Kimiela “Candy” Isaacs is the first visually impaired winner of the Jamaica Festival Song Competition

Kimiela “Candy” Isaacs made history over the weekend when her song #OneJamaica took first place in the Jamaica Festival Song Competition.

The announcement was made on Saturday at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium at Jamaica College in Kingston.

Isaacs was selected by a combination of jury votes and a public vote.

Of the 10 finalists, Isaacs, who is visually impaired, was one of six women to reach the final round of this year’s competition, the most in the competition’s nearly 60-year history. She is the first visually impaired artist to win the competition.

Blind since birth, Isaacs has not failed to make history. In 2012, she became the first visually impaired student in Jamaica to receive a music degree – a Bachelor of Jazz and Popular Music Studies from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

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The teacher and entertainer has a distinguished history in Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) competitions, placing second in the 2009 Jamaica Gospel Song Competition and being a finalist in the 2021 Jamaica Festival Song Competition.

Other notable finalists in this year’s competition included Miss Hanover Festival Queen 2023 Tricia “Trisstar” Cunningham with Jamaica Jamaica and media personality Pepita Little with We Are Jamaicans.

Isaacs will take home a portion of the $3 million prize money, which will be split among the winner’s performer, songwriter and producer.

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Other finalists in this year’s competition included Auraiya Hope with “Proud Jamaican”, Sister Novelette with “Fi Mi Island Home”, TrishMaq with “Jamaica is a Big Brand”, Lex MD with “Jah Love This Land”, Renzzah with “Waa Back Jamaica”, Reggae Maxx with “Better Jamaica” and Casey Donaldson with “Sweet Jamaica”.

Read: Record number of female finalists at the Jamaica 2024 Festival Song Competition