Booster Shot: Barbados Music Awards this Sunday!

The island of Barbados will be honouring its top achievers in the field of music this Sunday, January 10th at the 5th annual Barbados Music Awards. While I've personally never attended the event myself, many of my Bajan contacts have not hesitated to express a few choice words about favouritism and bias that seems to be present in most Caribbean awards gala's these days. Produced by Who's to say if that's the case here, but I still applaud the organizers for staging a top quality event that does much to celebrate an emerging industry that nurtures creative persons in a vast array of genres and disciplines. For a nation of fewer than 300,000 inhabitants, Barbados has endless reasons to feel proud when it comes to music.

The night proves to be a good show with performances from  Edwin Yearwood, Livvi Franc, Jaiko, TC and Ruby Tech.

Boasting international success in Pop with Rihanna, and now Shontelle, in Gospel with Joseph Niles, in Jazz with Arturo Tappin, and soca with the likes of Alison Hinds and Rupee, the musical heritage of Barbados is proud.

Where soca and calypso are concerned, here are your nominees:

SOCA UP-TEMPO SINGLE
Edwin Yearwood - In De Middle A De Road
Mikey - I in Dat
Timmy - Tim De Tool Man

Soca Mid-Tempo Single (Male)
Blood – Back It Up
Mikey – I In Dat
RPB – Something’s Happening

Soca Mid- Tempo Single (Female)
Alison Hinds – Chocolate and Vanilla
Natahlee – What We Do
TC – Hot Sun and Rhythm

Best Social Commentary
John King – My Caribbean
RPB – Home Drums
Sheldon Hope – Last Days

Best Collaboration
Alison Hinds & Richie Spice – King and Queen
Ayana John & Elephant Man – Pose
Kirk Brown, Justin King & Tejay – Shawty Get Low

Song of the Year
Edwin Yearwood – In De Middle A De Road
RPB – Something’s Happening
Shontelle – Battle Cry

Album of the Year (Artist / Group)
Ayana John – Ayana John
Krosfyah – Kings of the Groove
Shontelle – Shontelligence

Album of the Year (Compilation)
Monsta Piece – AWOL
Tone Deaf Studios – Chaos
Various – Soca Tite Choonz

Producer of the Year
Anderson “Blood” Armstrong
KB Sharp
Peter Coppin

Songwriter of the Year
Edwin Yearwood
Mr. Dale
RPB

Backing Vocalist of the Year
Indra Rudder
Lisa Howell
Ria Borman

Soca Artist of the Year
TC
RPB
Edwin Yearwood

Band/Group of the Year
Krosfyah
Strategy
Fully Loaded

Entertainer of the Year (Male)
Edwin Yearwood
Kirk Brown
RPB
Blood
Buggy

Entertainer of the Year (Female)
Alison Hinds
Shontelle
Rihanna
Ayana John
TC

Song of the Decade
Rupee – Tempted To Touch
Edwin and Khiomal – Sak Passe
Biggie Irie – Nah Going Home
Alison Hinds – Roll
Rihanna – Umbrella

Band/Group of the Decade
Krosfyah
Strategy
Massala
Fully Loaded
The Merrymen

Entertainer of the Decade (Male)
Edwin Yearwood
RPB
Rupee
Anderson “Blood” Armstrong
L’il Rick

Entertainer of the Decade (Female)
Alison Hinds
Rihanna
Toni Norville
TC
Natahlee

2010 BMA Honourees
Cornerstone Awards
Arturo Valentino
JoAnne Sealy
Andrea Gollop- Greenidge
ANTHONY BRYAN
Natahlee
Herring
Biggie Irie
John Sealy
John Roett
Tony Thompson

Lifetime Achievement Award
Tony Hoyos
Living Legend
Marvo Manning
BMA Award of Excellence
Terencia “TC” Coward
The 5th anniversary awards gala will feature a special tribute to the late Michael Jackson (who boasts no Barbadian heritage from all reports). Tickets can be purchased right up until Sunday at 7pm for a cool $200 BBD, that's $100 US for a seat in the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.

If you end up going, lemme know how it goes down!

Love and Soca,

Nurse Karen

For more information on the Barbados Music Awards, check out www.goldcoastrecords.com