Entertainment

Sizzla Kalonji and his musical friends will take the stage at Sabina Park today.
December 9, 2025 by Yasmine Peru

Two decades later, Sizzla’s ‘Rise to the Occasion’ is still inspiring

Rise to the Occasion, Sizzla’s 18th studio album, was released on September 30, 2003. Twenty-two years later, Rise to the Occasion is the theme of the reggae and dancehall legend’s 30 years in music…
Monte Blake (left) and daughter, Monique Blake at the unveiling of the Merritone mural last year in the Kingston Creative Art District in downtown Kingston.
December 9, 2025

Merritone Music celebrates 75 years

Monique Blake is feeling especially grateful to carry on the Merritone Music legacy. The sound system and music movement marks its 75th anniversary this month with a line-up of activities and the…
Yvonne Brewster died on October 12, just five days after celebrating her 87th birthday.
December 9, 2025 by J. T. Davy and Kenrick Morgan

‘A force to be reckoned with’

Following an intimate funeral service in Florence, Italy, Starr Brewster, widower of late theatre icon Yvonne Brewster, says he hopes to honour her life and work at two upcoming ceremonies: one in the…
Maya Drake appears during a performance of the North American Tour of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, a musical from Alicia Keys.
December 9, 2025

Alicia Keys’ musical ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ hits the road

NEW YORK (AP): Alicia Keys’ semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age Broadway musical is all grown up and leaving the nest. And, like any happy parent, Keys may visit it every once in a while. A new…
D’Angelo refused to be boxed in, blending the sacred and the soulful to redefine what black expression could sound like.
December 9, 2025 by J. T. Davy

When the music became ceremony: D’Angelo’s Caribbean connection

Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo’s legacy is largely tied up with music that emerged in the mid- to late ‘90s that would be marketed as ‘neo soul’. His 1995 Grammy-nominated…
Sean Paul
December 9, 2025 by Yasmine Peru

Wherever I go, Jamaica always on my mind

Dancehall superstar Sean Paul is continuing his Asian sojourn, which began in Singapore earlier this year and now takes him to exotic destinations such as Malaysia, Bali, and Thailand this month.…
Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James will receive the instrument of the Order of Distinction in the commander class for his innovation in reggae and dancehall on National Heroes Day.
December 9, 2025 by Yasmine Peru

5 Questions with King Jammy

Some words, like ‘legend’, have been so overused that they have lost their true meaning. Yet, in his original form, dub-mixer, sound system and studio owner, and record producer Lloyd ‘King Jammy’…
Radcliffe ‘Dougie’ Bryan with his guitar at the 2024 Grammy Certificate Ceremony, Florida, last July.
December 9, 2025

Guitarist Radcliffe 'Dougie' Bryan dies at 78

Renowned guitarist Radcliffe ‘Dougie’ Bryan, known for his work on many hit tracks by Toots and the Maytals, has died. He was 78. His family confirmed in a statement that Bryan passed away in his…
From left: Nadine Blair; her mother Rev Evon Blair, and Paula Blair at the Sterling Gospel Music Awards held on October 4 at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church, Braeton Parkway, Portmore, St Catherine.
December 9, 2025 by Yasmine Peru

Nadine Blair ‘surprised’ by honour from City of Tamarac in Florida

If ever there was a poster child for ‘gospel royalty’, then radio personality, singer, worship leader, actress, author, poet, emcee, speaker and “lover of Christ Jesus” Nadine Blair would be it. The…