A sea of red enveloped Digicel’s corporate headquarters in downtown Kingston on Saturday as scores of loyal customers, company executives, government officials, and popular personalities adorned themselves in the company’s signature colour in celebration of the telecommunications giant’s 25th anniversary in Jamaica.

From early the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as emcees Talia Soares-Brown and Christopher “Johnny” Daley engaged the growing crowd. Rewarding eager earlybirds with giveaways, customers cashed in — snagging tonnes of free credit with quick fingers and steady hands.

The musical showcase unfolded with a rich blend of talent, beginning with Verlando Small, whose smooth, instrumental set featuring Loving You, I Wanna Know, Can We Talk, and Best Part struck the right chords with the audience, especially the women. He was followed by gospel artiste Jermaine Edwards, who shifted the mood with uplifting renditions of God Is With Me and It’s a Beautiful Day, bringing a spiritual touch to the celebration.

Akeen Fennell, the 2024 Digicel Rising Stars winner, delivered a nostalgic set that paid homage to reggae classics including the like of Sanchez’s remake of Missing You Now and Wayne Wade’s I Love You Too Much. He smoothly transitioned into Oh Me Oh My and Stuck on You before injecting fresh energy with Buju Banton’s Love Me Browning and closing with his original track It’s Over.

Powerhouse vocalist Tessanne Chin kept the momentum going, dipping into her arsenal with hits like
Messenger, Underneath It All, and Hideaway. She was followed by reggae mainstay Bugle, one of the night’s specially invited guests, who transformed the venue into a full-fledged “Rasta party”. His electrifying set featured What I’m Gonna Do, Don’t Blame Life, Pearly Gate, and Nuh Compatible provided the perfect “brawta” for an already hyped audience.

Dancehall sensation Valiant then took command, unleashing a rapid-fire set of crowd favourites, including
100 Milli, Passenger Princess, West Indies, Narcissistic, and Baddiedeh, delivering a short but potent burst of high-energy vibes.

Closing the curtains on an evening of spirited celebration was Chris Martin, who made his grand entrance following a dazzling cake-cutting ceremony and fireworks display. One of the most successful alumni of Digicel Rising Star, Martin took patrons on a nostalgic journey, revisiting songs that launched his career, including
A Change Is Gonna Come.

Proving why he remains a mainstay more than two decades later, he delivered a string of his own hits such as
Big Deal, Cheaters Prayer, Giving It, Chill Spot, Paper Loving, and Wife and Sweetheart. The excitement piqued when he brought out fellow Rising Star winner Romain Virgo. The duo thrilled fans with their chemistry, performing Leave People Business before Virgo transitioned into Fade Away, his collaboration with Agent Sasco. Martin seamlessly filled in for Sasco, underscoring their musical synergy and brotherhood.

Reflecting on the milestone, Digicel Jamaica CEO Stephen Murad shared his pride in the company’s journey.

“Who would have thought 25 years ago Digicel would come along and change the face of the telecommunications industry in Jamaica? We now have thousands of employees here in Jamaica and over 2 million mobile customers that we serve every year. Tonight we’re here in the car park of our headquarters, and just seeing everyone in the crowd listening in on this amazing concert I’m so proud and I want to say thank you to all of our customers,” he said.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz also lauded the company’s impact: “This is a very huge achievement. Digicel came in as the new kid on the block 25 years ago and they have established themselves as a corporate entity with a lot of social benefits to Jamaica through their foundation which has proven to be one of their most successful foundations in terms of upliftment across Jamaica, and so I wish them well.”

Still riding the high of his closing performance, Martin expressed gratitude for the moment and the journey.

“I’m feeling great. It’s the 25th anniversary, my career started with this and now to close out this special occasion, it’s big vibes. They said 30 minutes so we tried to cram as much songs as we possibly could. The energy was awesome and the vibes from the people was infectious, so we give thanks. At the end of the day we can do music and it fall on deaf ears. So to be doing this for 21 years and people still love me and we stay relevant and we still in the people’s hearts, it’s a blessing.”

Bugle (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Tessanne Chin during her performance at the Big Birthday Bash celebrations at Digicel’s headquarters in downtown Kingston on Saturday.(Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Romain Virgo and Chris Martin, Digicel Rising Stars’ alums, team up for a high-energy performance on Saturday to close out the telecommunications giant’s Big Birthday Bash. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Busy Signal (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Digicel Jamaica CEO Stephen Murad (left) is flanked by company executives as they cut the 25th anniversary cake on Saturday. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)