Caribbean Music Awards moves from Brooklyn to Trinidad and Tobago for first time

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Music Awards (CMA) will move to Trinidad and Tobago this September, the first time the ceremony has been held in the Caribbean after three years at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre.

The fourth annual awards will take place on Saturday, September 19, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, as part of the first CMA Elite Weekend Experience from September 18 to 20.

The theme is "Sounds of the Caribbean", honouring the music and traditions that have carried Caribbean sounds around the world.

A weekend of events

The weekend will include a welcome reception, pre-show events, the awards ceremony, an official after-party, a steelpan concert presented by Stars and Steel and other programming highlighting Trinidad and Tobago's cultural influence.

Founded in Brooklyn, the awards have showcased genres including dancehall, reggae, soca, konpa, chutney soca, zess, dennery and gospel. Organisers plan to rotate the event among Caribbean nations in future years to promote the region's cultures, support tourism and strengthen its creative economy.

The hosts

Trinidadian soca star Nailah Blackman and comedian Majah Hype will host. It is Majah Hype's fourth consecutive year in the role.

"To see it expand from Brooklyn's Kings Theatre to Trinidad and Tobago is something special," he said.

Blackman said she had experienced the awards "as a fan, as a performer, as a nominee, and as a winner". "To do it in Trinidad, surrounded by our people and our culture, makes this moment even more meaningful," she said.

Growing reach

Since launching in 2023, the CMA has become one of the leading platforms recognising Caribbean musical achievement. Last year's ceremony made its debut on BET.

This year's awards feature more than 250 nominees across more than 40 categories, and organisers expect it to be the biggest edition yet.