The Bahamas National Festival Commission welcomes the Music Masters' "fantastic finalists" back to Nassau as preparations intensify for the highly anticipated $20,000-grand prize music competition.
The BNFC is also pleased to announce it will be working in partnership with Sony Music to offer promotional support to the winner of the Music Masters song competition. In fact, a Sony Music executive is expected to be on island during the judging of the event on May 8th, 2015.
“We want to give this new wave of Bahamian musicians the support they need to be the cultural leaders we know they are,” said Roscoe Dames, C.E.O of the BNFC. “We are confident in these artists and are proud of their achievements in Grand Bahama.”
The final nine artists were narrowed down from 17 musicians last weekend in Grand Bahama, during that island’s successful weekend of events. The first round of competition was held on April 17th and the second on April 18th in Freeport on one of the grandest stages ever built on the island.
The semifinalists who performed on a live stage and clinched a space in the top ten songs category out of the 25-song “Jump In Da Line” CD compilation are: Colyn McDonald- Carnival Is Here & Jump and Carry On, Ericka ‘Lady E’ Symonette – My Islands in the Sun, Sammi Starr – Everybody Jump in Da Line, Chris ‘Sketch’ Carey – Rushing Down the Road, Sonovia Pierre – Junkanoo Carnival Party, Bodine Johnson – All day All night, Georgina Ward-Rigby – In the Carnival, Ian McQuay – Going Home and Tyrone ‘Plati’ Dread – Junkanoo Rock.
Thousands of supporters attended the event in Freeport, which acted as an economic stimulator for the island. Vendor Rochelle Dickenson from the Something Different Catering & Services stall said the event gave a good boost to the people of Grand Bahama, but really gave a financial injection to small businesses like hers and she was optimistic about Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival prospects. “There are a lot of people here and I think the event has boosted the people’s hope,” she said. “If you look around, I don’t see any [negative behavior] and business is picking up. I’m pleased with it all.”
ABOUT: The first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, sponsored by BTC, is a collage of Bahamian culture set for May 7-9, 2015. It is a festive weeklong celebration where Bahamians and guests from around the world are immersed in all things Bahamian in an entertaining and interactive manner. For more information please visit our www.bahamasjunkanoocarnival.com, follow us on Twitter @carnivalbahamas, Instagram: Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and Facebook: Bahamas Carnival.
BTC is the proud title sponsor of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. The company has provided $1 million in funding to ensure the success of this national event. BTC has been a long-time supporter of Bahamian culture and arts and believes that this sponsorship will continue to further the evolution and growth of Bahamian culture.
