Ernel Earlington, a veteran Jamaican gospel singer, won the fourth Jamaica International Independence Foreign Song Competition (JIIFSC) with ‘Jamaica Nice’. The event took place on July 26 at Shiloh High School in Snellville, Georgia.
Earlington, who was backed by his four-member group Doxology, wrote and produced the song. He won US$8,000 and a trophy. Finishing second was Lavie Lujah out of Canada with ‘Being A Jamaican is Cool’, with third going to Ohio-based Leon “Letonick” Denton with ‘Unda Half Way Tree’. Lavie Lujah won the inaugural competition in 2021; he was awarded $4,000 and a trophy while Letonick, last year’s winner, received $1,000.
Garfield McCook, an Atlanta-based Jamaican businessman, started the JIIFSC. He believes it has grown for the better.
“I am pleased with the event in terms of the production. The songs were of a higher caliber and therefore the judges had a more difficult task in choosing the top three. Sponsorship remains the area that we need assistance with, and we are appealing for individuals and entities to partner with us,” said McCook.
There were seven contestants this year, largely from the United States. Earlington, who placed third last year, first recorded as a harmony singer in the late 1980s in Kingston, his birthplace.
Over the years, he has recorded a number of inspirational songs and one album.
While McCook is pleased with an increase in entries, he admits the JIIFSC has some way to go in terms of being a household name.
“Although we are in our fourth year, there is a lot of room for growth in letting the world know who we are and what our mission is. Our mission is to create a platform for Jamaican artists or artists of Jamaican descent to showcase their musical talent during Jamaica’s Independence celebrations,” he said.
