On Sunday January 17, 2010 I was crowned YOUTHSTAR 2009 for my performance at the annual Caribbean Youthfest in December of last year. This event saw 25 artists vying for top honors in their various categories namely 13-19 and 20-29 in genres ranging from Dancehall, Reggae, R&B and Hip Hop. There would be a winner in all categories with the best overall performer - me – receiving a trophy and the right to be called Youthstar 2009.
I am proud to be the first ever winner and even prouder as a Hip Hop artist to have won the coveted title. It’s a great win for St Lucian Hip Hop and I hope this will encourage others in this genre to strive and do their best to accomplish the goals that they have set for themselves. Being a Hip Hop artist in the Caribbean is hard but with the progress of youthfest in the years to come I am sure that many avenues will open up for young artists, enabling them to hone their skills and to move forward with their craft.
In the future I would love to see more media coverage for the event, more support from the business community and more publicity and promotion for the winners. Just like Soca has its season and competitions that pave the way for new Soca artists, Youthfest too can pave the way for us who are outside the Soca genre. I would also like to see the promoters of the event consider the forward movement of the artists participating in Youthfest to help better place them in a progressive state of motion. They should consider the artists in their planning before, during and after the event. This is when I think Caribbean Youthfest will truly be accomplishing its goals of exposing new talent. A stage show and competition is just not enough. A foundation should be built upon which individual winners can continue to build themselves. Maybe there should be fewer winners or more cash allocated for the winners and promotional tools such as recording/music video, news paper and magazine reviews, radio and television news reports, and internet presence for the overall winner should be considered. This would go a longer way than just a cash prize and a trip or hotel stay. If Youthfest is really about youth betterment then this is the route they should take.
All in all it was a successful event and I am adamant that there will be greater improvements next year and I do hope that the promoters allow me to be a part of the event planning as I am quite willing to put effort into making Caribbean Youthfest the premiere platform for emerging talent. What better way is there in assisting the youth than to have one of their own who knows what they require?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”