Two Minute Read

Saint Lucians are rightly excited by the return after three years of its annual Jazz and Arts Festival. In previous years many global music icons have graced the Pigeon Island stage.

Performers have included George Benson, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, Ciara, En Vogue, Herbie Hancock, and Lauryn Hill, India. Arie, The Isley Brothers, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, John Legend, Mario, Branford Marsalis, Ne-Yo, Ocacia, Courtney Pine, Rihanna, Smokey Robinson, Santana, Trey Songz, Angie Stone, UB40, Luther Vandross, Amy Winehouse, American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The event is ranked second in the Caribbean after the Trinidad Carnival.

For 2023, the lineup will be headed by global star "Sting," performing with Jamaican reggae and rap sensation Shaggy.

Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival 2023

Renowned as the biggest and best music event in the Caribbean for three decades, the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival returns from May 5-14, 2023, after a three-year hiatus. The 2023 Festival will include headline performances from Sting featuring Shaggy and many globally-recognized performers.

Tickets go on sale February 15, 2023, at www.stlucia.org/jazz. 

Spanning classic jazz to world beats, the 2023 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will again attract visitors worldwide as the lineup includes international, local, and Caribbean music. Genres include Afro beats, jazz, Gospel, Soca, reggae, Zouk, pop, and an array of cultural beats and exciting rhythms. The iconic and historic Pigeon Island National Park is the waterside backdrop for open-air performances. 

St Lucia Jazz - The Line Up

As of January 25, 2023, the musical lineup is as follows,

with more details to come: 



● Friday, May 5 - Kick-Off: Caribbean genres with some of the biggest names from the region headlined by reggae superstar Shenseea and Kes the Band. 

● May 6-9 - Entertainment & Community Jazz: Explore authentic Saint Lucian culture and people through an eclectic mix of local events.

● Wednesday, May 10 - Kingdom Gospel Night: A riveting, inspiring showcase of praise and worship with some of the best names in Gospel Music, to be announced later. 

● Thursday, May 11 - Pure Jazz: Grammy winner, pianist, and composer Gustavo Casenave and a special tribute to Saint Lucia's Luther François, the godfather of Saint Lucia jazz. 

● Friday, May 12 - Caribbean Fusion: Featuring Buju Banton, Bunji Garlin, and Fay Ann Lyons. 

● Saturday, May 13 - World Beats: Journey the globe with the best Afro beats with Rema, Ayra Starr, CKay, and Kizz Daniel. 

● Sunday, May 14 - The Ultimate Celebration and Culmination on Mother's Day: The most distinctive and influential musician of the century, 17-time Grammy Award winner Sting, will headline the evening with Shaggy. 

Sting & Shaggy-A collaboration

Some may think the musical collaboration between Sting and Shaggy is a bit random, but the way the musicians came to work with one another is straight-up bonkers.

Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon asked the artists how they met. Shaggy began to tell Fallon that, a few years ago, they performed live onstage together, but Sting cut him off to relay the real truth — Shaggy apparently crashed one of his performances.

“He just walked onstage,” Sting told Fallon. “During ‘Roxanne.’”

“What?!” Fallon screamed.

“I thought it was Sean Paul,” Sting joked.

Shaggy went on to explain that despite the abrupt way the two met, they ended up having a good rapport with one another. Shaggy eventually asked Sting to offer his vocals to a track he was working on. In the studio, the duo realized that their voices blended really well together and the rest was history.

Although the two seem like a strange pairing, they actually share a lot in common musically. Sting has stated in the past that the Police were inspired by reggae music, which derives from Jamaica, where the “It Wasn’t Me” and “Boombastic” musician is from.

Sting says that thanks to their similar tastes in music, he and Shaggy had great artistic chemistry.

“People are surprised but when they hear the record, they’ll be even more surprised because it actually works,” he said.

Check out their album "44/876"

Above content from "Huff Post"



Sting

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE (born October 2, 1951), known as Sting, is an English musician and actor. He was the frontman, songwriter, and bassist for the new wave rock band "The Police" from 1977 until their breakup in 1986. He launched a solo career in 1985 and has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age, and worldbeat in his music.

As a solo musician and a member of The Police, Sting has received 17 Grammy Awards: he won Song of the Year for "Every Breath You Take," three Brit Awards, including Best British Male Artist in 1994 and Outstanding Contribution in 2002, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2019, he received a BMI Award for "Every Breath You Take," becoming the most-played song in radio history. 

In 2002, Sting received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police in 2003. In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording. 

In 2003, Sting received a CBE from Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to music. 

He was made a Kennedy Center Honoree at the White House in 2014 and was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2017.

With The Police, Sting became one of the world's best-selling music artists. Solo and with the Police combined, he has sold over 100 million records. 

He introduced the North African music genre raï to Western audiences through the hit song "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami. In 2018, he released the album 44/876, a collaboration with Jamaican musician Shaggy, which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2019.

Saint Lucia Art

Saint Lucia celebrates its arts scene at the Festival. Beginning May 5, community-based events will be across the island, emphasizing the jazz and arts scenes throughout key communities.

The Arts component of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will be held under the theme "Art and the City" from May 7-11. The Arts will include visual art, literary art, theatre, fashion, an Icon Series, craft and souvenir markets, and various events at Derek Walcott Square, William Peter Boulevard, Constitution Park, Pointe Seraphine, and Serenity Park. 

From music and the visual arts to the theater,

 the creativity and vibrancy of Saint Lucia will delight visitors.