Local pop-punk band Sundown Superhero announced the return of their music festival, Sundown Fest, yesterday. This year’s festival is on May 21st at Surfer’s Bay Beach Bar in Landsdown, Christ Church. The band teased the announcement just five days prior.
This is Sundown Superhero’s second festival since 2019. It was originally scheduled to happen in 2020 but, of course, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019’s Sundown Fest was held at Ocean Park. There was a live skate demonstration by the Skateboard Association of Barbados, as we all as a Beer Pong Tournament. Local artists Psilos, Jacob Layson, and Zoe Hansen performed, as did DJ Ace Sound. This year’s line up will be announced soon.
AnimeKon is back! After teasing fans with a throwback photo yesterday and a meme this morning, they officially announced their return. Further, they revealed that not only will there be new events, but also that they’ll be switching to a new location. And that’s not all that’s new: year eleven’s name has changed.
Initially, it was dubbed “The Invasion” – the first part of its TerraNautica Saga. Because AnimeKon was paused for two years, it was changed to “Return of the Kon”. That doesn’t mean that they’ve abandoned their plans for TerraNautica, however. As co-founder Omar Kennedy explained:
“The Terranautica Saga will return. It is too audacious a project to ever be contained. Seriously though, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, Team AnimeKon had to pivot its philosophies and direction. As such, we are changing direction for our return. AnimeKon X-I is basically our tenth outing; ‘the X’ , a dash ‘-‘ indicating the global pause and [‘I’], our first year back.
The Return of the Kon is more or less a return to normalcy – there is no normal year without AnimeKon and we are having a grand coming back celebration! This is just the beginning.”
The TerraNautica Saga was conceived of as a storyline spanning five years of AnimeKon. As such, each year told a different part of the story. It follows three main characters “as they face off against the forces of darkness [that] try to overwhelm their continent of TerraNautica.” The themes for each year were “Invasion”, “Clash of the Titans”, “League of Champions”, “Ascension” and “Resurgence”.
This is the first AnimeKon since 2019. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was cancelled in 2020.
Follow AnimeKon on Facebook and Instagram for more details and updates.
Singer-songwriter Shontelle Layne released her latest single, “Boomerang”, yesterday. In it, she sings of being hopelessly in love with someone and unable to stay away from them. With its tropical vibe and island pop sound its the perfect pre-summer track. Layne simultaneously released a lyric video for the song. “Boomerang” was co-written by Shontelle, Jaicko Lawrence, and Demetri James.
Shontelle returned to music in 2020 with her single “Remember Me” and has since released a number of songs. She made history in 2021 with her single “House Party” when she released it as an NFT; she is the first major, Black female musician to do so.
Operation Triple Threat (OTT) is staging a one night only performance of Fame The Musical JR on Sunday, April 10th at the Frank Collymore Hall. The musical is one of the many spin-offs of the iconic 1980 film Fame.
Like the film, it is set in the early 1980s at the real High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. Both follow the lives of students at the school. Fame The Musical JR, however, explores the school’s final years. In 1984 it became Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
As stated on OTT’s website it “features a high-energy, contemporary pop score (which includes the hit title song) and a touching coming-of-age story…With candor, humor and insight, the show explores the issues that confront many young people today.”
Tickets for the show are $55 BBD or $65 BDD at the door. Patrons can purchase tickets from the OTT box office or online. The box office opens on weekdays from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM and on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For further details on in person cash payments and online payments, visit OTT’s website.
Faith Callender released her third single in two months on Tuesday when she dropped “Way Up”. Written by Shana “Pull De Trigga” Hinds (winner of the 2021 Gine On?! People’s Choice Award for Writer of the Year) and Antonio “Jus D” Johnson, the dancehall tinged track sees Faith boasting of her and her team’s prowess as well as their current and – as the song’s title suggests – future success.
In the caption of a preview of the song posted to her Instagram page, Callender said:
“The destination is always glorified but it’s the journey that holds the most weight. The journey is where you grow, where you learn, where you fall and where you rise. And trust me it’s only up for this baddie right here. “
“Way Up” follows Callender’s two singles “You & Me”, which was released on January 31st, and “Bring It”, which was released on February 5th.
Last month, Callender won her third Gine On?! People’s Choice Award when she won Music Video of the Year for “Baddie”. Previously, she won Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year in 2021 for her song “Don’t Break Yet”.
Feature length films – like the ones we detailed in our list of such, which you can watch here – aren’t the only type of motion picture to be shot in Barbados by international entities. Indeed, the island has been a filming location for television series, reality series, commercials, and, of course, music videos.
Since at least the 1980s, pop stars, R&B artists, and at least one rock band have chosen Barbados as the setting of the visual productions that accompany their songs. Seven such music videos are listed herein and most of them were shot entirely in Barbados. In fact, only one or two were partially filmed on the island.
To clarify, this is not meant to be a complete list of every single music video by an international artist that was filmed in Barbados. These are the ones that are easily discoverable with a Google search and perusing the list of productions that have listed Barbados as a location on IMDb. Additionally, this list is not ranked; the entries are in order of release.
With that out of the way, here are the music videos.
Keep Me In Mind by Boy George
According to IMDb, this music video was released in June 1987. Unfortunately, IMDb doesn’t give specifics as to where in Barbados the video was filmed. Still, the beach scenes do look like they were filmed on the East Coast; that part of the island has a pretty distinctive look.
Cheers (Drink to That) – Rihanna
Jumping forward in time a few decades brings us to August 25th, 2011, when this music video premiered. Warrens and Becks Bar are immediately identifiable (the latter entirely because Rihanna wrote the name while signing a wall), as is Kensington Oval where portions of the video were filmed during the Barbados stop of Rihanna’s LOUD tour. Filming also took place along the Kadooment Day route.
Lia T. Bascombe in her book In Plenty and in Time of Need: Popular Culture and the Remapping of Barbadian Identity states that the music video was “part of the 2011 deal between Rihanna and the Barbados Tourism Authority…”
Can’t Get Enough – J.Cole feat Trey Songz
This music video has a connection to Rihanna’s LOUD tour as well. While in Barbados to perform as an opening act for said tour, J. Cole filmed the video in early August 2011.
The video seems to have largely been shot in Oistins and Welches. Namely at a bright yellow establishment in Oistins Bay Gardens, what looks to be Welches Beach, and the bus stop opposite Rubis in Oistins. In addition to these locations, the video also includes quick shots of Graeme Hall Road, Bay Street, and Hastings Main Road.
If I’m not mistaken, you can see Riddim Tribe dancer Aisha Commisiong in the background of a few shots in the last third of the video. Specifically at 2: 42 and 2:49.
In an interview with Rap Up J. Cole said that a friend suggested he film the video in Barbados and that he shot it in one day. He called the shoot “a fun experience” and described it as “one of those moments in my life I’ll never forget”.
Summer Paradise – Simple Plan feat Sean Paul
Simple Plan filmed this music video in Barbados over two or three days in early March 2012 and released it on May 29th. This is the song’s second video and its official music video.
There are quite a few identifiable locations in the video; notably, Bathsheba, East Coast Road, Cherry Tree Hill, and just off shore at Needham’s Point/Pebbles Beach (you can see the canons at the Hilton Resort in the left of the frame at 0:50).
Likewise, there’s a very identifiable face in the video; that of local model Kari McCarthy-Miller who makes a few brief appearances.
If you want to see more about the music video shoot, the band released a behind-the-scenes video as well.
I Could Be The One – Avicii vs Nicky Romero
This music video was released on December 24th, 2012.
According to Ocean Spray Beach Apartments’ website, the crew stayed there during filming and shot some of the music video in their restaurant and in one of the apartments. When you watch the video you’ll see Cherry Tree Hill, Harbour Lights, and what appears to be Walkers Beach in St. Andrew.
Assurance – Davido
Davido and his team went all over Barbados when filming this music video, which was published to YouTube on May 1st, 2018. That’s not only evident from watching the video itself, but also in its behind-the-scenes video in which the team is driving all over the island.
Some of the instantly recognisable locations in the video include East Coast Road, Cove Bay in St. Lucy, the car park at Pebbles Beach, and Harbour Lights. Additionally, it was filmed at Andromeda Gardens. They shared the video to their Facebook page in 2020, revealing their connection to it. It was also filmed near the pier leading to Pier One restaurant in Speightstown.
On their website, the Barbadian aerial photography and video company Above Barbados shared that they filmed drone shots for the music video.
This is another video in which Aisha Commisiong appears. She and other members of the Dance Group, Riddim Tribe (specifically Nandi Yarde, Clé Woods, Shea Best, and Simon Gill), are in the video. As is entertainer Daba Davisual.
They Don’t Know – WSTRN
This music video premiered on YouTube on October 22nd 2019.
In the first few seconds of the video there’s a lower third that identifies the location as “Bogotá, Barbados”. But I don’t know what that means or what to make of it. At any rate, a few of the locations distinguishable in the video are the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, Deacons Road, and Dover Beach (specifically the stretch of it by Southern Palms Beach Club).
Less distinguishable are two shots of roadways that look to be Highway 5 in Stepney, St. George and the Tom Adams Highway in the Wotton/Kingsland area of Christ Church.
For various reasons that anyone working in the nascent Barbadian film industry knows painfully well, filmmaking in Barbados isn’t what one would exactly call prolific. This is especially true when it comes to feature length films. That, however, is precisely what makes the release of a new Barbadian film all the more special. Aside from it existing in the first place, that is.
Film distribution here, unfortunately, isn’t that great either. It feels like most local films disappear after very short runs in cinemas. Outside of that, the only other opportunities to see any of them is at film festivals like the Barbados Visual Media Festival and the Barbados Independent Film Festival, or the occasional public screening or school tour.
Luckily for us, we live in the era of streaming. A multitude of streaming services exist and it can be relatively simple – though not necessarily guaranteed in many cases – to get your film on them. Even major streaming services like Amazon. A few Barbadian filmmakers have gone this route.
This isn’t every single Barbadian film that is available online. These are the ones on websites and services with recognisable names and that are viewable in Barbados without a VPN.
Keeping Up With the Joneses: The Movie is a spin-off of the Barbadian sitcom of the same name. It was written, produced, and directed by local filmmaker Rommel Hall. Starring Daniel Best, Rotchell Gibbons, Kayrie Rice-Smith, Izaiah Cornibert, and Erskine Niles, the film sees Anderson Hill – the family matriarch’s mentally ill brother – and three of his friends on a mission to save the family after they’ve been kidnapped.
On March 27th, 2014 it premiered at the Stratford Picturehouse in London, making it the first feature length film from Barbados ever to be screened in an official British cinema. It was also the first Caribbean film to have a cinema premiere in the U.K. in 2014. That year, it was nominated for Best Full Length Film at the Barbados Visual Media Awards and was selected for the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
Next Payday is the sequel to the 2014 film Payday. Written by Shakirah Bourne and directed by Selwyne Browne, it stars Andrew Blackman and Damien Gibson as Romie and Pack. When the two miss the deadline to pay for the site of their car garage business, the property is given to a church.
Romie approaches the pastor about selling it to them, but he will only do so if Romie marries the pregnant Latisha. Pack, on the other hand, decides to infiltrate the church and charm the pastor into selling them the property, but finds himself falling for the choir girl Deborah. Meanwhile, the charismatic and ambitious Brother Martin makes a grab for power in the church. There’s also an illegal poultry ring spurred by the community’s love of chicken wings.
We reviewed this film as well. You can watch the review here.
Vigilante: The Crossing is an action drama film produced by Step by Step Productions and written and directed by Marcia Weekes. Kirk Brown and Malissa Alanna star as Dexter and Amy, both of whom are trying to save the crime-ridden community, Baker’s Village. Dexter is a Black Barbadian ex-con recently deported from the U.S. and Amy is a white school teacher from an affluent family. As their lives intertwine their mission is threatened by class and racial prejudice.
There were four premieres for Vigilante. The first was its world premiere at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles on February 6th, 2015. This was followed by the New York premiere at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Brooklyn on February 14th, the Atlanta premiere at the BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta Georgia on March 19th, and the Caribbean premiere at Limegrove Cinemas in Barbados on March 20th.
On May 20th it was screened during the Marché du Film (Film Market) at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. There it was picked up by California Pictures for global distribution. Following its screening at Cannes, it was shown in Birmingham and London in the U.K. It was also screened in Toronto.
In 2017, on March 23rd, it was screened at the CinéMACTe at the Mémorial ACTe museum in Guadeloupe.
Barrow: Freedom Fighter is the only documentary – or rather “docudrama” – on this list. It was produced by Step by Step Productions, Marietta Carter-Narcisse, and Adrian Holmes and was written and directed by Marcia Weekes. Made in celebration of Barbados’ 50th anniversary of independence, it tells the story of how Errol Walton Barrow, Barbados’ first Prime Minister, led the island to its independence from Britain.
The film blends interviews with reenactments and is narrated by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, whose grandparents are Barbadian. Interviewees include historian Trevor Marshall, cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers, Nina Simone’s daughter Lisa Simone, and singer Mary Wilson who was one of the members of the Supremes.
The cast consists of actors who are Barbadian or have Barbadian heritage. Lead by Adrian Holmes – a Welsh-Canadian actor whose parents are Barbadian and is currently playing Uncle Phil in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot series, Bel-Air – in the role of Errol Barrow, the cast includes American actress Lisa Arrindel Anderson as Carolyn Barrow, and American actor Robert Christopher Riley – whose father is Barbadian – as Jean Holder.
The Barbadian cast members include Sean Michael Field as Fred Best and many notable figures familiar to Barbadians like Mac Fingall, Stedson “Red Plastic Bag” Wiltshire, Anderson “Blood” Armstrong, Tony Thompson, Adrian Greene, Ronnie Morris, and Ronnie Clarke.
Barrow: Freedom Fighter is the first feature length film about a notable Caribbean political leader. There were five IndieGogo campaigns launched to raise funds.
It premiered in England on November 4th, 2016 at the Soho Hotel in London, in Barbados on November 26th, 2016 at Limegrove Cinemas, had a U.S. premiere on January 21st, 2017 at George Washington University, and had a New York premiere during the African Diaspora International Film Festival on November 30th, 2017 at Columbia University.
In 2017 it was selected for the BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta Georgia, Docs (as in “documentaries”, not “doctors”) Without Borders Film Festival, and the Barbados Visual Media Festival. It was also screened at Carifesta XIII. The following year, in 2018, it won Best Diaspora Documentary at the African Movie Academy Awards, the Programmers’ Award at the Pan African Film Festival, and was screened in Paris at the African Diaspora Film Festival and in Toronto at the Toronto Black Film Festival.
A Caribbean Dream is a Barbadian-British co-production. Produced by Melissa Simmonds and Lynette Eastmond, it’s a re-telling of William Shakepeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and directed by Shakirah Bourne. It’s Barbadian cast includes Jherad “Lord Zenn” Alleyne, Keisha Pope, Sonia Williams, Adrian Green, Simon Alleyne, Angelo Lascelles, and Levi King.
A Caribbean Dream had a preview screening at the Barbados Independent Film Festival on January 14th, 2017 and an invitation-only premiere at Limegrove Cinema on February 28th, 2017. It was also screened in the U.K.
It was selected for the London Independent Film Festival (LIFF), 7th Annual Charlotte Black Film Festival (CBFF), the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and Awards (LAIFF) and the East End Film Festival (EEFF) in 2017. It won Best U.K. Feature at LIFF, Best International Film at CBFF, and Best Produced Screenplay at LAIFF. In 2018 it won Best Drama at the National Film Awards UK.
The film has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on six reviews. Speaking of reviews, you can read ours here.
Written and directed by former Olympian Tolga Ackayli, Too Lickrish is a comedy film starring Seth “Xcel” Bovell and Ryanne McKay as a down-on-their-luck, unemployed, newly married couple desperately in need of money due to an economic crisis in Barbados. Unable to pay their bills and on the verge of losing their furniture and their home, they decide to get the money by scamming criminals. Hijinks – and hilarity – ensue. The film features appearances from Barbadian entertainers Alison Hinds, Trey Breezy, Daba Davisual, Chris “Chris RK” King, and Joaquin Brewster.
It premiered at Olympus Theatres on May 30th, 2019. Later that year it was selected for the New York City International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Best Fiction Film award, making it to the finals.
In 2020 it premiered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines during the Hairouna Film Festival on March 12th and premiered online at the 12°N61°W Film Festival in Grenada on October 30th. It was also selected for the London International Film Festival and for the Nice International Film Festival South of France, where it was nominated for the Best Actress and Best Director awards and won Best Feature Comedy.
You can watch our review of Too Lickrish on our YouTube channel.
Remember that period in the 00’s when a lot of Bajans got record deals overseas? This “Bajan Invasion” saw eight Bajan artists signing to major record labels in the U.S. and the U.K. Last month Amanda Reifer – who was part of the “invasion” as the frontwoman of Cover Drive – signed a deal with Republic Records; a subsidiary of one of the three biggest labels in the world, Universal Music Group (UMG). So why not take this opportunity to look back at some of her fellow Barbadians who have done the same.
This isn’t a definitive list of every single Barbadian who signed a record deal with a major international label, but of some of the most prominent to do so. Here, a major label is one which is owned by one of the “Big Three”: UMG, Sony Music Entertainment (SME), and Warner Music Group (WMG).
One of the labels on this list, Capitol Records, wasn’t owned by one of the Big Three at the time that the artist was signed. It was owned by Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) which, prior to its sale to UMG, made up one of the “Big Four” record labels (which included UMG, SME, and WMG).
This list isn’t ranked; it’s ordered chronologically. It will focus on what each artist did while they were at their respective labels, with a brief overview of what they’ve done since the relationship with their label ended.
Without further ado, here are some Bajan artists who signed with major record labels.
Rupee – Atlantic Records (WMG)
Rupee signed to Atlantic Records in late 2003. His 2002 hit song “Tempted to Touch”, from his album Leave A Message, captured the label’s interest. In 2003 it was included on that year’s edition of VP Records’ Soca Gold.
While at Atlantic Records, Rupee released one album: 2004’s 1 On 1. “Tempted to Touch” was the album’s lead single. According to the song’s Wikipedia page, the 2004 version is slightly different from its predecessor. It also has an official remix featuring Daddy Yankee and in 2018 it was remade by Indian singer, DJ, and producer Zaeden.
“Tempted to Touch” made it onto eleven Billboard charts, reaching number 1 on the Dance Singles Sales chart, number 4 on the Dance/Mix Airplay chart, and number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales. It peaked at number 42 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100.
“Tempted to Touch” was also number 5 on Billboard’s list of The 12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century thanks to the Daddy Yankee remix. It and Rupee’s song “You Never Know” are featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film After the Sunset. The film starred Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek as a jewel-thief couple who’ve retired to a tropical island and are being pursued by an FBI agent played by Woody Harrelson.
According to Rupee’s Wikipedia page, his song “Do The Damn Thing” was in an episode of the ABC drama Desperate Housewives. Its remix, featuring Lil Kim, made it to number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales. A 2010 Guyana Chronicle article claims that his song “Flaunt It” was the theme song for “the latest season” of HGTV Design Star.
In 2005 Rupee was featured on Rihanna’s song “Hurricane” from her promo mixtape This Is Rihanna. He’s credited as the sole writer of the song on Genius.
It’s not clear when Rupee split from Atlantic Records, but in the years following the release of 1 On 1 he continued to release singles like 2005’s “Hands Up”, 2007’s “Slow Motion”, 2011’s “I Am A Bajan”, 2016’s “Tipsy”, and 2019’s “Most Wanted”. He’s also collaborated with Pitbull, Nina Sky, Swizz Beats, Shaggy, Fayann Lyons, Alison Hinds and Ricardo Drue.
He signed to Ultra Music in 2017.
Rihanna – Def Jam Recordings (UMG)
In 2005 Jay-Z signed Rihanna to Def Jam Recordings. She left Def Jam in 2014 and signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation, which isn’t owned by one of the Big Three. If I had to write about what Rihanna did while at Def Jam we’d be here all day. So here are some highlights.
Under Def Jam, Rihanna released seven albums: Music of the Sun, A Girl Like Me, Good Girl Gone Bad, Rated R, Loud, Talk that Talk, and Unapologetic. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified all of them platinum or multi-platinum
To achieve platinum status an album or song has to sell one million units. For every million units sold thereafter, up to nine million, it’s certified multi-platinum; 2x platinum for two million, 3x platinum for three million, etc. At ten million units it’s certified diamond.
Rihanna’s highest certified Def Jam release is Good Girl Gone Bad at 6x platinum. Loud, Talk That Talk, and Unapologetic are 3x platinum, A Girl Like Me and Rated R are 2x platinum and Music of the Sun is 1x platinum.
Of the music she released while at Def Jam, both solo and collaborations, eight songs have been certified platinum, twenty-six have been certified multi-platinum, and one has been certified diamond; “Love The Way You Lie” with Eminem.
Rihanna has fourteen number 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Thirteen are from her time at Def Jam. She has more Billboard number onesthan Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. Her Billboard numbers ones are more than double that of Adele and Ariana Grande, twice as many as Beyonce, and almost double that of Taylor Swift.
She’s sold over 250 million records worldwide. 321.7 million certified sales, to be exact, according to the compiled list of best-selling music artists on Wikipedia. The only person with more certified sales on that list is Drake. In claimed sales she ranks seventh. The bulk of these sales were made during her time at Def Jam.
Shontelle – Universal Motown Records and Universal Republic Records/Republic Records (UMG)
Shontelle signed with Universal Motown Records in 2006. That same year she worked with Rihanna for the first time. She was the writer of and the featured artist on the song “The Hotness”. It was made for the film Save The Last Dance 2 and was featured on its soundtrack.
During her time at Universal Motown Shontelle released her 2008 album Shontelligence (which was re-released in 2009) and her 2010 album No Gravity. Shontelligence reached number 115 on Billboard Top 200 Album chart, number 3 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, and number 24 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. No Gravity made it to number 81 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart and number 23 on the U.K. Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40.
Three singles were released from Shontelligence: “T-Shirt”, “Stuck With Each Other feat. Akon”, and “Battle Cry”.
“T-Shirt” made it onto fifteen Billboard charts, reaching number 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart, number 6 on the Euro Digital Tracks chart, and number 10 on the Euro Digital Song Sales chart. It also charted at number 7 in Belgium, number 9 on the Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100, number 6 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100, and number 1 on the U.K Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40.
“Stuck With Each Other feat. Akon” charted in Ireland and the U.K. It reached number 10 on the U.K. Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40 and is on the soundtrack of the 2009 film Confessions of A Shopaholic. “Battle Cry” charted in the U.K. and is on the compilation album Yes We Can: Voices of Grass Roots Movement. The album was part of President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Shontelligence also features Shontelle’s recording of “RollIt”, which she co-wrote with Sheldon Benjamin and was originally recorded by Alison Hinds. It was the success of Alison’s version that led to Shontelle’s record deal. Shontelle worked with Rihanna again for the third version of “Roll It”. Re-written by Shontelle and Benjamin, this version was performed by J-Status, featuring Rihanna. Shontelle joined them in the music video. “Roll It” appeared in the season five, episode fifteen episode of Grey’s Anatomy entitled “Before and After”.
No Gravity spawned three singles; “Impossible”, “Perfect Nightmare”, and “Say Hello to Goodbye”. In an interview with Rap Up, Shontelle stated that Bruno Mars worked on the album. According to the album’s Wikipedia page, he worked on the song “DJ Made Me Do It” and played guitar, drums, and keyboard and did programming.
“Impossible” is Shontelle’s most successful song. It was certified platinum by the RIAA and gold in the U.K. and Denmark. It charted in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Belgium, Scotland, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Denmark, and Hungary.
“Impossible” entered eighteen Billboard charts. It reached number 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart; number 6 on the Mainstream Top 40 Recurrents chart; number 9 on the Pop Airplay, U.K. Digital Song Sales, and Hot 100 Recurrents charts; number 10 on the Euro Digital Tracks chart; and number 13 on the Hot 100 chart. In Norway it reached number 16, number 11 in Scotland, and number 5 in Denmark.
“Perfect Nightmare” reached number 6 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and “Say Hello to Goodbye” reached number 30 on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart.
In 2009 Shontelle was one of the artists that sang on the Motown 50th Anniversary Medley, along with her Barbadian labelmates Vita Chambers and Hal Linton. She was one of several Caribbean artists featured on “Rise Again (Haiti)” for the Digicel Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund in 2010. All proceeds from the song went to the fund.
Shontelle was the opening act during the European legs of Beyonce’s I Am… World Tour, the New Kids on the Block Live tour, and the AOL AIM Presents: Jason Derülo tour. She performed at the 82nd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008. In 2010 she performed at the 5th Annual Black Girls Rock Awards and the MTV Logo NewNowNext Awards.
Her work as a co-writer on Rihanna’s song “Man Down” earned her a Grammy nomination in 2012. The album on which it appeared, Loud, was nominated for Album of the Year. Shontelled co-wrote “Man Down” after getting a call from Rihanna while she was on her Last Girl on Earth Tour.
Shontelle began working on a third album that was scheduled for release in 2013, but it didn’t materialise. She did, however, release the song “Reflection” in 2011, which was rumoured to be the album’s first single. A 2012 article on Star Trident stated that the song “Put Me On Blast” would be the album’s first single and that a video had been shot in Los Angeles. Shontelle confirmed that it would be the lead single in a 2014 interview with Nation News. That article, however, states that the video was filmed in Venice.
She also revealed in the Nation News interview that she had signed a “collaborative deal” with the record label All Def Music and the management company All Def Digital. Both companies focus on promoting and developing artists via YouTube.
While at Republic, she co-wrote and appeared on The Game’s “Love on Fire” and “Oh Lord” from his album OKE: Operation Kill Everything. She was also featured on “Critical Condition” by Hal Linton, “Don’t Call Me” by DMX and Rakim and “Gal Wan More” by Elephant Man.
In 2015 she signed with SMH Entertainment. She was seemingly also working on another album while at SMH but that didn’t materialise either.
In an interview with Arabian Moda, Shontelle explained her departure from Republic:
“The industry began to tank around the release of my second album, No Gravity. Almost everyone at Motown Records was being fired and I didn’t even have a staff to work with on my music. Only big artists were getting support from the record label.
I winded [sic] up with Republic Records but the situation was far worse there and no one took me seriously. I saw it as a complete waste of my time and parted ways with them too. I disappeared for a while to heal and rebuild myself. I feel so much better now and am back to work!”
And work she has.
In 2018 she teamed up with Barbadian Vibe Architect Adaze and created the song-writing and production duo TRBL. That year they released the TRBL Riddim. Together, the two have co-written songs for Joaquin Brewster, Machel Montano, Saddis, Biggie Irie, Kirk Brown, and Natahlee.
Shontelle began releasing her own music again in 2020 with “Remember Me”. She released seven songs in 2021, including a remix of “Impossible” and her history-making single “House Party”. Her decision to release “House Party” as an NFT made her the first major Black, female musician to do so.
She was also featured on “Danse Pour Moi” by Anthony Alcatraz (the music video for which was shot in Barbados), “Necessary Love” by D’Sound, and the remix of “Find My Way” by Megan and the Miracles.
This year she released “Be The One”.
Livvi Franc – Jive Records (SME) and Beluga Heights/Warner Bros. Records (WMG)
Livvi Franc signed to Jive Records in October 2007. In January 2008 she started recording her debut album. Franc wrote or co-wrote all one hundred songs she recorded for the album.
Producers on the album included RedOne (Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Michel Jackson), Salaam Remi (Miguel, Alicia Keys, Estelle), and JR Rotem (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Maroon 5). The album was originally scheduled to be released on October 6th 2009, but it was pushed to the first quarter of 2010.
Unfortunately Jive shelved the album “during the end of 2010”, according to Franc’s Wikipedia page. The label did, however, release two promo CDs for the album: Underground Sunshine Album Sampler in 2009 and Livvi Franc in 2010. Underground Sunshine was the name of the album before it was later changed to Livvi Franc.
Her debut single “Now I’m That Bitch feat. Pitbull” was released in June 2009. The song made it onto seven Billboard charts. It peaked at number 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart, number 12 on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and number 20 on the Global Dance Song Chart. In the U.K. it reached number 40 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 and it reached number 24 in New Zealand.
A censored version of the song, “Now I’m That Chick”, was also released. Both versions have a “Part II”. There are a number of remixes to the song, some of which were compiled into an album. “Now I’m That Bitch” was number 88 on Z100’s Top 100 songs of 2009. As stated on its Wikipedia entry, it appeared in a season five episode of the MTV reality series The Hills.
Her second single, “Automatik”, was released in January 2010. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Franc’s song “This Is A Raid” was featured in the second episode of the 2009 Melrose Place reboot, “Nightingale”. Her song “Free” is on the soundtrack of the 2010 film Lou.
In 2009 Franc performed at Notting Hill Carnival and was a presenter at the MTV Logo NewNowNext Awards.
While at Jive she co-wrote Jordin Sparks’ “Walking on Snow” and wrote a song that Michael Jackson chose for the album he was working on at the time of his death. According to Franc, he actually had begun recording it.
Franc left Jive in late-2010 and later signed to Beluga Heights/Warner Bros.. She worked on an album at this label as well, but ultimately didn’t release one. By June 2014 she was no longer listed on the label’s website.
Franc has since established a career as a songwriter. She is now represented by Primary Wave and has written for several notable artists including Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Britney Spears, Christina Augilera, Coldplay, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah, Zendaya, DJ Khaled, and Rihanna. You can listen to her discography on her Apple Music songbook.
Hal Linton – Universal Motown Records (UMG)
Hal Linton signed to Universal Motown Records in 2008.
In 2009 he was the focus of the second episode of the series Rising Icons. Created by Grey Goose Entertainment (yes, that Grey Goose) and produced by BET Networks, the series followed up and coming artists and gave viewers an inside look at their path to stardom. Other artists featured in the same season were Keri Hilson, The-Dream, and Kid-Cudi.
Linton performed at Vibe Magazine’s 2009 artist showcase, VSessions, and in the Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute at the 2009 NFL Thanksgiving Day Half-time Show. Barbadian labelmate Vita Chambers also performed during the tribute. She, Linton, and Shontelle were some of the singers on the Motown 50th Anniversary Medley.
His single “She’s Dangerous (Bang Bang)” was released in 2009. It was followed by “Mind Control” and “Southern Hospitality” in 2010. Both singles made it onto the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. “Mind Control” reached number 27 and “Southern Hospitality” reached number 38.
“Mind Control” was the lead single from his debut album Return from the Future. The album scheduled for 2010, but was never released. A Paperblog article published on May 15th, 2010 claims that Bruno Mars and Robin Thicke worked on the album and that Salaam Remi produced “Mind Control”.
Although the album didn’t come to fruition, he did release his mixtape The Rock and Roll Experiment in 2010. “She’s Dangerous (Bang Bang) was included on the mixtape.
Linton performed at the Budweiser Superfest in 2010 and at the Essence Music Festival in 2011.
It seems that by 2012 Linton was no longer with Universal Motown Records. Corporate reshuffling led to Universal Motown being shut down in 2011 and its artists transferred to other labels like Universal Republic Records (later Republic Records). Whether or not Linton transferred to another label is unclear.
He released his first EP, Technicolour, in 2012. It spawned the singles “Memory Loss” and “Critical Condition feat. Shontelle”. Shontelle also appeared in the song’s music video.
Linton changed his stage name to Bobby Saint and has been steadily releasing music. On his Instagram he revealed that he’d worked on the score for the 2018 Johnny Depp and Forrest Whitaker film City of Lies, which is about the LAPD’s investigations into the murders of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac.
Vita Chambers – Universal Motown Records and Universal Republic (UMG)
Vita Chambers signed to Universal Motown Records in 2009, on her sixteenth birthday. The label celebrated its 50th anniversary that year. As such, Chambers took part in a few of its celebrations.
She performed in the Motown Music Moment at the 2009 Soul Train Awards and during the “A Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute” at the 2009 NFL Thanksgiving Day Half-time Show, along with Barbadian labelmate Hal Linton. In an interview with James Taylor for his Supercreativity Podcast, Chambers called the Half-time Show her first major live performance. She was also one of the artists who sang the Motown 50th Anniversary Medley. Her Barbadian labelmates, Shontelle and Hal Linton, were also featured on the medley.
Chamber released her debut EP, The Get Go, in 2010. Tracks on the EP included her 2009 debut single “Young Money” and her 2010 second single “Like Boom”. “Young Money” appeared in the pilot episode of the 2012 TV series GCB. “Like Boom” is on the Universal Motown Republic Group New Music Sampler: Spring 2010 compilation promo album.
She was one of the opening acts on Justin Beiber’s My World Tour in 2010.
Like Shontelle, Chambers was one of the Universal Motown Records artists transferred to Universal Republic after Motown was shut down. When she was nineteen Chambers left Universal Republic and went independent under her own company, Gold Note Productions.
In the James Taylor interview, she called her decision to go independent “daunting”, saying that she was “petrified”. She recounted going to Universal Republic, by herself, and saying that being signed with them wasn’t working. Chambers explained that she’d been signed to two labels, gone through ten managers, and listed some “really horrible” experiences that she had as a signed artist. She said that these experiences “definitely bruised me and…chipped away a piece of my soul…”
Chambers released her first single as an independent artist, “Fix You”, in December 2012. It was nominated for Dance Recording of the Year in the 2013 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Grammy Awards). She was also nominated for Best New Group or Solo Artist: CHR and Best New Group or Solo Artist: Dance/Urban/Rhythmic at the 2014 Canadian Radio Music Awards.
In 2014 she released the song “El Camino” for the FIFA World Cup. She was on the cover of Bim Rock Magazine in 2015 and returned to the island to film the music video for her single “Ferrous”. Her most recent release is 2021’s “Promise Land”.
Jaicko signed to Capitol Records in 2009. That same year he went on tour with Sean Kingson in the U.S. and Canada and released his first single, “Oh Yeah”. It was the lead single from his debut album Can I. According to an article on The Black & White, the song was made in collaboration with Mary J. Blige and Ne-Yo.
“Oh Yeah” reached number 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and number 33 on the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart. The Snoop Dogg remix peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart and number 77 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart.
It also has a Black Chiney remix featuring Vybz Kartel. Jaicko released a rap song with Barbadian artist Teff Hinkson called “Makin Dollaz” that sampled “Oh Yeah”.
On April 14th, 2009 Jaicko was honoured at Broadcast Music Inc (BIM)’s “Who’s Next? Writers on the Rise” reception.
Originally scheduled for December 1st, 2009, Can I was released on June 1st, 2010. Jaicko himself did songwriting and production on the album.
The album’s second single, “Fast Forward”, is on the compilation album Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 33 as a Now What’s Next Bonus Track. Now What’s Next tracks are specifically for new, up and coming artists. It reached number 39 on the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart.
By 2012 Jaicko was no longer with Capitol Records. A Singer’s Room article from that year refers to him as “former Capitol/EMI recording artist”.
In an interview on the local INO Podcast, Jaicko described his decision to leave Capitol Records as “amicable”. He explained that “Oh Yeah” didn’t perform as well as he thought that it would have and that, around that time, the label restructured and “a lot of people left the company”. Jaicko and Capitol “dissolved” their relationship and took the time to “develop himself” and work on his songwriting and producing.
Since his departure from the label he’s been steadily releasing music. His Soundcloud page is a lengthy record of the work he has done over the years. This includes the album Gentlemen Don’t Survive and his singles “That Should Be Me”, “Number One”, “That Girl” and “Coast”. In January 2021 he released his EP, Rizzle Minded.
Jaicko also works as a songwriter and producer. He’s co-written songs for DJ Antoine (like “Holiday feat. Akon”), Benny Benassi, Justine Skye, Korean boy-band Epex, and local singer Krisirie’s “Long Time Love”.
On Genius he’s credited as a composer and writer on “Sling Shot” by Epex; as a composer and backing vocalist on “Focus” by Korean boy band NCT 127; a composer on “Eighteen (End of My World)” by Key from Korean group SHINee; and as a composer, writer, and lyricist on “Second Guessing” by Mario Novembre.
He’s produced for local artists including Gallest and 2 Mile Hill and produced Bengali artist Megan Rakesh’s debut single, “Find My Way”, with her band Meg and the Miracles.
Cover Drive is the only act on this list to sign with a U.K. record label; Polydor Records in 2011. They were discovered shortly after launching their YouTube channel, where they uploaded videos of themselves singing covers of popular songs in their “Fedora Sessions”.
In 2011 they opened for Rihanna during the Barbados stop of her LOUD world Tour at Kensington Oval and toured with British rapper Dappy during his Rockstar Tour. The following year, in 2012, they opened for Kelly Clarkson during the European leg of her Stronger tour, as well as performed at the Sounds Festival U.K. and at Capital FM Summertime Ball. They documented their experience touring with Clarkson in their “Kelly Clarkson Tour Diaries” on their YouTube channel.
In January 2012 they were the headline performers at the Shine concert held at Ilaro Court. The event was a fundraiser for the construction of a $1.2 million pavilion at Queen’s College.
2012 was also the year in which the band released their debut album, Bajan Style, on May 7th. It reached number 14 on the UK Official Albums Chart Top 100 and had four singles: “Lick Ya Down”, “Twilight”, “Sparks”, and “Explode”. The version of “Explode” that was released as a single is not the same as the one on the album. The single version includes a verse from Dappy.
Released on August 28th, 2011, “Lick Ya Down” was produced by J.R Rotem. It peaked at number 3 on the U.K. Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40, number 9 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100, and number 11 on the Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100.
“Twilight” was released on January 22nd, 2012. It was the band’s first and only song to reach number one on the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100; an achievement which earned them an award from the Official Charts Company. “Twilight” reached number 3 on the Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 and number 30 in Ireland. In 2020 it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry.
“Sparks” was released on April 29th, 2012. It reached number 4 on the U.K .Official Singles Chart Top 100, number 5 on the Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100, and number 29 in Ireland. It is featured on the 2012 compilation album Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 82.
“Explode” was released on August 26th 2012. It peaked at number 27 on the Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 and in Ireland and reached number 29 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart Top 100.
Cover Drive is featured on Far East Movement’s song “Turn Up The Love” and appear in the music video. The song appears in the video game Just Dance 2014 and is on President Barack Obama’s inaugural playlist.
They were nominated for Best Caribbean Performance at the 2012 Soul Train Music Awards. The other nominees were Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Matisyahu, Sean Paul, and Rihanna.
Bajan Style is the only album that Cover Drive released with Polydor. Their 2013 EP Liming in Limbo and their 2017 second album Fall Forward were released independently. They also released several singles, like “All My Love”, “Whatever Suits You”, “Love Junkie” and their Crop Over songs “Dis Ain’t Love”, “Make Noise”, and “Up On It” after leaving the label.
As an independent act they toured the U.K. and did a school tour in Barbados, as well as a U.S. college tour. Throughout their career they shared their experiences with their fans in web series like Weekend Lime and Chasing Cover Drive.
BRIDGETOWN, February 7, 2022 – The award-winning Alluhwi Comics digital platform announced today the launch of its first campaign on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo. The campaign is a collaboration between the first such comic book platform for the region, and Barbadian creator and graphic novelist Nigel Lynch.
At the heart of the campaign is the 32-page, full-color cyberpunk/sci-fi thriller Diary of the Stray Dogs: The Wounded #1. The campaign sets its sights on the US$1,000 target, which goes towards the printing of the comic book and other rewards for backers.
Diary of the Stray Dogs: The Wounded #1 is the most recent comic book work from the prolific Lynch – a member of the Beyond Publishing Caribbean creative collective, in a career that spans more than a decade, and includes previous titles such as the Life & Death In Paradise quadrilogy and Hardears (Abrams/Megascope).
“This is a chance to showcase what we as regional comic creators can bring to the world stage. And with non-traditional genres,” Lynch said. Lynch penned the script, with art by Juan Carlos Francisco and colours by Edward ‘King’ Bola.
“We are genuinely ecstatic to launch this campaign, something we’ve been planning since 2021. This crowdfunder supports the philosophy at the heart of our platform: reading authentic Caribbean comic books should be easy,” said Alluhwi Comics founder Marc R. D. Gibson. “With what we hope will be a successful campaign, we can continue to connect other amazing Caribbean creators with an avenue for crowdfunding that the region sadly lacks.”
About Alluhwi Comics
Founded by award-winning graphic novelist and entrepreneur Marc R. D. Gibson, Alluhwi Comics is the 1st mobile platform comic book creators in the region and diaspora. Because reading authentic Caribbean comic books should be easy. Resources include the Indiegogo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-diary-of-the-stray-dogs-the-wounded–2/x/28302023#/
Local singer and songwriter Amanda Reifer has signed with Republic Records. Reifer joins a roster of artists that includes Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Lorde, Kid Cudi, and The Jonas Brothers. Republic Records is owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG is the biggest music company in the world and one of the three biggest record labels (the other two are Sony Music and Warner Music Group). UMG’s other record labels include Interscope, Geffen, and Def Jam.
Reifer also released her latest single “Bag” on January 14th. Reifer launched her solo career in 2018 with “Girl Like Me“. She steadily released new music as an independent artist, like her songs “Ransom“, “Bang Bang“, and “Rich Bitch Juice“. Along with the lyric video for “Bag”, Reifer has also released a live performance and a breakdown. In the breakdown, she discusses the meaning of the song and reveals a connection to the Barbadian game show Run For Your Money.
Local pop-punk band Sundown Superhero announced the return of their music festival, Sundown Fest, yesterday. This year’s festival is on May 21st at Surfer’s Bay Beach Bar in Landsdown, Christ Church. The band teased the announcement just five days prior.
Hal Linton signed to Universal Motown Records in 2008.
