March, 25, 2013, Fort Lauderdale – Veteran reggae superstar Freddie McGregor, and reggae princess Etana will host the 32nd staging of Reggae’s biggest night! The International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), making its fifth return to South Florida since 1993. The star-studded event is scheduled for Saturday, May 4th, at the prestigious Coral Springs Center for the Arts, in Coral Springs, Florida.
The celebrity red carpet arrival and receptions begins at 6:00 pm and the Awards showcase at 8:00 pm. This year’s top nominee, Mr. Vegas and more than fifteen other leading reggae and world music entertainers will perform live on the Awards showcase. The musical director for IRAWMA is Saxophonist Dean Fraser, who will lead the The Dean Fraser All Star Band in providing musical backing for performers.
Top nominees for this 32nd IRAWMA are Mr. Vegas with six, Damian Marley five, Sean Paul, Konshens, Romain Virgo and Third World with four. Jimmy Cliff, Marcia Griffiths, Tarrus Riley and Busy Signal all share three nominations. The complete list of nominees is listed on www.irawma.com, where the public can vote to decide the winners.
As host, Freddie McGregor will show a different side of his talents. Having captured more than 20 IRAWMA trophies since 1984 in various categories. McGregor has been busy promoting his recent album, “The Captain”, which has been receiving positive reviews in Jamaica and overseas.
Etana, who is rapidly building a strong fan base with her rootsy and realistic recordings will co-host the awards ceremonies and will bring her humorous and lighter personality to the fore. Nominated for Best Female Vocalist in this year’s crop, Etana also has a few IRAWMA golden trophies on her showcase. She too has been busy promoting her latest album for VP Records entitled “Better Tomorrow.
Early-bird tickets are available for a limited time at www.irawma.com, from the Coral Springs Center for the Arts website at www.coralspringscenterforthearts.com or by telephone at 954-344-5990 or 877-9-REGGAE. For more information call 877-973-4423 or 954-251-1643
Sponsors for this year’s Awards include: VP Records, Golden Krust, Riddims Marketing Inc, National Weekly,JAMRUSS Productions, NMC- Blossom Levy, JAMUSA, Hi Class Production, Love Doc, Duke of Earle, Reggae and Things, Insurance Brokers Inc, Dancerz BLVD, One Stop Studio and Wiz Productions, among others.
