The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk continues its series of stories on the Jamaica Festival Song Competition which is marking its 55th anniversary milestone.

THIS evening, the 12 finalists in this year’s Jamaica Festival Song Competition will be introduced to the public via a televised show on TVJ at 8:30. Singer-songwriter Althea Hewitt is among them.

She is no stranger to the spotlight. A former member of the pop-influenced group Fourth Street Sisters, Hewitt hopes the contest will assist her quest in becoming a household name.

“I hope the competition propels me to the next level. I’ve published many new projects, including my 2019 album Stronger, and an EP last year, and this year there will be more [music] videos and other material so I do hope that this is an opportunity for people to know who I am,” she told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Hewitt’s entry is titled Jamaica Nice, produced by Anthony Senior of Altafaan Records.

“I was pretty shocked when I found out that I was a finalist, but now my anxiety level is much lower. I’m 150 per cent confident that I will win,” she said.

With a career spanning over two decades, Hewitt, as part of the quartet Fourth Street Sisters, was a mainstay act at hotels on both the north and south coasts. The group disbanded in the late 1990s.

Hailing from east Kingston, she is a graduate of Camperdown High in that section of the Corporate Area. She fine-tuned her skills at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston.

Hewitt is not the only act in this year’s staging with experience under her belt. Popular acts I-Octane (Land We Love), Lutan Fyah (Jah Mek Yah), and backing band Fab 5 (Unwind) are also in the line-up. She said she is, however, not fazed by it.

“Everybody stands out in their unique and special way, in terms of performance skills and voices. Lyrics might be similar but it’s up to who your audience is and I’m just gonna give people something to remember me,” she said.

Other entrants this year are: Stacious (Jamaican Spirit); 2011 Jamaica Festival Song Competition winner Everton Pessoa (Celebration – Wet Sugar); DB (Love Jamaica My Land); Tamo J (Real Talk – Jamrock); Dez-I Boyd (Rumba Box); Reggae Maxx (Sweet Jamaica); Candy (First Day Bash JA); and, Father Reece (Jamaican Talawah).

The winning song will receive a prize of $3 million to be shared among the producer, the writer, and the singer.

Despite being confident of victory, Hewitt said she has not made any plans for the prize purse.

“I hope eventually I’ll find something productive to do with it. It’s not about the money. It’s about the experience and getting people to hear your music,” Hewitt said.

The public began selecting their winning song through telephone voting which started July 5, while the grand final is scheduled for July 22.

Buju Banton won the competition last year with I Am a Jamaican.

Started in 1966, the Jamaica Festival Song Competition — organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) — has unearthed talent islandwide and has provided a platform for aspiring artistes and seasoned veterans to propel their talents on national and international stages.