Shaggy & Friends - A night for change ... a night for hope ... a concert of a lifetime!

Fidge Fletcher, Contributor

Shaggy and Friends closed the holiday season with a bang. For one night, the lawns of Jamaica House were transformed into a musical paradise that brought out Jamaica's best all in the name of Bustamante Hospital for Children.

With a stellar line up featuring Shaggy, Ne-Yo, Tessanne Chin, Matthew Schuler, Sean Paul, Damian Junior Gong, Tarrus Riley, Carlene Davis, Kes, Konshens, Assassin and Wayne Marshall, just to name a few, the night was filled with a sense of love and passion for the foundation and the journey to keep making a change in the right direction. Shaggy and his team definitely hit another home run with this first-class event that brought patrons from around the world all in support of one cause, one mission.

In the crowd in support of the change was Devon Evan (CEO for North America's Chain of Hope) along with the Chain of Hope Foundation team members Tanny Shirley, Emma Scanlan, Ronald Ferguson and Lucy Ossach.

All the concertgoers looked superchic in some on trend looks like high waisted printed pants, all-white mesh cut-out jumpsuits, black tuxedo suits, leather miniskirts, crop tops, and leather pants.

The concert commenced at 8 p.m. and it was time to head backstage to catch up with some of our favourite artistes that were on the show, to have a quick chat about their style choices for their performances and how their style has evolved over time.

We spotted Ne-Yo in a pair of washed denim jeans, a denim button up left open with a v-neck white shirt and his staple fedora hat which was worn for this performance onstage. He looked so chic yet relaxed and easy, fitting in with the island vibes of the night and yet standing out like the superstar he is.

TESSANNE

A true soul of music and style, Outlook had the honour to chat with Tessanne after her performance. We chatted about her style evolution from days with Malhigh to being one of the biggest voices of our generation and a fashion force to be reckoned with. We all have seen her style evolve from a harder rock edge, to rocker chic, now to glam chic keeping her staple edge, with her ever-chic Mohawk.

She was styled for her performance by Kerry-Ann Clarke using local designers Courtney Washington and Uzuri International. Her earring were also designed by Scotty Jackson which were real leaves dipped in 24-carat gold. She had three wardobe changes for the night. She started off in a stunning ox-blood metallic jumpsuit by Courtney Washington, then changed into a black layered Uzuri gown and finished off the night for her interviews in a soft suede cropped jacket, black jeans, and a studded racer-back top.

The one thing she confessed that above all else, it's all about comfort and wanting pieces that are a bit more tailored with an edge. As much as she loves her dark colours like black, which is her power colour, she confessed that a pop of colour is very necessary, especially fuchsia and red. The one item she can't live without would be a blazer, especially one with a bold shoulder that is flexible enough to move around in.

MATTHEW SCHULER

During our interview, Schuler confessed that he found it to be such an honour to be performing on the same stage with his big sister Tessanne, Sean Paul, Shaggy and international superstar Ne-Yo. Performing on the same stage show with some of his musical inspirations, he tells us it makes him feel that one day he could get there and inspires him to get better and better. One of the collaborations he is hoping to have in the future is with Tessanne.

Matthew is known for his sleek and tailored blazers. According to Matthew, "it feels like it's his second skin" that gets him in the zone. The versatility of a blazer is also something that he loves, stating that he can wear it in a casual setting and also funk it up and wear one for any of his performances or appearances and still feel classy. He loves different styles of jackets and his colour pallete will most times be dark colours. He laughed at the mention of ever wearing a printed or polka dot blazer, but stated that maybe he would "if it's the right fit".

KES (The Island Gentleman)

Known to many as the island gentleman, it was great to see Kes in his staple woven fedora. As we sat down to talk about his style evolution and what inspires his style he expressed something very profound that artistes should "wear their music" and that it is important for any artiste to get to know themselves with their music along with their own style. He also stated that it's important for people to see him and feel a "summer breeze" and that his aesthetic is very relaxed, refined yet bold, with this choice of
his fedoras and custom wooden-piece necklaces.

Running errands or going
to the studio, Kes tells Outlook that he loves a
great boat shoe, a loafer, and his Bermuda shorts. If he is getting
ready for a performance, then his go-to accessory will most likely be a
great fitted blazer that is functional for performances, a light
button-up shirt, preferably linen, and his custom-made necklace beads by
Chuff.

Assassin aka Agent Sasco

He is our
version of dancehall's Clarke Kent/Superman, an artiste that has such a
great balance between his family life and his performance life. He gets
compared to Clarke Kent/Superman because, when attending an event,
Assassin will sometimes be seen in a button-up well-pressed Ralph Lauren
shirt, but during a performance he will transform into a harder edge
with sports/leather jackets paired with a sharp pair of pants and his
shades, keeping true his darker colours. Assassin tells us that his
style has evolved with maturity, transitioning into trends but keeping
it true to his aesthetic, not going as far as a 'Mohawk' and bright
colours but keeping it street as always for his
fans.

WAYNE MARSHALL

Wayne
Marshall's style has evolved throughout his career. We caught up with
him after his epic performance with Assassin and his adorable son
Giomar, who is going to be a music force to be reckoned with coming from
a family of superstars. We've tagged Wayne's new style as raw 'Geek
Chic'. Sporting his now staple black Ray Ban over-size testers; Wayne
balances his new style with an on-trend black and white look.

Pairing a
black skinny leather tie, black skinny jeans, white button-up and a
motorcycle black leather jacket, he looked quite superb. A fashion icon
on the rise, Wayne told Outlook that he loves to keep
up with the latest fashion trends while also keeping true to himself
and his fans.

Photos by Adrian Creary