The best female reggae singers have shaped one of the most globally beloved music genres for more than six decades, from the rocksteady clubs of Kingston in the 1960s to Grammy stages in the 21st century.
When the conversation turns to the best female dancehall artists in history, a handful of names have consistently shaped the genre’s trajectory, from the sound-system dances of Kingston in the early 1980s through to the global streaming era of the 2020s.
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Sept. 9, 2026: Four Caribbean music icons will receive special honors at the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards, set for Sept. 19, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Trinidad and Tobago.
Legendary calypsonian Calypso Rose, Jamaican dancehall star Patra, Belizean recording artist and former government official Shyne, and Haitian-American singer-songwriter Alan Cavé will be recognized for their contributions to Caribbean music and culture.
Calypso Rose will receive the Elite Calypso Honor, celebrating a career spanning more than six decades. The Tobago-born trailblazer made history as the first woman to win Trinidad and Tobago’s Road March title and later gained international acclaim with her platinum-selling album Far From Home.
Patra will receive the Lifetime Achievement Honor for her influence on dancehall, reggae and global Black music. Born in Westmoreland, Jamaica, she rose to international fame in the 1990s and became one of dancehall’s most recognizable female stars.
Her 1993 debut album, Queen of the Pack, became the first album by a Jamaican female artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart and was later certified Gold in the United States. The project included her signature hit “Worker Man,” while other popular songs included “Romantic Call,” “Scent of Attraction,” “Black Cinderella” and her remake of Grace Jones’ “Pull Up to the Bumper.”
Shyne will receive the Global Ambassador Honor in recognition of his evolution from internationally known recording artist to cultural advocate, humanitarian, and public servant. His 2000 self-titled debut album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5 and earned Gold certification. He later moved into public service in Belize and has also served as the country’s Music and Goodwill Ambassador.
Alan Cavé will receive the Elite Konpa Honor for his influence on Haitian music and the global konpa movement. Known as the “King of Kompa Love,” Cavé has spent more than three decades shaping the genre through his songwriting, distinctive vocals, and work with the group Zin and as a solo artist.
The awards ceremony will serve as the centerpiece of the Caribbean Music Awards Elite Weekend Experience, a three-day celebration running Sept. 18-20 across Trinidad and Tobago. The weekend will include a welcome reception, industry events, cultural activations, fan experiences, the awards ceremony, an official after-party, and a special steelpan celebration featuring Stars and Steel.
This year’s theme, “Sounds of the Caribbean,” highlights artists whose work has helped expand the global reach of Caribbean music. The 2026 ceremony also marks a milestone for the Caribbean Music Awards. After three years in Brooklyn, New York, the awards will make their international debut in Trinidad and Tobago.
The best dancehall riddims are not merely backing tracks. They are the architectural blueprints of an entire musical culture, shared canvases on which generations of deejays and singers have competed, collaborated, and created some of the most enduring recordings in popular music history.
News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Sept. 8, 2026: More than three weeks after international bids were sought to salvage the sunken Guyana MV Barima, there is still no public update on when, or whether, the ferry will be raised, even as the vessel’s captain and two crew members were ordered to remain jailed on murder charges tied to the disaster Monday.
Vessel Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson were further remanded to prison yesterday, Sept. 7th, after state prosecutors confirmed full disclosure of evidence had been handed to the defense, according to Kaieteur News. The men appeared virtually before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Charity Magistrate’s Court, which granted the defense until September 14th to review the evidence, with formal committal proceedings now scheduled to begin November 16th.
The three are jointly charged with 72 counts of murder in connection with the July 18 sinking that killed at least 72 people, with more than 30 others still missing and presumed dead. Price and Granderson are represented by attorney Dexter Smartt, alongside a legal team that includes Dexter Todd. Attorney Everton Lammy-Singh represents Roberts.
The ferry capsized the night of July 18th en route to Port Kaituma, Region One from Georgetown, killing 73 people, including children. Seventy-six people survived. At least 30 people remain unaccounted for at sea, their bodies never recovered, with the sunken vessel itself still resting on the ocean floor with no comments from the Guyana People’s Progressive Party/Civic government on when the vessel could be raised or who the winning bidder is.
Price, Roberts and Granderson, all employees of Guyana’s Transport and Harbours Department, have now spent over 7 weeks in custody while the wreck that could hold answers, and the remains of missing passengers, remains unraised. Price broke down in tears during an earlier court appearance, alleging the government-assigned vessel was unseaworthy. “I ain’t deserve this, father God… I ain’t deserve this,” he told reporters, claiming the ferry lacked a functional anchor, radar, search and rescue transponders, and an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon, and that its inflatable life rafts had been expired since 2022.
Defense lawyers, legal commentators, and the political opposition have criticized the decision to file murder charges before the search for the missing has concluded and before the international Commission of Inquiry has begun its work. Police have maintained the charges followed legal advice from Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack, who has said her recommendation was based on the evidence presented, relevant principles of law, and case law authorities drawn from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the European Court of Human Rights, along with public policy considerations.
Government authorities have continued to deny claims that the ferry was overloaded, even as survivors and grieving relatives maintain otherwise. Price has said a maritime inspection failed to write off the vessel despite its condition.
A Commission of Inquiry, established on July 30, 2026, with a five-member international commission and chaired by Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, issued a public call for evidence this month as the team began preparatory work and invited public submissions regarding the July 18, 2026, maritime disaster.
NewsAmericasNow will continue following the MV Barima case and any developments on the vessel’s salvage.