WITH his patriotic entry No Weh Like Jamaica, singer Oneil ‘Nazzle Man’ Scott emerged winner in the Jamaica Festival Song Competition final, held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St Andrew, on Saturday night.
“I’m really elated. I’m feeling great. I worked very hard for this and it has definitely paid off,” Scott told the Jamaica Observer. His fourth time entering the contest, Scott beat nine other contestants.
A member of the Bare Essentials band, Scott has also done stints with Byron Lee’s Dragonaires band.
He explained the inspiration behind his winning entry.
“Jamaica is indeed the best place. Over the years, persons have always commented that ‘no weh nuh better than yard’. We are a free-spirited people… the kind of hospitality you get in the hotels, the warmth of the people. You can always go to your neighbour if you fall short on something and get it,” he said.
“I entered for exposure and because I am patriotic towards my country,” he continued.
Festival Song Competition finalists
Along with Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s trophy, Scott won numerous gift baskets and a cash prize of $500,000. He was also named Best Performer.
“I have a lot of things working on at present as far as music is concerned. I have my EP called Get Ready that’s coming out soon,” he said.
High school teacher Reneive Fletcher, with her entry Tun Up Di Music, finished in second place. She was awarded the Voters Award, having received the most online votes. She won $250,000 cash, among other prizes.
Third place went to the veteran duo Mento Tones, which comprises Denzil McCollin and Charles Evans, with Bring Back Di Peace & Love.
The evening kicked off with performances from the Fab 5 band and Abbygale Dallas, 2012 Festival Song winner. Guided by master of ceremonies, media personality Jerry ‘Jerry D’ Davy, the event ran smoothly and production was tight.
The Fabulous 5 Band
The 10 finalists took the stage and performed a medley of past winning festival songs, including the competition’s first winner in 1966 by Toots & the Maytals Bam Bam; Eric Donaldson’s Land of My Birth; and Desmond Dekker and the Aces’ Intensified.
The Jack Hammer Girls, finalists in the 2015 World Reggae Dance Championship, had the younger members of the audience going wild.
After each finalist performed their entry, 2015 winner Lee-roy ‘Ancient Priest’ Johnson reminded patrons why he won the competition last year, and multiple winner Roy Rayon thrilled the crowd with a medley of past festival songs, as well as his own winning entries, Love Fever and Give Thanks and Praises.
Roy Rayon
The competition’s other finalists were Eustace ‘King Judah’ Lewis (Come Up with a Plan), Querido ‘Quecee’ Howell (Put Up Your Hand), former Digicel Rising Stars finalist Nekorah Phillips (Play Me Jamaica), Everton Pessoa (Only Love); Khalil ‘Kal Dugal’ Hassan Irshad (My Little Rock), Wayne ‘Stonewall’ Watkins (One Love Jamboree), and Phillip ‘Ojah’ Hyatt (World Crisis).
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