Dancehall artiste Stacious is a finalist in this year’s JCDC Jamaica Festival Song competition.  The artiste whose real name is Stacey Scarlett Bryan, is upbeat about her entry Jamaican Spirit.

“I saw where a disconnect has developed where festival is concerned and I also saw where the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is trying to garner the original love and participation from the public by going back to the format of having popular acts included but with a modern twist,” Stacious said in an interview with Observer Online.

She has been a fan of the Festival Song competition over the years and pointed out that Eric Donaldson’s 1978 winning entry Land of My Birth as her personal favourite.

“Honestly I paid attention to the competition over the years when my love affair with music started. Land of My Birth stands out as a personal favourite. I actually went on the other side of Festival. As a teenager I entered the Portmore Festival Queen competition and made it to the semi finals of the Miss St Catherine Festival Queen competition,” said Stacious.

Winning the competition is not entirely the reason Stacious decided to enter this year.

“I want to highlight what makes Jamaica, Jamaica. The people and our resilience or creativity in making ends meet and our fighting spirit,” she explained.

Stacious is known for the hits Come Into My Room (with Mavado), Falling Down and Touch Me Right.

The other finalists in the 2021 Festival Song competition include Candy, Pessoa, Althea Hewitt, Father Reece, Lutan Fyah, I Octane, DB, Tamo J, Dez-I Boyd, Reggae Maxx and Fab 5.

The winning song will receive a prize of three million dollars to be shared among the producer, the writer and the singer.

Last year’s winner was I am a Jamaican by Buju Banton.

— Kevin Jackson