic portrayal of Black womanhood helped pave the way for a new generation of female dancehall artists.”

Shyne will receive the Global Ambassador Honor in recognition- of his evolution from internationally-acclaimed recording artist to cultural leader, humanitarian and global advocate for Belize and the Caribbean.

Following the success of his 2000 self-titled debut on Bad Boy Records, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and earned Gold certification, CMA said Shyne has “dedicated himself to public service, youth empowerment and cultural advancement while serving as Belize’s Music and Goodwill Ambassador.”

Alan Cavé will receive the Elite Konpa Honor in recognition of his “extraordinary influence on Haitian music and the global Konpa movement.”

Known as the “King of Kompa Love,”  Cavé has spent more than three decades defining the genre through his “timeless songwriting, signature vocals and influential work as both a member of Zin and a celebrated solo artist, inspiring generations of musicians throughout the Caribbean and Diaspora.”

The honorees will be celebrated as part of its Elite Weekend Experience, a three-day destination celebration taking place Sept. 18–20, throughout Trinidad & Tobago.

The weekend will feature a welcome reception, industry programming, cultural activations, fan experiences, the Caribbean Music Awards ceremony, the official after-party, and a special Steelpan celebration featuring Stars and Steel.

Following three successful years in Brooklyn, New York, the Awards will make its international debut in Trinidad & Tobago as part of its “continued mission to celebrate Caribbean music and culture across different regions of the Caribbean.”