Despite the island’s small size, it could be said that an annual major music festival season is starting to take shape.
This year, for the first time, Taste of Cayman expanded to become a two-day event, with the multi award-winning band Black Eyed Peas blowing the roof off the stage on Friday, 12 April, featuring opening local acts Dan Ebanks and The Neverines.
Capella followed on 27 April, also held on the Festival Green at Camana Bay, and now concertgoers are preparing to be blasted into outer space by superstars Ne-Yo, Fat Joe, Machel Montano and Baby Cham at the Out of This World Music Fest on 1 June.
Reggae, soca, R&B and hip-hop fans are gearing up for what promises to be a night of pure energy, courtesy of some of the genres’ hottest acts.
Grammy Award-winner Ne-Yo (“Spotlight,” “Miss Independent,” “Because of You”) is a singer, songwriter, dancer, producer and actor whose songs have been a dominant force in the R&B charts. His stop in Cayman is part of an international tour which will take him to such countries as Jamaica, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, the U.K. and Canada.
Fat Joe is known for his successful solo career as well as high-profile collaborations with other chart-topping artists (“What’s Luv?” ft. Ashanti, “Make It Rain” ft. Lil Wayne). He has hosted the BET Hip Hop Awards for two consecutive years, most recently in October 2023 in Atlanta.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the name Machel Montano is synonymous with soca royalty. Winner of countless Soca Monarch competitions and known for his ability to raise his audience to a fever pitch, Montano is one of Trinidad’s most famous performers with an internationally recognised name.
When it’s not a sparkling, refreshing drink out of the U.K., Baby Cham – signed to Atlantic Records – is a dancehall reggae artist out of Jamaica with hit songs like “Ghetto Story,” which featured none other than Alicia Keys in the “Chapter 2” version. The latter’s video reached 41 million views on YouTube.
Looking at the credentials of all these artists, Out of This World Music Fest is one not to be missed! There are different tier ticket prices available for purchase online.
This article was published in the May 2024 print edition of Camana bay Times.