Photo: Anneli Salo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Caribbean Music Awards has completed its first Caribbean staging in Trinidad and Tobago, placing regional genres, artists and industry figures at the centre of a major new cultural platform.
A landmark move to Port of Spain
The fourth annual ceremony was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain on 19 September, after three previous editions at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in New York.
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It formed the centrepiece of the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards Elite Weekend Experience, a three-day programme that also included a welcome reception, industry activity, an after-party and the Stars & Steel concert and awards event.
The awards’ move matters because it shifts a high-profile celebration of Caribbean music from the diaspora back to the region itself. For Black Caribbean audiences, it offers a stronger platform for genres too often treated as peripheral by international music institutions, including soca, zess, jab, bouyon, calypso, konpa, dancehall and reggae.
Lady Lava tops a strong Trinidad showing
Trinidadian artist Lady Lava was the standout winner, taking Female Soca Artist of the Year, Zess Artist of the Year and Chutney Soca Song of the Year alongside Ravi B for “Cyah Pick”.
Kes won Male Soca Artist of the Year and Soca Performer of the Year, while Yung Bredda and Full Blown won Soca Song of the Year for “The Greatest Bend Over”. Full Blown also received the Soca Impact Award.
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Other Trinidad and Tobago-linked winners included Freetown Collective for Caribbean Fusion Artist of the Year, and V’ghn and Terra D Governor for Jab Song of the Year with “Jab Decisions”. The results underlined the host country’s influence across both established and newer Caribbean sounds.
Jamaica, Ghana and the wider region recognised
Jamaican artists featured prominently. Shenseea won Female Dancehall Artist of the Year and shared both Dancehall Song and Dancehall Collaboration of the Year for the “Shake It to the Max (FLY)” remix with MOLIY, Silent Addy and Skillibeng. Valiant was named Male Dancehall Artist of the Year.
In reggae, Buju Banton won Male Reggae Artist of the Year; Lila Iké took Female Reggae Artist of the Year and shared the collaboration prize with Masicka; Chronixx’s Exile was named Reggae Album of the Year; and Protoje’s “BIG 45” won Reggae Song of the Year.
MOLIY’s award-winning contribution brought a significant Africa-Caribbean dimension to the night. Caribbean Elite Magazine reported that the Ghanaian singer’s win made her the first Ghanaian artist to receive a Caribbean Music Award, though that specific distinction has not been independently confirmed by the awards organisers.
Honouring Caribbean pioneers
Special honours went to Belizean artist and former politician Shyne, who received the Global Ambassador Honor; Trinidadian calypso icon Calypso Rose, awarded the Elite Calypso Honor; Haitian-American singer Alan Cavé, who received the Elite Konpa Honor; and Jamaican dancehall pioneer Patra, honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The weekend concluded with Stars & Steel, celebrating the steelpan and its roots in Trinidad and Tobago. Organisers have said the awards intend to work with host destinations across the region in future years, linking music recognition with cultural tourism and creative-economy opportunities.
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For the Caribbean and its diaspora, the Port of Spain edition made a clear case: the region’s music is not a single genre or a supporting act in global culture, but a diverse industry with its own history, innovators and international reach.