by Howard Campbell
[ATLANTA] – IRIE, a feel-good song by Goddy Son, won the Jamaica International Independence Foreign Song Competition (JIIFSC) on July 30 at Shiloh High School’s Theater in Snellville, Georgia.
The New York-based artiste topped six rivals with his mid-tempo single which was a crowd favorite. He won $8,000.
In second was the 2021 winner Lavie Lujah with Jamaica Rise N Shine, which earned him $4,000, with third going to Nikki Spice for I Miss You Jamaica, for which she earned $1,000.
Five of the finalists represented the United States, and two competed for Canada.
Garfield McCook, founder and promoter of the event, said there was considerable improvement on last year’s show.
“The artists were anxious and excited to perform and they were well-received by the audience who were rocking all night,” he declared.
A longtime Atlanta resident, McCook launched the JIIFSC last year with a platform similar to the long-running Festival Song Competition in Jamaica.
Singer Irie with Mamma Jamaica, George Prophet (Celebrate), Bobby Dockery (Jamaica Holiday) and Ms Tina Lou (Gi mi Black Green N Gold) completed the 2022 JIIFSC field.
There were five judges — Shelly Thunder, Erica Newell, Dr Garnet Mowatt, Wayne Hall and Twiggi.
