Caribbean Rhythm Showcase sizzles

The grand ballroom of the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston came alive on Sunday night as musical acts from across the region displayed their talent at the first live staging of the Caribbean Rhythm Showcase.

Organised by Jamaican talent agency, Headline Entertainment in partnership with the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) and the European Union, the showcase aims to highlight the talents of Caribbean artistes in front of international music executives and other industry players.

Twenty acts representing 13 regional states performed at the event, which was opened to an in-house and online audiences.

The excitement was palpable throughout the event and continued following the proceedings on stage when guests, including the international music industry scouts, had the opportunity to have one-on-one time with the artistes in a specially created lounge.

Allyson Francis, of the Caribbean Export, is hopeful that the entertainers who showcased their talents were able to secure exciting deals.

"There are performances that rocked the place and I know the buyers are ready and eager to speak to these artistes," she said.

Francis said that the impact of the showcase can be seen in the way it brought the region's young people and artistes together to show off the diversity of the offering from the people of the Caribbean.

Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Sport and Entertainment, Olivia Grange said that Caribbean Rhythm Showcase is an idea whose time has come.

"I am so overjoyed on what I saw here tonight, it was great. There was such a diverse talent pool showcasing different genres, different musical styles, great voices, just talented people all from our Caribbean region. This is a great way of showcasing the Caribbean talent, getting buyers to come connecting them and helping to build careers."

As a long-standing player in the music industry herself, Grange said the one piece of advise she would offer the aspiring acts who exhibited their talent on the showcase, was to get the right management structure in place to guide their careers.

"I don't know how many of these emerging artistes have management. But they must seek good management. This is about management and direction. So a good manager is able to guide you in terms of your focus, you can't sing everything. You must decide what's your style, what's your image, how you are going to be packaged and how you are going to be presented and marketed," said Grange.