SACAJ is 2022 Festival Song Competition Winner

July 30, 2022

Sometimes being the lone female in a major music competition can be a blessing. This is proven truth as Danece Alia Jácas (Sacaj), was crowned winner of the 2022 Festival Song Competition to make it back to back win for a female. With her original entry “Nuh Wey Nice Like Yard”, the St. Mary native was elated to walk away with the first place trophy and $3 million in prize money. The finals of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) music competition was held on July 28 at the National Indoor Sports Center in Kingston. The industry was left wondering a few months prior since the festive event was almost cancelled due to lack of quality representation.

Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, regrouped with staff and other industry experts to save the day. An announcement was made assuring everyone that the festival component will be a part of our 60^th independence. Sacaj was chosen to be a top 10 finalist in the contest held as part of Jamaica 60th celebrations under the theme “Reigniting A Nation for Greatness”.

Magic Flute took the second place prize with “I’m A Proud Jamaican”, while Nitty Kutchie placed third with “Defend Jamaica” and also received the sectional prize for Best Performance.

In addition to their original entries, the 10 finalists entertained the audience with renditions of classics from other festival greats. The event also featured performances by 2021 Jamaica Festival Song winner Stacious and guest artist Richie Stephens. The 2022 winners were selected through a combination of online public votes and professional judges via 50/50 format. Let’s celebrate our winner and prepare for 2023.