The show which was scheduled to be held at Thirst Park on April 17 has been rescheduled owing to the rains. Promoters are now trying to secure either the National Park or the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for the event.
The show which will be held under the auspices of the Guyanese Canadian Artistic Entertainment will see local and overseas-based Guyanese from 13 different countries and islands sharing the stage in what promises to be an evening of showcasing pure Guyanese talent.
Speaking with The Scene, Sherlock Shepherd, CEO of the promotional company said the show will bring together Guyanese talent found around the world. He said he just wants good things for the Guyanese music industry and sees the development of the industry to a stage where artistes are recognised and are able to benefit from their music.
Interviews were conducted with some of the overseas based Guyanese artistes who will perform.
Zebulun De Counsellor migrated to the United States 21 years ago. He was born Kiya David and grew up in New Amsterdam and has been singing for the past 15 years. When the opportunity arose for him to return home to do a show, he seized it. He wants Guyanese to know, love and appreciate his music and hopes to have opportunities to do more shows here.
He has released three albums to date with his most recent single entitled “In My Arms” which has received airplay on the local radio station. He sees a great avenue in the country for the development of the music industry and wants to be part of the process.
In March he won the award for Deejay of the Year at the New York Reggae Awards and is working to complete a new single before he leaves Guyana.
“Daddy Rusty” was born in New Amster-dam and migrated to Canada in 1990. He said he started singing when he was young and describes himself as a singer, songwriter and composer.
At the Canadian Music Awards in 2002, he won the award for Best Deejay and in 1998, he won the award for Best Reggae Single. He has toured Canada and has performed with many Caribbean artistes.
He is currently working on a new CD entitled ‘Bless Me’ which is due to be released in August. The single track named “Bless Me” is currently being promoted here.
As it is his first time performing in Guyana since he left, he hopes that Guyanese turn out in their numbers to support their own, who according to him have given up a lot to be here. He added that artistes need the support of the locals for the development of the industry.
Donna Makeda left Guyana in 1990 to assume residency in Toronto. She grew up in Kwakwani and said that she was known for her dancing rather than singing.
Singing was her hobby and she did a number of singing gigs with local sound systems. As fate would have it, on her first show in Canada she was scheduled to dance however when she got there she was told that she had to sing. Her performance went well and she was signed to a management company almost immediately.
She has won 16 awards over the years including awards for Best Dancehall Deejay and Best Music Video. Her latest award was won over last weekend for her single “Don’t Break My Heart”.
In addition to being consumed by music, she manages to find time to publish her own quarterly reggae magazine, Reggae Xclusive.
She said that she has high expectations of the show and is praying that it does not rain. The audience, she said, should expect a lot of surprises and conscious music from her.
Canada-based Guyanese “Prince Ally” is in Guyana to promote his new album entitled ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’. Ally grew up in Corriverton before migrating to Canada in 1985. He has since established Ally’s Talent International Production where he has had the opportunity to work with Jamaican and Canada-based Guyanese singers.
He is the first person of Indian descent to have won a Canadian Reggae Music Award in 1991 for his piece “People of the World”, which was dedicated to former South African president Nelson Mandela, and celebrated his release from prison in lyrics.
He said he plans to increase visits to Guyana due to the business potential he sees. It is also his plan to take music to a “whole new level” in his capacity as a singer and producer. He will spend the next few months scouting for talented Guyanese singers and establishing partnerships with a few singers whom he would like to work with in the future.
The local acts scheduled to perform at the show include Jumo, Shelly G, Vanilla, Big Red, Tennicia, First Born, Gialiani, among others.
