Major film and music stars will headline Sunday’s Barbados Music Awards (BMAs).
They will all hit the stage at Kensington Oval to join the star-studded Barbadian line-up at the seventh edition of this prestigious event.
Topping the list is Britain’s Sir Cliff Richard, who will receive the International Icon Award (only the second person to be recognized at this level following the late Michael Jackson) in recognition of career record sales of over 250 million worldwide.
Fans may even be treated to a performance because it is rumoured that Sir Cliff might perform live.
Sir Cliff has over 130 records in the UK Top 20 (more than The Beatles and Jackson) and has sold more singles in Britain than any artist in history.
In 1995 he became the first rock star to be knighted by the Queen, selected ahead of luminaries Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Mick Jagger.
So current is Sir Cliff that his most recent album Souliscious peaked in the UK Top 10. With Top 10 albums in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, Sir Cliff is therefore the first artist to have a Top 10 album in every one of the past seven decades.
He has landed 14 No. 1 singles in Britain and 69 Top 10 hits there.
Deborah Cox, Canada’s most successful R&B artist of all time, will also perform at the BMAs.
She has landed ten No. 1 singles on the Billboard Dance chart and nine Top 40 smashes on the Billboard R&B chart including Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here, which spent 14 weeks at No.1, breaking the then existing record for most weeks at No. 1 by any artist on that chart, surpassing the likes of Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton and Michael Jackson. She has also recorded a smash duet – Same Script Different Cast – with Whitney Houston.
In addition to performing several of her chart-topping hits, Cox will receive the BMA International Award Of Excellence.
American R&B group Allure, known primarily for mega-smash All Cried Out, is also slated to perform at the event, joining DJ R-Wan, who is one of Europe’s leading DJs, live on stage for this event that is expected to attract thousands.
Hollywood stars Vivica A. Fox (Two Can Play, Set It Off, Independence Day) and Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, Like Mike, The Brothers) will host the event.
Barbados will be well represented by reigning Party Monarch Mikey, popular acts Simon Pipe, Nexcyx, reggae star Buggy Nhakente, rising artistes Nyron, Sir Ruel, Trinity (the youngest recording artiste in Barbados’ history to receive significant airplay and who, at age four, has three singles under her belt), Caribbean Queen Of Song winner Kareen Clarke, co-host Gaynelle Marshall, Billboard-charted saxophonist Elan Trotman, Barbados’ first lady of jazz, CiCi, newly signed international artiste Dwayne Husbands, past BMA winners Rosemary Phillips and Kellie Cadogan and more. (SH)
