[George Town, Grand Cayman, ] – The Pirates Week Festival Office along with the Tourism Attraction Board, Ministry of Culture and the Cayman Music and Entertainers Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 National Song Competition.

Taking first place and the $5000 cash prize at Saturday’s event (9^th November) is The Matrixx with his upbeat song ‘Everyone A Danca’. Andy Blake takes home $3000 for arriving in the second-place spot with his song ‘Sweet, Sweet Cayman’.

To the delight of the audience was a twist of the night, when a third-place tie was announced between established reggae musician Stuart Wilson and newcomers, nine-year-old Kadence Miller-Ebanks and eight-year-old Tayanna Samuels who together win a $2000 cash prize.

Mr. Wilson performed his original song ‘Oh Cayman Isle’, while Kadence and Tayanna performed ‘It’s Pirates Week’.

With 16 participants, Pirates Week General Manager, Melanie McField feel the event is growing exponentially and promoting and encouraging the creation of original works. “This is the second year that the competition has been brought back after a long hiatus and we noted the same this year – the event was met with much enthusiasm by local artists.”

It is heart-warming to see the talents that Cayman has to offer, and we are proud to showcase this talent on the Pirates Week stage. A special thanks to our host Dane Ramoon and judges, Sam Lancaster, Dean Bremmer, Tiffany Dixon-Ebanks and Ben Meade,” she said.

The participants were judged on their song lyrics, musical production, melody, stage presentation and audience interaction.

Cayman Music and Entertainers Association (CMEA) president, Jèan-eric Smith, at the end of the event said “Cayman talent is premium. For me personally, everybody tonight made me super proud! For all the musicians and everyone associated with this production, I must say it was well done.”

The cash prizes for the Pirates Week National Song Competition amounts to CI$10,000; the Ministry of Culture, the Tourism Attraction Board (TAB) and the Cayman Music and Entertainment Association (CMEA) sponsors the $5,000 first, $3,000 second and $2,000 third prizes, respectively.

IMAGES:

Photo Caption 1: Song competition winners (l-r) Andy Blake, The Matrixx, Stuart Wilson and Kaydence and Tayanna

About the artists:

The Matrixx – Born in Jamaica, raised in the Cayman Islands Mikhail “The Matrixx” Campbell schooled in Canada. The Matrixx is an artist and producer with over a decade of experience writing and recording songs. Mr. Campbell says he specializes in ‘lyrical hip-hop and storytelling with a Caribbean flavour’.

His debut EP, “Islands,” received the Best EP award at the 2016 Cayman Music Festival – Ponciana. Currently, The Matrixx is working on a second EP tentatively titled “Third Person.”

Andy Blake – is a singer and songwriter from Bodden Town, Grand Cayman. He began his musical career by singing in church from a tender age and is the winner of the 2010 Cayman’s Got Talent.

Blake has opened for acts such as Kymani Marley, Genuine, Diana King, Tessanne Chin and the late Percy Sledge. He has made numerous appearances at major local events such as Taste of Cayman, Cayman Music Festival – Ponciana, Culture Shock and many more.

Aspiring to compile his first EP by early 2020, Blake is now a full-time musician and can be found at many popular bars and restaurants island wide.

Stuart Wilson – Stuart Wilson has a unique blend/fusion of reggae, blues, jazz and hip-hop to which her refers to as ‘Reggae Renaissance Music’. He is a sophisticated reggae artist, who has been in enchanting music lovers around the globe with his sound and eclectic style of music.

Mr. Wilson has opened for acts such as John Legend, Air supply, Damien Marley, Beres Hammond, Michael Bolton, Roberta Flack, Sean Paul, Morgan Heritage, and Third World.

Kadence Miller-Ebanks and Tayanna Samuels – Kadence has a passion for all things music since she was very young. The nine-year-old has performed in school Christmas concerts and her school’s choir for the National Children’s Festival of the Arts (NCFA). She also participates in a target-based scholarship with The Broadway Stars conducted by Musicians KY.

Kadence is excited to begin learning the violin during her next school term and is happy to be perform with her cousin, eight-year-old Tayanna who is also no stranger to performing in school concerts.

Both girls enjoy playing and recording in Kadence’s father’s studio. Diana is eight years old

About Pirates Week:
The Pirates Week Festival is the largest event in the Cayman Islands calendar, annually drawing over 35,000 spectators for the duration of the five-day festival and District Heritage Day events. During this time, the islands are transformed into a mass of colour and revelry, with over three dozen different events being hosted over three weekends, across all three islands!

The Pirates Week Festival is administered by the Tourism Attraction Board of the Cayman Islands.

Those looking to participate in the festival or become a sponsor in any way, can email [email protected].

If you would like more information about this topic, please email [email protected] .

District Heritage Days:
The District Heritage Committees will once again highlight unique aspects of their individual districts, with cultural displays, traditional food and fun activities for children and adults.

The District Heritage Days will take place this year from 12^th – 16^th November.

The District Heritage Day schedule is as follows:

East End: Tuesday, 12^th November

West Bay: Wednesday, 13^th November

Bodden Town: Friday, 15^th November

George Town: Saturday, 16^th November

To learn more, log on to the website www.piratesweekfestival.com. Here you can find out about the more than 40 events being held throughout the festival season, sign up as a volunteer, food or craft vendor in Grand Cayman or Cayman Brac.

The public is also encouraged to follow Pirates Week on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for real time updates.

Sponsors:
The Pirates Week Festival is pleased to have the support of these major sponsors for the 2019 events:

AI Rentals
Ace Hardware
Cayman Airways Ltd.
Bacardi
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Hurley’s Media Ltd.
Ministry of Tourism
Ministry of CultureTourism Attraction Board

A complete list of sponsors can be found on the www.piratesweekfestival.com