Krosfyah, I-Octane, and Popcaan Join Lineup for the 2012 St. Kitts Music Festival

Krosfyah

BASSETERRE (5th April, 2012): One of the best known and most successful soca bands of the Caribbean, along with two leaders in the new generation of dancehall music have been added to the “Sweet Sixteen” edition of the Annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which takes place on Thursday June 28th to Saturday June 30th, 2012.

Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Rosecita Jeffers, revealed that Krosfyah will be performing on Thursday, which is the first night of the three-night festival, while I-Octane and Popcaan will perform on the second night.

“Follow your heart to St. Kitts to enjoy one of the most diversified musical weekends in the Caribbean,” Jeffers said. “Krosfyah, I-Octane and Popcaan are each known for their energetic stage presence, and will complement the exciting mixture of Caribbean and International acts being put together for this year’s event.”

For the past fifteen years, Krosfyah has been touring the world inducing fans into a soca frenzy with hit songs such as “Road Jam”, “Wet Me”, “Pump Me Up”, “Sak Passe” “Road Block”, “Highway Robbery” and “Redemption of Me.”

Krosfyah, with their baggy attire, brightly colored bandanas adorning funky dreads and coloured ‘fros, have epitomized Caribbean coolness on stage all over the world. Combined with infectious melodies, high-energy performances and pulsating rhythms that speak a language only one’s hips comprehend, krosfyah has helped to reinvent soca as we now know it.

I-Octane is a Jamaican superstar who has attained success in a relatively short space of time starting with his first hit “Stab Vampire”, which cemented his position as a notable dancehall artist. The success of that single seemingly propelled I-Octane forward, because after that song went to number one on numerous Jamaican charts and received the award for Video of the Year at the ‘Excellence in Music Awards (EME), I-Octane put out hit after hit, winning over skeptics and gaining many new fans. Song’s such as “Different Page”, “Hurt mi”, and “Mama you alone”, “My Life”, “Lose a Friend”, “Badder than Dem” and “Hold Her In My Arms” have reverberated with people all over the Caribbean and as his fan base increased.

Popcaan

Popcaan, also known as Poppi is an award-winning dancehall artist who gained international success in 2010 with the hit song “Clarks”. He is also famous for his songs “Dream”, “Raving” and “Gangsters City”. Most of his songs start with his signature catchphrase “wha ah gwaan?” and “not nice”. In 2011, Popcaan received Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards for the Best New Artiste, and Collaboration of the Year for “Clarks” with Vybz Kartel and Gaza Slim. That single also won the award for Song of the Year in the Dancehall category.

Krosfyah, I-Octane and Popcaan are just the latest of an impressive St. Kitts Music festival lineup that is expected to be finalized over the next few days. Damien Marley, Roberta Flack, Morgan Heritage, Courtney Pine and Omarion have already been announced as performers for the upcoming June, 2012 event.

Now in its 16th year, the Festival attracts both locals and visitors alike. It features a wide range of musical styles on the popular market, including R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Gospel and Contemporary music. Past artists have included such prominent acts as John Legend, T-Pain, Michael Bolton, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, UB40’s Ali Campbell, Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Air Supply, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, The Commodores, Dionne Warwick, Billy Ocean, Sean Paul, Boyz II Men, King Konris, Stephen Marley, Regina Belle, Maxi Priest, Biggie Irie, Bunny Wailer and Lord Nelson.