BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE 15th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival is just a few months away and preparations have already begun for the much anticipated event. However, one of the main factors for its success is the selection of performing artistes.
The festival is a three-night event which is usually held during the last weekend in June, beginning from the Thursday night.
According to a release, the Management Committee for the Festival already met for its first planning meeting and decided that this year’s event would take place from June 23 to 25.
Recently, SKNVibes went on the streets of Basseterre to get the public's input on which artiste they would like to see grace the stage for the three-night event.
Ajani, the first person to have given his opinion, said he would love to see US rapper Lil Wayne perform while Rebel agreed with him but added that UB40 would also be an excellent choice.
A young man, who preferred to be referred to as White Boy, kept it local by saying he would like to see Nicha B in the lineup.
Wayne, Maricia and Idel all shared the same opinion. They chose reggae sensation Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley.
A TDC worker named Anthony said he would like too see R&B singer Usher. Kelly, who claimed to be a dancehall fan, pelted out a number of names but settled with Popcaan of the Portmore Empire as her pick.
“I don’t want to see anyone who is too hype. I would prefer if they bring artistes who are conscious or more on the laid back side. Maybe somebody like Assassin or Busy Signal,” said Big-Z.
A college student named Shamilla said she would like to see the original soca night with the jumping and waving. She also said she would like to see all of the Marley brothers, while her friend, Colette, added she wants to see soca entertainer Edwin Yearwood.
Dwight, a young man from The Village, chose Nicky Minaj and Popcaan as the artistes he would like to see perform. Souljah, who said although his choice of artistes might be impossible, he would still appreciate seeing Rick Ross, Drake and Beyonce.
Meanwhile, SKNVibes contacted Faron Lawrence Chairman of the Music Festival Committee, who said they are currently in the planning stages and are assessing some information regarding who people want to see perform. She informed that it was done on the Festival’s Facebook page.
He said although they have been receiving feedback from the patrons, they still have to look for artistes who are going to attract visitors to the island.
“It is not just a matter of who people want to see, but the trick is to put that in the mix with the international appeal of that artiste,” Lawrence explained.
He went on to say they are also in the process of finding out from their agents in the US and the Caribbean which artistes would be available.
The Chairman said that sometimes when some artistes are contacted, they would not hear from them for months because they do not want to tie up a particular date in the event that a bigger gig comes along.
In response to if anything special is planned for this year’s event, Lawrence said one of the biggest issues is money, as the government was the major financier of the festival for the past 14 years.
“The government’s resources are now very limited, so the big bang of the festival would depend greatly upon the sponsorship we receive from the private sector,” he added.
Last year's Music Festival saw Third World, King StarSheild, King Ellie Matt, Grand Masters Band, Capleton and Bunji Garlin and Faye-Ann Lyons on the first night, while the following night saw US rapper Fabolous hit the stage along with local rap sensation SMI, Tarrus Riley, Jah Fire, Kymani Marley and French bands Fethi Tabet and Stevy Mahy.
The festival concluded on Saturday, June 26 with Sizzla, Baby Face, Infamus, Rolhensha, C-Money and Peper Ranks.
Send us your comments and add who you would like to see perform at this year’s St. Kitts Music Festival.
