Ebuzz News
The Biggest Party in Sport Will Be Epic. COLLABR and CPL Set to Create A New Regional Superstar in 2025.
A premium sporting experience in the Caribbean demands an equally desirable entertainment experience, and one of the world’s biggest tournaments – the Caribbean Premiere League is gearing up to offer an opportunity of a lifetime to several up-and-coming artistes. “I’m happy that CPL has given me the opportunity to use their platform to make this a reality,” said global cricket sensation, Dwayne Bravo. He is the founder of the COLLABR app – a digital space that offers creatives exactly what’s needed to foster development in the Caribbean music industry.
With the CPL kicking off on August 14th through September 21st, Bravo approached organisers for a collaboration that would include the integration of the COLLABR app as a scouting tool for new talent across the region. The owner of 47 Productions in Trinidad and Tobago, Bravo, who is also a music enthusiast, has spent millions creating a state-of-the-art music engineering studio in Port-of-Spain, which works to his advantage in the execution of the COLLABR project. His vision is simple – “In one of my meetings with CPL I told them we cannot just put on a contest and have a winner and that’s it – you never hear about the artistes again. We have to be able to monitor the artistes, help the artistes from a financial point of view and from a branding and marketing point of view. Our vision is to create the next regional music sensation,” he said.
Response to the competition has already been encouraging and Bravo says the goal is to offer other undiscovered talent the opportunity that his artiste, Ronzy – a Trinidad and Tobago singer, received a couple years ago. “Discovering Ronzy through the COLLABR app and seeing the talent that she has – she is from Couva – nobody would’ve known that this talented person was there in Couva trying different avenues to be seen or heard, and because of this app, I was able to identify her,” he said, adding, “She is now the face of the COLLABR app. She has gotten the opportunity to work with people like Sizzla and Buju and this year she worked with Machel, Patrice, Lyrikal and Rupee on the Pineapple riddim. In a short space of time she was able to create a name for herself. That was something she would not have even imagined,” said Bravo, explaining that this has since fueled his passion to find more undiscovered talent in the region and bring them into the spotlight.
[ Photos: 47 Ronzy and Dwayne Bravo in studio at 47 Productions ]
The competition will see these artistes who are chosen via COLLABR, based on votes and reviews, hit stages across the Caribbean region, and be seen globally via the televised streaming of the entire CPL experience. “My production company will, at the end, offer free production on two songs, after the tournament, to ensure that the artistes are promoted and kept relevant. This is CPL and 47 Productions investing in these artistes,” he reiterated.
The performances will take place during the half time show of each match during the CPL tournament. Bravo explained that the COLLABR artistes will perform before the bigger artistes, offering them the necessary exposure. “To all the unknown artistes out there, this is your moment to really show your talent to the world and an opportunity like this, you don’t want to miss it. Because of this app, I was able to discover Ronzy and she is gold,” he said heartily, making it clear that he genuinely believes many more talented people are just waiting to be discovered.
The Caribbean Premiere League is dubbed the biggest party in sport. Sponsored by Republic Bank, the tournament is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held throughout the islands and sees six teams vie for the championship in Caribbean cricket. Undoubtedly a party atmosphere across the region with every match, CPL Twenty20 this year, will be further energized with the inclusion of COLLABR and Dwayne Bravo’s dedicated effort to unveil new talent in a major way.
Ebuzz News
Seven Songs. One Big Artiste. Grenada’s Spice Mas Better Be Ready for Skinny Banton.
Spice Mas, like every other carnival, is seasonal, but for Carriacou, Grenada artiste, Skinny Banton, music isn’t. He has unleashed seven songs in 2026, and like clockwork he’s locked in and ready to deliver his energy, good vibes and storytelling strengths to audiences celebrating another memorable Spice Mas experience this year.
For Skinny Banton, whose real name is Shirlan George, Grenada’s Jab culture is fuel to his fire. In the past, songs like ‘Soak It Good’ and ‘Wrong Again,’ brought him tremendous acclaim across the region and internationally. This season, The Jambalasse project is anticipated to be one of the artiste’s most powerful contributions, signaling his intentionality to promote his country’s authentic culture, wherever he goes. “With this project we’re trying to keep the history, while celebrating the present by revamping a song that was done by Moss International 35 years ago,” he said. That song was called ‘Jambalasse Rule,’ released in 1991. “We revamped the riddim because it was one of the first songs considered to be an original Jab Jab song from Grenada, at that time,” he explained.
Proud of his personal efforts to keep the awareness on Grenada’s cultural traditions, Skinny Banton advocates for the continued celebration of these traditions and understands his role as an artiste. “No matter what we face as artistes in this space, we stay true to our mission. I have several songs that the people will enjoy in Spice Mas and beyond. One of my personal favourites is ‘Pain,’ a song I would like to share with my fans in Trinidad and Tobago when Carnival 2027 comes around,” he said.
Strengthening Others
Other tracks released by Skinny include, ‘When Yuh Eating,’ ‘Right Up,’ ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ ‘Can’t Stop Us,’ ‘Carnival Traffic’ featuring Jamaican artiste, I Octane, ‘My Behaviour,’ featuring Tonic X and ‘Water Line Burst,’ collaboratively done with Nicki Akull. “The collaborations done with Tonic X and Nicki Akull mean a lot to me. They are upcoming artistes who I share good vibes with. When I was younger and had hopes of connecting and collaborating with bigger artistes, it was not easy,” he recalled, adding that it often felt daunting. He says because he understands the feeling, he is happy to be able to help these up-and-coming entertainers. “This was just my way of giving them strength and encouragement. I feel like nobody takes you seriously when you don’t have a foot in the door – they refuse to embrace you because you are not known. I want them to keep pushing after this,” he added.
Dedicated and refocused, Skinny Banton is pushing full speed ahead. “I’m doing music videos for most of the songs. I already have a video for ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ which has been uploaded to YouTube and all other streaming platforms, and the video for ‘My Behaviour’ with Tonic X is also out,” he said. Grateful to Jamaican artiste, IOctane for the strength given to him on their collaboration on the single, ‘Carnival Traffic,’ Skinny said this particular song is one that he loves, and he hopes the people will, as well.
For the past three years, the artiste had been approached by upcoming entertainer, Nicki Akull for the single they eventually brought forward this year. “Waterline Buss – Nicki Akull’s persistence and determination really brought this song into existence,” he said, happy to have eventually come around to making it happen. Even with such a vast number of singles released, Skinny Banton says he is ready to work with artistes across the Diaspora. “I’m still creating, still working and I’m looking forward to establishing more ground in the Soca community and around the world.”
Social Media, Music and Trends.
Certainly attuned to the necessary promotional adjustments that many artistes have been forced to adopt, Skinny Banton says he hopes that despite the rise in social media content distribution, true talent and good music is not sacrificed. “I feel like content creation online should not take away from artistes creating and delivering great music, because without the content, the music should still stand on its own, and with the content, the people still need the music,” he shared. “I also feel like a lot of trends are created from making yourself an online spectacle and not the music being able to sustain itself, so you may get attention for what you post as content, but the music you’re posting the content for sometimes does not have enough substance to sustain itself for longevity,” he rationalized.
Thoughtful, conscious and truly talented, Skinny Banton is a necessary part of the Caribbean’s creative landscape. His storytelling ability, coupled with his appreciation for the art and vocal capacity, makes him an artiste everyone should tap in to. “I want to encourage the young artistes to stay focused and keep pushing and never be discouraged by the many things that’s said on social media. They must work hard to establish their business to suit them, because every artiste will do things differently, when it comes to the business; Never be discouraged by the naysayers,” he advised. He thanked his fans for their love and support over the years. “People who’ve been supporting from day one and continue to support, as well as the new supporters I’ve gotten along the way – thank you. To the DJs and radio personalities, I appreciate you. One hand doesn’t clap. Thank you for keeping my songs on rotation and I hope you all continue to support me.”
Music News
JrDynamite Gets Real On New Single “Fake Energy.”
