WHENEVER Johnny Gourzong and his colleagues at Summerfest Productions start planning Reggae Sumfest, one of the things they hope for is that ‘outstanding performance’ which will benefit both artiste and the annual show.

It is no different for this year’s event, which takes place July 12-18 at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay.

“I’d really like to see a Christopher Martin emerge, or a Jesse Royal or Kabaka Pyramid. I see exciting things happening for them,” said Gourzong.

He gave Chronixx’s impressive set at the 2012 Sumfest as an example, pointing out that the roots singjay’s career moved rapidly from grass-roots artiste to mainstream star.

“We saw that happen over the years with Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage and Protoje. There’s a lot of international press, and every artiste gets excellent coverage,” the Summerfest director noted.

Gourzong admits Sumfest is at a disadvantage once the reputation of artistes rise. Some bypass the festival for European summer shows which are in a position to pay them better fees.

“You can’t blame them, given the nature of our dollar compared to the strength of the Euro. But it has become increasingly difficult to contract some of the artistes once they become established,” he said.

Reggae Sumfest 2015’s format is similar to previous years, with a mix of home-grown talent and American pop acts.

The appearance of Academy Award winners Common (on July 17) and Jennifer Hudson (on the 18th) influenced the festival’s ‘Summer Blockbuster’ theme.

Like Hudson, upcoming rapper/actor Yazz The Greatest (of the hit cable series Empire) performs on closing night along with Beenie Man and Martin.

“Even though he’s not a headliner, he and the series are very popular and, in a way, it’s his coming-out party,” said Gourzong.