Story By: CaribMusicAwards.com
The countdown begins as the Caribbean Music Awards returns for its highly anticipated fourth annual celebration, delivering its most expansive and electrifying edition yet, spotlighting the artists, songs, and cultural innovators shaping the global sound of Caribbean music. Additional details about the event and date will be announced soon.
This year marks a major milestone with over 250 nominees across more than 40 categories, reflecting the rapid global rise, diversity, and creative expansion of Caribbean music. Voting officially opened on June 10, 2026, and will remain open through August 10, 2026, giving fans worldwide an extended opportunity to support their favorite artists, songs, and cultural icons. Voting and full details are available at caribmusicawards.com. Building on its commitment to cultural expansion and genre inclusivity, the Awards introduces a powerful slate of nine new and expanded categories spotlighting Dennery Artist and Song of the Year, Zess Song of the Year, Konpa Song of the Year, Chutney Soca Artist and Song of the Year, Jab Artist and Song of the Year, and French Caribbean Song of the Year. These additions further solidify the Caribbean Music Awards as the most comprehensive platform celebrating the full spectrum of Caribbean sound.
This year’s nominations tell a defining story of a rapidly evolving musical landscape driven by collaboration, genre-fluidity, and global crossover success. Leading the artist field is Lady Lava, who emerges as the most nominated artist with nine nominations, reflecting her rare cross-genre presence across Soca, Zess, Chutney Soca, and performance categories.
Close behind is a tightly packed group of dominant forces shaping the year’s soundscape, with Ayetian, Machel Montano, and V’ghn each securing seven nominations, underscoring their wide-ranging impact across Dancehall, Soca, and collaboration-heavy categories. Shenseea and Skillibeng follow with six nominations each, while Masicka, Popcaan, Valiant, Vybz Kartel, and Yung Bredda each earn five nominations, reinforcing the continued global dominance and cultural influence of Dancehall and Soca’s leading voices.
A strong second tier of consistent contenders also emerges with Full Blown, Jesse Royal, Joé Dwèt Filé, Kes, Lila Iké, Lola Doll, Mical Teja, Mikado, and Voice, each earning four nominations, highlighting the depth and competitive balance across genres including Reggae, Soca, Konpa, Zess, and French Caribbean music. On the song side, “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix” by Moliy, Skillibeng, Shenseea & Silent Addy leads the 2026 field as the most nominated song of the year, earning three nominations across multiple categories, the highest total for any single track. Its cross-category strength highlights its broad cultural reach across Dancehall, collaboration, and visual recognition, cementing it as one of the defining records of the year.
Continue reading “Lady Lava Dominates Nominations, New Categories Revealed & More For @CaribMusicAwards 2026”
