Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall Presents: Portmore's Finalists

Talent is in every nook and cranny in Jamaica and with the right opportunity will emerge to the fore. Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall provides this opportunity.

RC

Hailing from the Gimme-me-bit community of Clarendon, this sing-jay sees himself as a artiste with the determination to win the second season of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall. For the 23 year old, the reason for entering the competition goes far beyond the money. "I want to talk to the youth, I want to tell them that the way they are behaving is not the right way…at times you see some youth doing something wrong and you have to think twice," commented the sing-jay. RC feels confident that he will have the chance to talk to the youth on Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall.

Nazine

Nazine entered the All Together Sing school choir competition on TVJ in 2007 to satisfy the growing passion for music that developed within him from grade 8 at Bog Walk High School. He was however not satisfied and with the encouragement of teachers and peers he decided to enter this year's competition. His peers said his voice had a melody that was suitable for a music career. While it is different being a sing-jay versus a choir member Nazine believes that every experience for an artiste is a new opportunity to grow. "The experience is different, I savour every moment of it and recognize the great opportunity I have" Says the confident sing-jay.

Jody Miller

Question was a Beyonce R&B hit song but Jody Miller penned her own version to ask young persons 'living on the edge' how they want to be remembered and what they want for themselves. The sing-jay belts out lines like, "do you wanna be a shaded memory…do you want to be read in a newspaper." The Hellshire Park resident reveals, "I sing about reality and that is the reality around me". She continues: "I don't see myself writing explicit songs but more of uplifting songs". Jody Miller, who played the violin while in high school, says she feels a connection with Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall because it allows her to express herself and reveal her talent.

Latty Fabulous

Persistence is essential according to Latty. She believes that artistes need to constantly be working on their talent, especially if they want to succeed. It wasn't strange then that after she missed out on being selected as on of the top candidates from the May Pen audition that Latty Fabulous again auditioned in Portmore; moving one step closer to success. Writing her own songs, Latty Fabulous prides herself on being a song writing machine and one out to create a big effect on Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall. Her friends are also confident that if she does not emerge victor someone must see her and want to work.

Source - ALYKHAT PR

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall Delivers

Patrons from as far as May Pen and Negril descended on the Weekenz Bistro and Bar to watch the crowning of the ultimate Magnum King and Queen of Dancehall. Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall has, for the past fifteen weeks, been exposing new and diverse talent to the masses. The success of the show has vindicated the decision by the producers and the sponsors of the competition to invest millions of dollars to expose true Jamaican Sing-Jays and Dee-Jays to a world audience.

Throughout the past fifteen weeks, dozens of contestants from all parts of the island were whittled down to a final four who came to the Weekenz Bistro and Bar to vie for the crown in one final clash. The night began with the last ten finalists taking the stage and presenting some of the tunes that have allowed them to enter the hearts of many Jamaicans. Of note was the performance of Tellah who, eliminated on April 12th had the large crowd eating out of her hands with her captivating performance and Singer Jah who announced his arrival on stage by shouting "Rasta, Rasta, Rasta" causing the crowd to roar with excitement.

There were also cameos from mainstream artistes who came out to give their support to the young talent. Assassin graced the stage with his usual energetic performance and Ginjah pleased the audience by doing a rendition of his hit Rough Times with his brother and eventual winner Singer Jah.

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall has been accepted by all levels of the society and people from all corners of the island were on location cheering on their favourite of the top four.
"The competition is a good move and I am happy that there is a competition that truly represents our music and gives our young talent a chance to shine" – Minister of Culture, Olivia Babsy Grange.

The presentation of the winners of the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall was filled with pomp and pageantry with Singer Jah and Baby Tash being Crown and presented with their rings by the Minister of Culture. Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall presented the two winners with half a million dollars each and will sponsor the production of a single and a video to kick start their careers. It was a regal affair the type never before seen in a competition on Jamaican prime time television.

The King and Queen: Singer Jah and Baby Tash now reign supreme over their competitors having amassed the wide support of Jamaicans all over the country. Based on this overwhelming support for the competition and the contestants, the producers are planning to make Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall 2008/2009 bigger and better.

"We are very happy with the acceptance of the competition by all of Jamaica. The talent that has come out is of the highest quality and I am confident that many of the contestants who came through the competition will go on to have great careers in the music business. We can guarantee that next year's competition will be bigger and better and will be filled with many surprises that will indeed bring joy to the fans" – Mark Kenny, Executive Producer, Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall.

TOP PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS TO WORK WITH MAGNUM WINNERS

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall has set the television world alight. With only two weeks of live shows remaining, Weekenz Bistro and Bar has had to put in additional measures to accommodate the large crowds that converge on the venue every Saturday night to watch the young princes and princesses perform.

The crowning of the ultimate king and queen of dancehall will be on the 19th of April and all the contestants left are excited about winning the grand prize. The winners of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall will win half a million dollars in cash, a lucrative video with renowned video directors, and a music production deal with top producers who will produce their single release. These prizes will ensure that the winners of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall are able to start their music careers in fine style.

Several well known producers have come on board to give the future Magnum King and Queen of Dancehall the opportunity to 'buss' big on the dancehall stage. Cordell 'Scatta' Burrell has taken on the responsibility of being the main producer guiding the future King and Queen of dancehall on their journey to musical stardom. 'Scatta', credited with launching the careers of dancehall kingpins such as Ce'cile and Aidonia has an impressive resume. With simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 charting of four songs on his 'Coolie Dance Riddim' and a production repertoire that is envied by many of the top producers in dancehall, 'Scatta' is well placed to take on the role of main producer for the future winners of the competition.

The ultimate Magnum King and Queen of Dancehall will also have their debut video produced by Jay Will and Kimala 'Lala' Bennet. Jay Will is one of the most respected directors on the dancehall scene today; boasting quality production of an international standard including Kanye West's, Through The Wire, Shaggy's Church Heathen, Beenie Man's Dreaming Of You, Mr. Vegas' Hot Wuk, T.O.K's Footprints, Voicemail's Wacky Dip and numerous others.

Not to be outdone is ace director Kimala 'Lala' Bennet who, despite being relatively new to the business has done some impressive work so far. Gaining experience from working with the likes of internationally known directors Paul Hunter, Little X and Chris Robinson, Bennet has been credited with creating some of the most cutting edge videos in the reggae and dancehall genre and is one of the most sought after of film directors in Jamaica today. Many of Jamaica's top artistes have credited Kimala with delivering for them visually pleasing videos to compliment their music including Cezar, Allaine, Baby Cham, Chuck Fenda and Sanjay to name a few.

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall is committed to equipping the winners of the competition with the tools to take the dancehall world by storm and has put in the necessary arrangements to ensure that this commitment if fulfilled. Remember to tune in on April 19th for the grand finals of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall on TVJ at 9pm.

MARK KENNY: BRINGING AUTHENTIC JAMAICAN TALENT TO THE MASSES

The phenomena of Rising Stars and Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall have created a level of enthusiasm and an anticipation rarely seen in the history of television talent shows in Jamaica. Many do not know who the brainchild of these two massively popular shows is and even more interestingly, that he is not a native Jamaican.

Born in Dublin Ireland, Mark Kenny has been an ardent fan of Jamaican music and culture since the 1970s. The professionally trained pianist became a convert to reggae after listening to the group 'Culture' who are credited with influencing the development of Punk Rock music in the 1970s. Kenny has developed a sophisticated appreciation of Jamaica's music and culture which is manifested in his work with Digicel Rising Stars and Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall.

Kenny began his television career in 1990 as a producer with Animedia, one of Ireland's largest animation companies at the time. He excelled and went on to produce one of Ireland's most popular talent shows: Your're a Star. It was after observing his work on the Your're a Star talent competition that in 2004, Digicel and Newcom solicited his help in bringing true Jamaican talent to the masses. This collaboration gave birth to the Rising Stars competition.

After four immensely successful seasons and becoming the most popular show on television, Kenny decided to take Jamaican television to another level and in 2007 launched Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall.

Executive producer, Mark Kenny explains: "I noticed that a lot of Deejays would audition for Digicel Rising Stars and not make it into the finals because the format does not cater to dancehall. We thought it would be a good idea to have a show that is dedicated to dancehall 100%. I also noticed that female driven dancehall and male driven dancehall is different, so it would be interesting to have a king and queen rather than both sexes competing against each other."

Mark Kenny has a keen eye for talent and over 18 years of experience in knowing what people like to see on their television. Both Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall and Digicel Rising Stars have given numerous Jamaicans, from all walks of life and all corners of the island, the opportunity to showcase their talent and become recognised Jamaican artistes.

Kenny explains how Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall is achieving its mandate to 'buss' new talent: "Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall has shown that there is strong dancehall talent in Jamaica that has not had a platform for exposure. Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall is now that platform. To see the performances on stage, to see the set and the overall production is a dream achieved. Since we began airing on TVJ we have grown from strength to strength and there is enough talent out there for Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall to go on perpetually."

After bringing two very popular shows to Jamaican television, Mark Kenny has big plans for the future. He plans to continue the success of Digicel Rising Stars while making the second season of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, to be aired in November 2008, bigger and better. He also plans to bring other television shows to Jamaican television while at the same time exposing Jamaican culture and talent to the world.

MAGNUM KINGS & QUEENS OF DANCEHALL: DEVELOPING TRUE TALENT‏

Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall continues to showcase some of the best fresh Dancehall talent ever to premiere on Jamaican TV. The new interactive talent competition, filmed live on Saturdays at the Weekendz Bistro and Bar in Kingston, has energized television viewers. The mission of Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall is to unearth and showcase authentic Jamaican dancehall talent. The producers and cast have undertaken the task of moulding the contestants into professionals, giving them the advice necessary to tackle the Dancehall stage. The voted King and Queen of Dancehall will be given the tools with which to construct a viable career as dancehall artistes.

During the course of the competition, the contestants have the opportunity to interact with industry insiders, a privilege they would otherwise not be afforded. Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall has intentionally sought to use the competition as an avenue to expose potential winners to a level of professionalism they will need to survive in the fast paced and hectic dancehall environment. The cast of Magnum Kings and Queens of dancehall is a group with decades of experience in the dancehall industry who know how to manage careers and 'buss' new talent.

Among the group of judges is Dancehall producer: Cordell 'Scatta' Burell. Since 2001, Scatta has amassed an impressive resume, highlighted by the simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 charting of four songs on his 'Coolie dance Riddim'. Scatta is also credited with the launching careers such as that of Ce'cile and Aidonia.

Also on the judging panel is veteran Dancehall DJ General Degree. Degree was dominant in the mid to late nineties as a dancehall DJ with chart topping hits such as Granny, Yuh Look Good Oonuh, When I Hold You Tonight, Traffic Blocking and Boom to name a few. General Degree has now turned his attention to the business of dancehall and has recently launched his clothing line 'Reh Geh'.

Both Scatta and Degree are Dancehall icons and over the past few weeks have imparted valuable knowledge to the contestants on how to be true dancehall stars.

Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall organisers also invites celebrity judges from the dancehall fraternity to be a part of the live show deliberations. This move has gone down well with both the fans and contestants over the past weeks. Recent celebrities who have appeared on the show include: Ce'cile, Voicemail, Mr G and Serani, all who have gone out of their way to guide the young Princes and Princesses on the right path by giving them varying advice from stage presentation, proper usage of microphones to voice projection.

Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall has successfully equipped the contestants with the necessary tools to secure their longevity in the dancehall and teaches them the importance of being professional, unique and innovative, real tools with which true success can be built.

The winners of the Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall, chosen by the viewers, will be entitled to a professionally produced video and a single; which will put them on a path to true dancehall stardom. The voted King and Queen of Dancehall will also receive half-a-million dollars (J$500,000) each toward the development of their careers.

Source - Alykhat PR