The following is a press release from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority:
Saint Lucia’s cultural landscape has reached a major milestone as Dennery Segment is, for the first time, officially recognised by the Caribbean Music Awards (CMA), marking a significant step in elevating the island’s indigenous sound globally.
Emerging from the community of Dennery in the early 2010s, the genre blends Soca, Kuduro inspired rhythms, and chant driven Creole expressions. What began as grassroots experimentation quickly became the defining sound of Saint Lucia’s carnival culture and has since grown into a cultural export with increasing international reach.
The genre recently gained significant international attention during the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival when R&B icon Monica incorporated Dennery Segment into her performance, accompanied by captivating choreography that energized the crowd and took the audience by storm.
As part of the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards (CMA) voting phase, two new categories have been introduced, both recognising outstanding talent within the Dennery, Zess and Jab music genres. Among the nominees in the Dennery Segment category are Saint Lucian artists Blackboy, Deejay ASAP, Dezral, Jardel, Mighty, Nerdy and Umpa, whose contributions continue to drive the genre’s growth and popularity across the region and internationally.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Heritage, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, welcomed the announcement; “This notable recognition is a proud moment for Saint Lucia. It reflects the richness of our cultural identity and the global potential of our homegrown talent. As a government, we remain committed to advancing our creative industries, and we are actively engaging our artists to further develop the genre in a way that ensures its sustainability, including greater focus on lyrical content and international standards to elevate our culture on the world stage.”
The public is also encouraged to vote for the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, nominated in the
Music Festival of the Year category.
The public is invited to participate in the voting process and support the artists and cultural movements shaping the Caribbean’s creative landscape ahead of the culmination of voting on August 10, 2026.