From Bob Marley, Rihanna to Usain Bolt it’s long been obvious that the Caribbean has a lot more to offer the world than just the most stunning beaches. In an effort to bring to light some of the unearthed talent, this year the Bahamas held host to the first annual Music, Modelling, Talent Showcase (MMTS). Bringing together some of the most talented models, singers and actors the islands have to offer with scouts from around the world, MMTS took great strides in ushering delegates onto the path to making their dreams a reality.
When Grazia Daily was offered the opportunity to fly to the Bahamas to sit on the panel and bear witness to the unprecedented event, anything other than a ‘Yes of course!’ would have been an insane response. After all, even the Prime Minister of the Bahamas attended, taking to the stage during the opening ceremony to praise the organiser Pia Glover-Rolle and talk about the importance of cultural endeavours in all aspects of a countries development, from economy to perception and beyond. We round up some of the highlights from the trip below…
The Talent
There was an abundance of talent on display during the four-day showcase. With categories including Singer/Songwriter, Producer, Commercial Modelling and Editorial Modelling among others, it felt very much like sitting in on Caribbean’s Got Talent (were there such a thing). Following a series of eliminations, the audience – ourselves included – surprisingly quickly came to select our favourites. Among them, an eight year boy who positively floored the audience with his confidence and swag, despite being one of the youngest delegates. Olivia, an Angel Haze reminiscent rapper whose vulnerability and edge were truly impressive and Judah The Lion, whose reggae-tinged beats and hearty, melodic voice easily brought the audience to their feet. The modelling categories were slightly less abundant, but there were again clear favourites, delegates shaking with nerves but giving their all in front of an audience which included scouts from NEXT Canada, Elite Models Miami and producers the likes of nine time Grammy Award winner Brian Michael-Cox.
The Beaches
We can confirm: it’s true what they say about the Caribbean; they truly have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We managed to squeeze some well-deserved (if we do say so ourselves!) tanning time in between our duties at MMTS, even sneaking off for a boat ride and a snorkle in the stunning Caribbean waters. From the white sand to the sky-blue sea stretching endlessly in front of you, it was truly some of the most magnificent views we’ve ever been privvy to. So beautiful, in fact, that the daily tropical rainstorms which thundered down (and managed to even catch us mid-snorkle) didn’t hinder the fun in the slightest.
The Food
Try as we might it seems we can’t ever go anywhere without going on and on about the food. Caribbean food has long been having a moment, and if you’ve ever been to Notting Hill Carnival or snacked on a fried plantain or two, you may have some semblance of the kind of taste fusions to expect. On one of our free moments we made the journey to the famous Fish Fry district, where we happened upon the Twin Brothers restaurant for a meal of a lifetime (partly due to the fact that the sheer amount we ate could well have lasted us a lifetime.) Washing down deep-fried lobster (yes, really! We’re salivating just thinking about it), plantain, rice and peas and the rest with an abundance of dangerously strong Bahamamama’s, we laughed along with the locals (always a good sign to end up where the locals are!) before having to be positively rolled back to the hotel. Only to go back and do it all again the next day.
The Junkanoo
On our last evening in the Bahamas, the MMTS organisers arranged a private viewing of a rehearsal of The Junkanoo. Similar, again, to the Notting Hill Carnival (sorry, but it’s the closest we can get all the way on this side of the Atlantic!), The Junkanoo is a supremely impressive street parade with music, dance and costumes that takes place in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day. Jaws dropped to the floor and camera phones at the ready, MMTS invitees and delegates combined to watch some of the most impressive beats created in their rawest form. Using everything from goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and horns, a hundred or so individuals from varying ages (the youngest couldn’t have been more than eight!) united in cacophony of gloriously orchestrated noise.