106 & Park's Rocsi, ZJ Bambino to host YVAs

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The Youth View Awards (YVAs) may be months away but the work for the big day has already begun.

The event known to be aimed at the 'young, hot and hype', will be held on February 5, 2011 at the National Indoor Sports Arena, marking the fourth staging of the YVAs. The YVAs was first staged at the Courtleigh Auditorium and has slowly gained momentum.

Awarding the best in entertainment (deejays, singers and dancers), the nominees are determined not by industry stalwarts but the people who care about entertainment the most - the fans.

Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner recently, YVAs' creator and organiser Karen Clarke explained that work was well under way for the next show.

"This will be our fourth year and we're really cementing ourselves as 'the' award show for Jamaica. The reaction to the last staging was amazing, we got wonderful support from fans, sponsors, and this really gives the artistes a platform to showcase themselves," she said. According to Clarke, earlier this year more than 3000 persons packed the National Indoor Sports Arena and they are expecting close to the 5000 capacity that the Arena can hold this time around.

Giving The Sunday Gleaner a peek into the next staging, Clarke said persons can expect performances from the likes of Wayne Marshall, Tifa, Khago, I-Octane, Ce'Cile among others.

Last year, the YVAs were hosted by Chino, Lady Rennae and overseas personality Teyana Taylor, this year it will be hosted by ZJ Bambino and BET 106 & Park's host Rocsi.

"We wanted Bambino to host 'cause he was great last year [when] he performed as Trever Off Key. A lot of people didn't know that was him. He's a positive image which is what we want to project. Rocsi was chosen because she's a fan of the islands, she's also young, hot and hype and she brings international exposure. This will give our artistes a chance to jam with her so she can go back and talk about them on her show," Clarke explained.

New additions to next year's staging includes the 'On the Verge' competition which is a talent competition for deejays, singers and groups from the age of 14-24. The best act will get the chance to perform at the YVAs.

Thus far, the trials for the competition have been held in Kingston and Montego Bay, and the finals will be held on December 11 at KFC on Hope Road with celebrity judges Tifa, Ce'Cile, Voicemail and Dexter Pottinger. 'On the Verge' will be aired on RETV.

Rock the runway

There will also be a 'Rock the Runway' competition on December 12 where persons can emulate their favourite artistes and will get the chance to do so on the show.

"This year, there will also be a 'swag lounge', where fashionable persons can get the chance to win a laptop, iPad and more," said Clarke.

Outside of encouraging everybody to continue supporting the event, Clarke also had high praises for the sponsors.

"The whole show is just a great experience and a wonderful way to spend an evening. We really have to thank our sponsors KFC, Digicel, Pepsi, Credit Unions of Jamaica, RETV, TVJ, Starlight and more for their support in making this happen."