Machel Montano HD and Xtatik, Patrice Roberts, Zan, Farmer Nappy and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires have been confirmed as the headline acts at this year’s Batabano.
The festival, celebrating its 25th year anniversary, kicks off Saturday, 26 April with the Kids Parade and Teen Dance. Festivities continue with the Masquerade Fete at Pedro St. James on Thursday, 1 May, the Friday Night Fete on 2 May and the costume street parade and carnival on Saturday, 3 May.
‘Cayman Carnival Batabano is a time of year when all residents of the Cayman Islands no matter colour, race or creed can come together and celebrate the joy of life,’ Chairperson of the Batabano committee, Donna Myrie Stephen, said.
‘As we recognize our 25th anniversary this year our committee has been hard at work organizing and putting together a celebration of monumental proportions.”
MACHEL MONTANO
Machel Montano and his band Xtatik hail from Trinidad and Tobago. The musician’s soca music has become an intrinsic part of carnival. His upbeat hit Blazin D Trail captures carnival’s climactic street parade while its title provides an accurate summation of Mache’s exhaustive musical pursuits.
Born in 1974, the former child star made history in March 2007 as the first soca artist to sell out two back-to-back shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
His latest album, Wining Season, was released earlier this year. The title track has become one of the biggest hits of carnival.
PATRICE ROBERTS
Trinidad born singer and soca diva Patrice Roberts has established herself as one of the leading singer/songwriters in soca.
Patrice Roberts began her career in 1992 at the tender age of nine.
In 2000 she was named Toco Personality Winner and in 2001 she garnered the National Junior Clypso Monarch, National Junior Soca Monarch and National Library calypso monarch, which earned her a chance to perform at the Junior Carnival in Miami. She also performed in Barbados at the Crop over festival where she shared the stage with the likes of Allison Hinds.
In 2003 Patrice performed at the Royal Oprah house in London, UK and has performed across the US.
In 2006, Patrice Roberts became the youngest female artiste to win a road march with the song ‘Band of the year’ which she jointly sang with Machel Montano.
Her hits include, Love of my life, The Islands, Band of the year, Light it up, Always Be, Sugar Boy, Till Tomorrow, Culture and Wuking up.
BYRON LEE
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires have become a firm favourite at Batabano. Hailing from Jamaica, the ska and soca band has become one of the most renowned acts in Jamaica.
Formed in 1965 their big break came in the first James Bond film where they not only appeared in the film, but also played a number of tunes on the soundtrack.
In addition to the band’s success, Byron was also having success as a promoter, owner of the Dynamic Sounds label, and studio owner, and was one of the biggest reasons for the explosion in popularity of Jamaican music in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
His studio remains one of the most popular in all the Caribbean. He continues to record and tour with his band, and they have become well known for including covers of populartunes of top Caribbean performers.
Byron Lee was awarded the Order of Distinction, Commander level on 15 October 2007, in recognition of his “contribution in the fields of Music and Entertainment both locally and internationally”.
ZAN
Zan, aka Joel Levi Feveck, is well recognized in the music industry for his songwriting and vocal skills. Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, Zan kicked-off his music career in 1998, aged just 16 with the music group Relativity.
After a couple of years he left the group, forming Fusion with childhood friend Keron Boodoosingh.
FARMER NAPPY
Veteran artist Farmer Nappy, a.k.a. Darryl Henry, is an instrumentalist and songwriter with soca band Xtatik.
Farmer Nappy started off by playing percussion aged just seven with Pranasonic Express (later to become Xtatic) and evolved by writing several hits on the bands 1997 album Big Truck.
The following year, Farmer Nappy won the award for Best Song Writer, co-writing Road March of the year Footsteps with Montano, sung by Wayne Rodriguez. The track also won the accolade of ‘Best Song of the Year’.
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