BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE British Virgin Islands (BVI) Music Festival will be officially launched tomorrow (Apr. 16) and the names of artistes have not yet revealed for this year’s lineup.
However, SKNVibes PEP learnt that Jamaican artiste Gyptian and the 2004 American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino have been confirmed for the festival.
The launch will take place at Quito’s in Cane Garden Bay with the announcement of the lineup from 8:00 p.m., and a jam session with music by DJ’s DJ Riquo and DJ Bertrum from 10:00 p.m.
The launch, s said to create much excitement leading up to this year’s festival which is scheduled to be held each night from Friday May 28-Sunday May 30.This year, the festival celebrates 10 years of Music Festival in the BVI.
Gyptian, with his infectious ‘Hold Yuh’ single, is expected to take to the stage at Cane Garden Bay next month.
Born to a Seventh Day Adventist mother and Rastafarian father, Gyptian received his musical calling at the age of seven when he began singing in the church. Recognising his talent, his parents introduced him to Mr. Wong, a record producer from Portmore, St. Catherine.
“I did not take it seriously,” said Gyptian “My family members have always been carrying me to Portmore to see him, but I usually disappear. One day, they dropped me off at his studio and left me and it all began there.”
Under the guidance of Mr. Wong and Earl Chinna Smith, Gyptian honed his sound, winning the 2004 Star Search talent competition at Kens Wild Flower Lounge in Portmore, earning him a spot at Sting 2004, dubbed the ‘greatest one night reggae show on earth’.
The singer earned his nickname from his habit of tying a shirt around his head and twisting his chin hair like an Egyptian pharaoh.
In 2005 he scored two hits, ‘Is There A Place’ on the Seasons Riddim and ‘Serious Times’.
Nominated for Best New Entertainer at the 2006 International Reggae and World Music Awards, the 23-year-old singer has been dominating the Jamaican charts with hits including ‘Is There a Place’, ‘Beautiful Lady’, and the chart-topping ballad, ‘Mama, Don’t Cry’.
His style of reggae music is considered lovers rock and roots reggae, with songs about political issues and love. His musical and lyrical style has been compared to established Jamaican artistes such as Sizzla, Luciano and Beres Hammond.
Fantasia Monique Barrino, commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B/Soul singer, Broadway and television actress, who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American Idol in 2004. She has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards.
In 2004, she released her debut single, ‘I Believe’, which debuted at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100, making Barrino the first recording artiste in history to debut at the number one spot with a debut single. Subsequently, she released her debut album,
‘Free Yourself’, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and garnered Barrino four Grammy nominations in 2006.
In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the number-one R&B hit ‘When I See U’.
The album was certified Gold by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical ‘The Color Purple’ and her third studio album is set to be released in early 2010.
British Virgin Islands News