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REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Lyons for Jamaica at Miss World competition; Stephenson's August Town hits top; Banton 'Sorts It Out'; Caribbean entertainment news
19 year old Brittany Lyons to represent Jamaica at Miss World competition finals
*The life of 19 year Brittany Lyons has been changed forever. She was crowned Miss Jamaica World 2008 from a field of 16 girls at the grand coronation show which was held two weekends ago. The 5 feet 7 inch tall beauty, while gracious about her victory, has continued a legacy as far as beauty pageants are concerned in her family.
Her mother Marie Clare Delepenha Lyons, finished second in the Miss Jamaica World beauty pageant in 1980. ‘I got a lot of encouragement from my mother and I really worked hard for this. Its been like a dream come true for me’, Brittany told this writer shortly after her crowning.
Finishing second in the 2008 Miss Jamaica World beauty pageant was Jade Grant, while Marshagaye Reynolds came third.
Brittany will represent Jamaica at the Miss World finals which will be held later this year.
Last year’s representative from Jamaica, Yendi Phillips, who was crowned Miss Jamaica World 2007, finished in the Top 15 at the Miss World finals in China. Phillips placed in the top 3 in four of the Miss World mini competitions.
Duane Stephenson’s August Town hits the top spot
Duane Stephenson’s biographical recording August Town has knocked Elephant Man’s Gully Creepa from the top of the Digicel Caribbean Hot 30 countdown. News of the song’s surge to pole position came as a shocker to the 32 year old former member of the boy band To-Isis. ‘I wasn’t aware that it was number one, but that’s good news. It’s a song I did to basically highlight things that happened while I was growing up. It’s a reflection of stuff that happened in the past and I am quite surprised that the song has become so popular’, Stephenson said in an interview earlier this week before he left the island for a performance in Canada.
Stephenson, who left the To-Isis outfit two years ago after a near ten year stint with the group, released his debut opus From August Town last year on VP Records. ‘The group met up while we were with Cathy Levy Players. The group was first called South Side 7 but we later decided to work with the name To-Isis’, reminisced Stephenson.
Asked why he left the group, Stephenson said ‘It was time to move on to the next progression. I wanted to go into a direction that I wanted. I am still friends with the members of the group. I just recently worked on a track with them for their album’.
Stephenson has been busy carving out a name for himself, not only as a singer but also as a songwriter and budding producer. He wrote the Jah Cure smash single True Reflections; and he has also written and co-produced tracks for the likes of Luciano, Morgan Heritage and Guyanese group First Born.
Though he hasn’t started working on a new album yet, Stephenson hopes to hit the studios later this year to commence work on his follow up opus. He recently recorded a cover of the Phil Collins 1985 hit Against All Odds, and he also has a single coming out on Arif Cooper’s Fresh Ear label. ‘The song I did for Arif is a new look and a new energy. People are going to be surprised’, said Stephenson.
Burro Banton chalks up a hit in Germany with Sort Out Yourself
He might not be on top of the charts or banging on the radio here in Jamaica. However, veteran dancehall deejay Burro Banton continues to spew hits on the Germany reggae charts
After claiming pole position last year with Badda Dan Dem, Banton is currently riding high with Sort out Yourself.
The 47 year old Burro whose real name is Donovan Spalding, emerged on the musical radar in the late 1970s. It wasn’t until the mid 1980’s that he began to garner some attention. His emergence at the beginning of the digital dancehall craze started by King Jammy, saw him riding some of the more prolific rhythms of the day.
In 1978 he linked up with the Black Hoover sound system and then moved on to Roots Unlimited sound system. While deejaying for the Gemini sound in the early 1980’s, finally began to make some strides. He would later have short stints with the Volcano and Kilamanjaro sound systems.
His first recording was with legendary producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, Volcano's owner, and released his first LP in 1985.
Known for his very aggressive style; deep, gruff voice, Burro’s most famous recording to date has been Boom Wah Dis which became a hit in 1998 on the Steely and Clevie produced Street Sweeper rhythm.
Caribbean entertainment news
Luni Sparks and Electrify retained the title of 2008 Soca Monarch champ of Grenada. The Grenada Soca Monarch finals took place two weekends ago. The main prize was EC$30,000. The winners have now qualified for the 2009 International Soca Monarch Finals which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago next February.
His name is Skinny Fabulous and he’s from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He currently has the number one song on the charts in Trindad and Tobago with the song Head Bad On the Spot. But just who exactly is Skinny Fabulous? His real name is Omar Doyle and he recently completed a diploma in Media and communications at the UWI Mona Campus. He is currently pursuing his Bachelors Degree.
Over in Antigua, the top 10 finalists for the Antiguan Digicel Rising Stars competition have been selected. Among the finalists are two duets as well as previous top 10 finalists from 2006 and 2007. The series began on August 11 with a recap show broadcast on ABS television. Antigua’s audition show is due to air on September 14. Voters from Antigua and across the Caribbean will have a week to select their top two for the regional series.
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