“One space; one night to share in one goal under one banner-TTCME Awards”- Richard Cornwall, Executive President and Founder of Acknowledging Caribbean Talent (ACT)
The Lord Kitchener (Aldywn Roberts) Auditorium at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) came alive on Thursday evening with the presentation of the first annual Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean) Music and Entertainment (TTCME) Awards. It was a night to remember and we were happy to be there to see it all unfold as we have been following it since we first heard of it. Surely many others can agree with this!
The ambience in the reception area was one of celebration filled with several opportunities including ‘walking the red carpet’. In attendance were the British High Commissioner Mr. Tim Stew and Mayor of Port-of-Spain Alderman Joel Martinez together with well-known media personalities Nikki Crosby, Samantha John, Hans des Vignes, Michelle Xavier, Sophie Wight, Sunny Bling and a host of others.
In just three months and 15 days the TTCME Awards was presented to the world. It was a soulful ambience of celebration and breathtaking performances, marked by the announcement and presentation of awards to 26 winners. These winners were chosen by fans who voted in a text-to-vote system that provided 100 per cent transparency. In addition to this three achievement awards were presented and several companies and individuals who are consistent in their efforts in various fields were recognised.
The evening’s proceedings was filled with a perfect blend of rich cultural presentations from various musical genres that represent the diversity of our islands and the capture the essence of our people. The audience was treated to gospel performances from several artistes including Vanessa Briggs who won the Gospel Singer of the Year for Praise and the Gospel Singer of the Year for Worship. Also securing two titles was Aaron Duncan. He won the title of Soca Performer of the Year and also won the Song of the Year Title for his song “Born Ready”.
In addition to Vanessa Briggs there were several other performances. These include live performances by Blaxx, I-Sasha, Jason “Fridge” Seecharan, Krystal Khayne, Anokha Baptiste, Dane Gulston, the Alternative Quartet, Chromatics, Sally Sagram, Whitney Cummings, the Dayo Bejide Organic Music Movement, KI, Explainer, Inzey and the Dopeskis, Surge, Neval Chatelal and Nishard M.
For those who are curious about who came up with the idea of the TTCME awards here it is! The concept for this event was pioneered by Richard Cornwall, Executive President and Founder of Acknowledging Caribbean Talent (ACT). Its focus is recognising and rewarding persons in the entertainment industry for the contributions they have made in various areas. Collectively these areas contribute to the high quality that is evident in across the industry.
Commenting on the event Mr. Cornwall said, “We will continue to provide a platform for the voices in the music and entertainment industry and many other talents within it, be it against the grain or not and continue to move ahead and achieve via the TTCME Awards. It is here to stay.”
This view was echoed by Dion Heath, General Manager of Acknowledging Caribbean Talent. “The TTCME Awards was a dream and today it became a reality. Now we can shine the light on the talent of Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the wider Caribbean to highlight our uniqueness in this world. Even though we are small, we are mighty. ” said Heath.
Overall the TTCME Awards has been described as “long overdue” and many are eagerly awaiting the TTCME Awards 2018. I fully agree with this and like many others, I am looking forward to 2018. The TTCME Awards continues to generate a quickly increasing number of followers on its social media pages. At present on its Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/TTCMEawards/ there are over 1800 followers.
Those who are eagerly looking forward to TTCME Awards 2018 will be pleased by the views shared by Dennis Tayé Allen, who is the TTCME Social Media Marketing Consultant. According to Allen, “The inaugural TTCME Awards can only be seen as an outstanding success. Yes, of course the process had a fair share of flaws and some of the industry insiders will see the missteps more than the strides and advancement. But that’s how we are as a people. Trinis are very critical—and that’s good, because that’s the standard this show has to meet and exceed. “
He further added, “ACT, the main outfit behind the TTCME Awards, knows and understands that this could easily be a one-pop…we’ve seen that happen. Shows come, shows go but Richard Cornwall has a vision and a team of dedicated, industry-leading professionals onboard. If you look at the lineup of who was involved in this show you will see there are no scrubs on the bench. Everyone is top notch and that’s what’s going to make this build, grow and stay a fixture on the cultural calendar. Red carpet season starts with the TTCME Awards from now on.”
We can agree that there is a lot to look forward to!
On this note I use this opportunity to share a full list of the winners from the voting categories and the names of those receiving achievement awards with you. I am also very happy to share with you the names of those who were recognised for their consistent efforts:
2017 TTCME Awardees
Awardees (Voting Categories)
Gospel Performer of the Year (Praise): Vanessa Briggs
Gospel Performer of the Year (Worship): Vanessa Briggs
Gospel Band of the Year: Pure Worship
Gospel Producer of the Year: Joshua Kelly aka “Kelly On The Beat” & “Kelly Beatz”
Soca Performer of the Year: Aaron Duncan
Soca Producer of the Year: Black Starr Production
Soca Band of the Year: A Team Band
Chutney Soca Performer of the Year: GI
Soca Chutney Band of the Year: BMRZ
Soca Song of the Year: Aaron Duncan (Born Ready)
Soca Chutney Song of the Year: Chana Daye (ClimaxXx & Hitman)
Live Performer of the Year :Michael S’Obrian (Showtime)
MC of the Year: J Angel
DJ of the Year: DJ Darian
Sound System of the Year: XiXgon International
Steelband of the Year: Silver Stars
Tassa Group of the Year: Central Riddim Tassa Drummers
Producer of the Year: Lil Vill
Best Instrumentalist of the Year: Johan Chukaree
Hip-Hop Artiste of the Year: Rael Luvi
Crossover Artiste of the Year : Marq Pierre
Sound Company of the Year: Pro Audio
Lighting & Special Effects Company of the Year: Experience Effects
Mas Band Launch of the Year: Harts
Fete of the Year: Wet & Wild Cooler Fete
Dance Company of the Year: Shiv Shakti Dance Company
Achievement Awardees
Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool: 9 Calypso Monarch titles; over 300 calypsos; over 40 years of experience as a Calypsonian
Amrika Mutroo: 2016 National Calypso Queen; Theatre Arts Teacher; 23 years of involvement in the field of Calypso
Kevin Da Costa: Personal Bodyguard Services
Recognition (for Consistency in their Field)
Events & Infrastructure: Ricky Ragoonanan Group of Companies
Stage Management: Shane Medford
Sound Engineering: Sean Joseph
Events & Décor: Events Land
Largest Sound Company: Rent A Amp
Most Outstanding Transport Company (Carnival on the Road): Junior Sammy (Sammy’s Multilift Services, a division of Junior Sammy Group of Companies)
Product Provider (Carnival Season): Carib Brewery
For more information on the Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean) Music and Entertainment (TTCME) Awards please visit https://www.facebook.com/TTCMEAwards.
To view the TTCME Awards 2017 on YouTube visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fad6BXmbPu4&t=101s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDOZOypAtEQ&t=7964
Celebrating Existence 