Devin lauds plans for St Mary
DEVIN Di Dakta, former Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall winner, is lauding Dr Norman Dunn for his desire to develop a studio and radio station in St Mary to unearth talent in the parish.
“[It’s a] great move. Hopefully, it’s set up where songs recorded will be properly mixed, mastered, and distributed. This way, artistes can be discovered,” said the deejay, who hails from Highgate in the parish.
Dunn, Member of Parliament for St Mary South Eastern, made the announcement during the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives last Wednesday.
“I am happy to report that after receiving a generous donation of musical equipment from the CHASE Fund, through the assistance of the Honourable Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange, we have secured an agreement with HEART/ NSTA to create a programme to train artistic constituents in sound engineering, keyboarding, drumming…,” Dunn said in his presentation.
“This programme will begin very soon. This will complement other programmes such as the setting up of our own radio station, South East FM Radio, and a music studio, which we intend to do in this financial year. This will assist in education as well as to provide the creatives in South East St Mary with an opportunity to develop their talent in broadcasting and music production,” he continued.
In addition to Devin Di Dakta, St Mary is birthplace of other prominent entertainers including Minister Marion Hall, Capleton, Tanya Stephens, Josey Wales, and Ninja Man.
Meanwhile, Devin Di Dakta is encouraging other Members of Parliament to follow in Dunn’s footsteps.
“It’s needed, so I would definitely encourage other politicians to do this. Also, allow other creatives to be apart of it too [like] producers and beat makers,” he said.
Devin Di Dakta, given name Anthony Clarke, came to national prominence as the male winner of the televised talent competition Magnum Kings and Queens of the Dancehall in 2015.
A former student of St Mary High, Devin Di Dakta was featured on Sly and Robbie’s Grammy-nominated set, Sly & Robbie Presents... Reggae For Her – Devin Di Dakta & JL in 2017. Some of his more recent releases include Pretty Pretty, Eye For An Eye and Abort.