Jamaican News

Jamaica International Independence Foreign Song Competition (JIIFSC) Announces second Staging

February 8, 2022 | Susan Smith |

Kingston, Jamaica (Powerhouse Global Media) After a successful debut staging in 2021, the USA-based Jamaica International Independence Foreign Song Competition (JIIFSC) is back to once again crown a champion.

“We are thankful that our first year produced a high quality of songs and a winning song that truly represents us as Jamaicans. The integrity of the competition remains a focal point and we continue to believe in the judges choosing the winner,” president and founder Garfield ‘Gary G’ McCook stated.

The competition was created last year to give Jamaicans overseas an opportunity to participate in festival events outside of Jamaica. The inaugural winner Lavie Lujah from Pickering, Canada was selected from a field of 12 finalists from various countries, including the USA, Germany and the UK. Originally called the Jamaica International Independence Festival Song Competition, McCook made a slight change in order to better distinguish the JIIFSC from other events.

“By changing the word ‘Festival’ to ‘Foreign’, we now distinguish ourselves as an international competition. There are similar events happening in Jamaica at the same time so some fans confused us with the local competition last year,” McCook explained.

As this year’s competition gets underway, McCook is confident in the continued growth of the event, with plans to one day reach a stadium level.

“My hope is to have sponsors recognize and support us, as we now have a valid track record. We hope we have reached more Jamaican artists around the world. Our expectation is to have more Jamaican dignitaries and fans in attendance,” McCook expressed.

Applications opened on February 1, 2022 and will run until April 30, 2022. Entrants are required to submit their application form and non-refundable fee of US $150, along with their song in MP3 format and lyric sheet. Potential finalists can once again expect amazing prizes, with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes being US $8,000 & trophy, US $4,000 & trophy and US $1,000.00 respectively.

Several elimination rounds and public voting will be scheduled leading up to the grand JIIFSC finals on July 30, 2022; more information on the competition such as applications, rules and eligibility can be found on the website at jiifsc.com.

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