When he was growing up, singjay I-Octane admired the festivities surrounding the annual Jamaica Festival Song competition.

“It always have a family oriented vibe. One of my favourite songs from Festival is Roy Rayon’s Give Thanks and Praises. That song has lived on through generations,” I-Octane told Observer Online.

The dancehall/reggae artiste is among the twelve finalists for this year’s Jamaica Festival Song competition. His entry is titled Land We Love which he co-wrote with Carl Bartley.

“I entered this year because I wanted to build up the festival thing. Growing up, we always loved the whole festival vibe and celebration was like a breath of fresh air. Me as a dominant artiste will help to get the youth more in tuned to the competition,” said I-Octane.

He continued, “I want to share my brand with the young people who enter the Festival Song competition. My song connects with the young generation. We just want people to feel back the whole festival vibe.”

Born Byiomie Muir, I-Octane shot to fame with songs including Stab Vampire and Lose A Friend. He recently released the album Moods which debuted at number two on the US Current Reggae Albums chart.