PERFORMER BIOS & PICS
Barbados
ELAN TROTMAN
Saxophonist Elan Trotman, has quickly become one of jazz’s most thrilling and emotive performers as he continues to stand out and push boundaries as a composer, performer, teacher and recording artist. Trotman’s playing, though inspired by Grover Washington, Jr., Kirk Whalum and Najee, displays his own fresh ideas and distinctive tone. So much so that the New England Urban Music Awards, and The Barbados Music Awards both named him Jazz Artist of The Year on multiple occasions.
Trotman is also the Executive Producer and host of the Barbados Jazz Excursion, a jazz and golf weekend getaway which brings over 300 music lovers to the island every Columbus Day Weekend. Past performers include Jeff Lorber, Javier Colon, Gerald Veasley, Brian Simpson, Althea Rene, Marcus Anderson, Peter White and Jeffrey Osborne. Elan is also the founder of the Never Lose Your Drive Foundation – a Non-Profit which directly funds the Headstart Music Program. Headstart Music provides FREE weekly instrument instruction to students ages 7-11 on saxophone, trumpet, flute, clarinet and percussion. In 2016, over $6,000.00 was raised at the Jazz Excursion Weekend and Golf Tournament. All proceeds go towards tutor salaries, instrument maintenance and supplies for the program.
Born and raised in Barbados, the native island of pop star Rihanna, and educated at the world-renowned Berklee College Of Music in Boston,Trotman approaches jazz in his own way. Blending Caribbean rhythms from his roots with skillful horn textures, his playing is full of surprises.
Trotman has recorded and performed with a number of world-class musicians, including Michael McDonald, Roberta Flack, Jonathan Butler, Keiko Matsui, Johnny Gill, Jeffrey Osborne, Sheila E, Marcus Miller, Will Downing, Earl Klugh, Jeff Lorber, Peter White, Peabo Bryson, Brian Simpson and many others. A huge sports fan, Trotman has performed the National Anthem on numerous occasions for such teams as the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers. As an avid sports fan, Elan has provided entertainment for numerous celebrities including The Bronson Arroyo Band, Cold Pizza on ESPN with Woody Page, Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Golf Classic, Chris Tucker Charity Golf Tournament, Ray Allen Golf Tournament, Hot Stove Cool Music with Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein.
As a recording artist Elan has topped the Billboard Radio Charts over 10 times. As a solo artist charting songs include “Heaven In Your Eyes” feat. Brian Simpson, “Tradewinds” feat Peter White, “Master Blaster”, “As” feat. Lin Rountree, “Thoughts of Sumer” feat. Will Downing, and “Smooth N Saxy”. Collaborations that have topped the charts include “Magic Men” (Marion Meadows), “Groove Me” (Greg Manning), “Just What You Need” (Brian Simpson), “Smooth (Cal Harris) and “Ride Along” (Julian Vaughn).
Guyana
OMAJJE
Ominelle ‘Omajje’ Joseph is a Guyanese jazz/reggae singer/song writer. She was born on the May 16, 1982 in the mining town of Linden located 65 miles up the Demerara River in Guyana, South America.
As a child, she attended the Christian Brethren Church where she participated in the arts (poem recitals, acoustics and drama). Her mother soon discovered her natural talent and passion for singing and created a choir in the church to channel and nurture her daughter’s gift. Omajje became the lead singer.
Omajje's melodious vocals quickly made her the church favourite, and she was often asked to sing solo. She was soon performing at church concerts and conventions. It was at one of these events that songwriter Michael James spotted her. The duo collaborated and Omajje released her first album “You brought me through”. The album was moderately successful.
At the age of sixteen Omajje' migrated to the capital city, Georgetown, to complete her schooling. The move facilitated her introduction to the genre of reggae. While resident in Georgetown, Omajje met and worked with several producers including Cody from Ruff Cut Studio, Ken ‘the Beatmaker’ of Brutal Tracks and Vijay’s studio. These connections provided opportunities for her to share the stage with renowned artists such as Chronixx, Denise Belfon, Natural Black, First Born, and many others.
Omajje’s career has continued to advance and she has performed in the USA on the Caribbean Power Jam Guyana Day Concert at Coney Island, The Aubreyman Concert at Tropical Paradise and several other events.
Omajje endeavours to produce music that connects to global audiences.
Jamaica
GENAROOTS BAND
Genaroots Band was established in 2017 which consists of 5 talented musicians. Known for its Reggae Urban Contemporary style, their eclecticism entwined has created a sensational vibe that is felt during performances. Genaroots versatility allows them to fuse various musical genres harnessing a sound of their own.
This unique group has been making waves across the Tri-state, the Mid West, The West Coast, etc. Genaroots is currently working on their debut EP entitled ‘Curfew’, a compilation of 5 refreshing tracks.
Genaroots Band social media handles are as follows:
FB: GenarootsBand
IG: @GenarootsBand / GenarootsMusic
Trinidad
FREETOWN COLLECTIVE
Undergirded by a philosophy and belief that all persons are worthy of love and dignity, our music often seeks to explore themes related to what it means to be human. The music of Freetown Collective is not only profound and meaningful; but catchy, energizing and deeply satisfying. Within the last few years, the band has steadily been growing its global appeal and reach. After a brief international tour in 2015 that saw them grace stages in Rotterdam, Edinburgh, London and Toronto, in 2016 one of the Band’s more famous compositions entitled “Believer” (formerly known as Good Swimma) was released globally and remixed by Major Lazer and Showtek, (https://goo.gl/P2UexK). In 2017, “Believer” received Gold Certification in France and exceeded 20 million views on YouTube. Moreover, after years of hard work and preparation, in 2018 Freetown Collective released its Debut Album entitled “Born in Darkness” amidst overwhelmingly positive and critical acclaim. The band’s latest single with renowned DJ Private Ryan entitled “Feel The Love” occupied the #2 spot on Apple Music’s Top 100 songs (in Trinidad and Tobago) list for 4 weeks in February and March 2020.
IG: @wearefreetown
Grenada
MR. KILLA
Hollice Mapp, better known as Mr Killa is a versatile soca artist and an exceptional entertainer. His unique sound incorporates elements of EDM, dancehall and other genres while remaining authentically soca. His electrifying stage presence defies explanation; it must be experienced to be truly understood.
A favorite in his native Grenada for many years, Mr Killa won his country's first ever National Teen Talent Search Competition at the age of 15 performing original dancehall compositions. He would explore soca 2 years later eventually winning his first National Soca Monarch title in 2004 with "Thunder Rags." This earned him a place in Trinidad and Tobago's International Soca Monarch competition in 2005 where he finished in the top 5. In 2006 Killa won Grenada's Groovy and Soca Monarch titles. He pulled another double-win three years later by winning the Soca Monarch and Road March titles in 2009.
While other regional hits and titles followed "Rolly Polly," Mr Killa's tribute to plus-plus-sized women went viral in 2014 making him a household name throughout the Caribbean. The popularity of the song and its accompanying music video led to performances throughout the diaspora and by the end of the season Mr Killa was widely considered the best stage-performer in the Caribbean.
"Oil It" (2018) and its #oiitupchallenge became a trending phenomenon when dancers and their crews from as far away as Korea, Russia, Chile and Norway posted their choreographed videos online. In 2019 Killa would go viral again with the song "Run Wid It" and it’s corresponding "Pick Up Something...Anything" call to action which had fans picking up anything they could get their hands on including other fans and running with it. Several celebrities and influencers participated including Usain Bolt and Drake who shared the song with his millions of Instagram followers after the Toronto Raptors secured their place in the NBA Finals.
On Friday, March 1st, 2019, Mr Killa would perform “Run Wid It” in position number 6 out of 8 competitors vying to win the International Soca Monarch title, the ultimate prize in soca music. The competition, which takes place in Trinidad annually, had never been won by a foreigner. Killa went in as the clear favorite and while “Run Wid It” was widely recognized as the #1 song of the season, it was his performance that would seal his victory. There was controversy throughout the competition, with Iwer George, the runner-up telling the audience that it would be wrong for a Grenadian to walk away with the prize money, ahead of a Trinidadian. Undeterred by the few naysayers, Killa boldly confronted the controversy during his historic performance by not only calling out Iwer, but beckoning on Grenada’s Prime Minister to “open the port” as he was bringing the title to Grenada. Mr Killa openly shed tears of joy when he was announced as the Soca Monarch.
In 2019, Mapp fulfilled a life-long dream to launch a state-of-the-art recording studio, multimedia facility and a radio station in his hometown of Gouyave. He also launched the Go-Carnival APP, a hub of information and connectivity for Carnivals worldwide. Wanting to give back to the island which nurtured him, Mapp also introduced the MK songwriting competition to provide a platform for Grenadian youths to showcase their musical talent.
In 2020 Mr Killa collaborated with the world renown EDM trio Major Lazer to release the “Soca Storm EP” which featured Killa on two songs including the title track “Soca Storm” and “King of the Party”. The EP was not only Major Lazer’s first release of the year but their first exclusively soca EP or album. “It’s a big deal, soca is poised to be a broader bigger thing and we are working hard to push the culture forward,” explained Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire. “Mr Killa is just one of those incredible artists bringing new sounds and new energy to the forefront and he’s and important part of what we’re doing.”
In addition to being one of the most in-demand performers in the Caribbean and its diaspora, Mr Killa has also performed in China, Europe, Central America and other regions you would not expect to hear soca. He is widely considered as the King of Jab-Jab music, a sub-genre of soca native to Grenada. Not only is he widely considered as the #1 performer in the Caribbean, fans throughout the region anticipate that Mr Killa will be the artist most likely to become the first global soca superstar. Mr Killa, is an exceptional entertainer with a penchant for creating unforgettable songs and mesmerizing performances, he is steadfastly focused on his purpose to serve as Grenada and the Caribbean's musical and cultural ambassador.
IG: @mrkilla1