By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Tuesday 7th June 2022) — Chairman of the Artiste Selection Committee Raphael ‘Phonse’ Rodney revealed some of the challenges experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the availability of artistes, at the St. Kitts Music Festival Press Conference held on Tuesday 7th June at the St. Kitts Marriott Hotel in Frigate Bay. “We had some challenges. Currently, there are still some mandates from COVID that we have to adhere to such as you have to be vaccinated in order to enter the country. As a result, some of the artistes that we would have been looking for, they are not vaccinated. You may have remembered we had Chronixx booked in 2020 and he’s not vaccinated, and as a result we couldn’t get Chronixx for this year’s event. But we were still able to put together a very good lineup that would fill the reggae gap — such as Anthony B, Beres Hammond, Christopher Martin and Maxi Priest.”
Rodney also noted that some artistes’ rates have increased dramatically since the pandemic, running too costly for the festival’s budget. “One of the biggest problems we have with the St. Kitts Music Festival is the budget and we’re also competing on a world stage with other territories. We’re looking at artistes that can run the St. Kitts Music Festival at least EC$1 million just for one of them; Wiz Kid and so forth — their rates have increased dramatically. We simply cannot afford them at this time especially coming out of a pandemic.” The three-night concert lineup: Thursday — Bunji Garlin & Fay-Ann Lyons, Destra, Nadia Batson, Lyrikal, Voice, Masicka, Rucas H.E., Grand Masters, Small Axe Band and Nu Vybes Band; Friday — Ashanti, Wale, Sean Paul, Maxi Priest, Anthony B, Shaneil Muir, I Mark, Hi-Light and Dejour; Saturday — Beres Hammond, Keyshia Cole, Rotimi, Jada Kingdom, Christopher Martin, Byron Messia, Venelle Powell and Popcaan.