Caribbean Music Awards 2026: Winners, Performances and Biggest Moments
By Dante Jackson, Entertainment Editor
The Caribbean Music Awards did more than change venues in 2026. It changed its center of gravity.
After three editions in Brooklyn, the fourth annual ceremony arrived at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on September 19. It was the first time the awards were staged in the Caribbean—a relocation that carried greater meaning than any trophy presented that evening. For one night, the region was not being celebrated from abroad. It was hosting, defining and honoring itself at home.
The ceremony anchored a three-day program that included networking events, a red-carpet experience, after-parties and a Stars & Steel Pan concert. Soca star Nailah Blackman and comedian Majah Hype hosted the main event, bringing two distinctly Caribbean personalities to a production designed to reach audiences far beyond Port of Spain.
Lady Lava Wins Big at Home
Lady Lava entered the ceremony as its most-nominated artist and left as one of its biggest winners. The Trinidadian artist collected three awards, including Female Soca Artist of the Year and Zess Artist of the Year.
Her victories reflected the growing visibility of zess, a Trinidad-born sound shaped by dancehall, soca and street culture. Recognition on the Caribbean Music Awards stage placed the movement—and one of its leading female voices—before a wider regional and international audience.
Kes secured Male Soca Artist of the Year, adding another major honor to a career that has helped extend soca’s reach beyond Carnival. Receiving the award in Port of Spain gave the moment added significance for the Trinidadian singer and his home audience.
Shenseea Collects Three Awards
Shenseea reinforced her position among the Caribbean’s most internationally visible performers with three victories: Best Female Caribbean Artist, Best Female Dancehall Artist and Best Female Caribbean Performer.
The awards recognized both her dancehall foundation and her continued expansion into the wider international music market. While Shenseea has experimented with pop, hip-hop and other global sounds, her Caribbean identity remains central to her appeal.
Her presence also extended to one of the night’s most notable award-winning recordings.
Moliy Makes Caribbean Music Awards History
Ghanaian singer Moliy won Dancehall Song of the Year for “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix,” featuring Shenseea, Skillibeng and Silent Addy. The victory reportedly made Moliy the first Ghanaian artist to win a Caribbean Music Award.
The win was significant beyond the popularity of the record. “Shake It to the Max” became a global hit by connecting African and Caribbean artists through dancehall, Afrobeats and electronic production. Its success demonstrated how closely the two regions’ contemporary music industries are now moving.
Moliy received three nominations connected to the remix: Dancehall Song of the Year, Dancehall Collaboration of the Year and Dancehall Video of the Year.
Several winners represented genres that rarely receive the same international attention as reggae, dancehall and mainstream soca.
Grenadian artist V’ghn won Jab Artist of the Year and shared Song of the Year—Jab honors with Terra D Governor for “Jab Decisions.” Klassik Frescobar received Song of the Year—Dennery for “Dansa,” while Dominica’s Ridge was named Bouyon Artist of the Year.
Freetown Collective won Caribbean Fusion Artiste, recognizing the Trinidadian group’s ability to combine multiple regional influences with contemporary storytelling and performance.
These categories helped present a more complete portrait of Caribbean music. Bouyon, jab, Dennery segment, kompa, calypso and zess are not secondary versions of better-known Caribbean genres. Each carries its own history, community and creative identity.
Ayetian Named Best New Artist
Jamaican dancehall performer Ayetian won Best New Artist after entering the ceremony with seven nominations. His victory capped a rapid rise for an artist increasingly positioned as one of the leading voices in dancehall’s emerging generation.
Ayetian was also among the Jamaican artists who traveled to Trinidad and Tobago for the ceremony, making his first Caribbean Music Award a particularly visible career milestone.
Spice and Gyptian received the female and male Caribbean songwriting awards, respectively. Vanessa Bling was named Best Female Caribbean Recording Vocalist, while Popcaan earned Best Male Caribbean Recording Vocalist.
Separating songwriting and vocal performance from general artist categories allowed the ceremony to recognize the craft behind the records—not only the popularity of the performers associated with them.
Performances Bring Multiple Generations Together
The ceremony featured performances from artists including 450, Jah Mason, V’ghn, Lil Kerry, Muddy, Mela Caribe and Christo.
The lineup combined recognizable names with developing performers, providing newer talent with access to a regional stage. V’ghn’s appearance was especially timely following his victories in the jab categories, while 450 represented the current generation of Jamaican dancehall.
Blackman and Majah Hype guided the ceremony with an energetic hosting partnership that blended music, comedy and Caribbean personality. Blackman later celebrated the opportunity on social media, describing the occasion enthusiastically and congratulating the night’s winners.
Caribbean Icons Receive Special Honors
The Caribbean Music Awards also used its stage to recognize artists whose careers helped establish the foundations upon which newer performers now stand.
Calypso Rose received the Elite Calypso Honor, celebrating a career that broke gender barriers and carried calypso to audiences around the world. Haitian singer Alan Cavé received the Elite Konpa Honor for his contribution to one of Haiti’s most influential musical traditions.
Jamaican dancehall pioneer Patra was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Honor. During the 1990s, Patra helped take dancehall into the international mainstream while expanding the possibilities for women within the genre.
Shyne received the Global Ambassador Honor, recognizing a public journey connecting Caribbean identity, hip-hop, leadership and international advocacy.
Caribbean Fashion Takes Over the Red Carpet
The celebration began before the ceremony as attendees arrived in designs that blended Caribbean cultural references with formal glamour.
Regional designers received considerable visibility, with guests wearing vibrant colors, sculpted silhouettes and Carnival-influenced details. The red carpet became an extension of the show’s wider purpose: presenting Caribbean creativity across music, fashion and visual culture.
Public social-media posts largely reflected excitement and pride in the event. Artists, hosts and attendees shared red-carpet footage, backstage moments and reactions to the awards. Independent reviews assessing the show’s production and pacing remained limited immediately following the ceremony, with the early online conversation centered primarily on celebration.
Major 2026 Caribbean Music Awards Winners
Male Soca Artist of the Year: Kes
Female Soca Artist of the Year: Lady Lava
Zess Artist of the Year: Lady Lava
Best Female Caribbean Artist: Shenseea
Best Female Dancehall Artist: Shenseea
Best Female Caribbean Performer: Shenseea
Dancehall Song of the Year: “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix” — Moliy featuring Shenseea, Skillibeng and Silent Addy
Best New Artist: Ayetian
Jab Artist of the Year: V’ghn
Song of the Year—Jab: “Jab Decisions” — V’ghn and Terra D Governor
Caribbean Fusion Artiste: Freetown Collective
Song of the Year—Dennery: “Dansa” — Klassik Frescobar
Bouyon Artist of the Year: Ridge
Best Female Caribbean Songwriter: Spice
Best Male Caribbean Songwriter: Gyptian
Best Female Caribbean Recording Vocalist: Vanessa Bling
Best Male Caribbean Recording Vocalist: Popcaan
Special Honors
Global Ambassador Honor: Shyne
Elite Calypso Honor: Calypso Rose
Elite Konpa Honor: Alan Cavé
Lifetime Achievement Honor: Patra
A Bigger Stage for Caribbean Music
The Caribbean has spent decades exporting music while many of its artists have depended on institutions in North America and Europe for recognition. An awards platform staged within the Caribbean creates an opportunity to build something different: an institution that understands the distinctions among the region’s genres, respects their histories and recognizes success before it requires validation elsewhere.The ceremony’s biggest achievement was not a single performance or acceptance speech. It was the range of Caribbean music represented on one stage.
Mainstream stars such as Shenseea, Kes and Popcaan were celebrated alongside artists representing jab, bouyon, Dennery segment and zess. Pioneers including Calypso Rose, Alan Cavé and Patra were honored beside performers shaping the region’s next chapter.
The 2026 Caribbean Music Awards offered winners their moment, but it also presented a broader argument: Caribbean music is not one sound, one island or one generation. Its strength lies in the full range of cultures, rhythms and artists that continue to move the region—and increasingly the world.
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