Just a few months after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica danced right back to the center of the global music conversation with this year’s Island Music Conference (Feb. 25-28).
Celebrating its fourth staging, the Shaggy-chaired conference, which he co-founded alongside Judith Bodley and Sharon Burke in 2023, gifted Jamaica’s bustling music industry with over 15 panels under the theme, “Music Is the Unifying Force.” Outside of the edifying panels, which boasted media professionals across nearly every sector of music and tech, the 2026 Island Music Conference (IMC) also provided attendees with a songwriting workshop, a rising artists performance showcase, and a rotation of documentary screenings.
In addition to Shaggy, who spoke on Thursday morning’s “What’s Your Brand & Is It Forever?” panel, several notable artists lent their expertise to this year’s IMC, including Grammy-nominated queen of dancehall Spice, Grammy-nominated reggae star Lila Iké, Grammy-winning MC Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt-N-Pepa, queen of soca Alison Hinds, renowned DJ Noah Powa, dancehall star Wayne Marshall and JUNO Award-winning rapper Kardinal Offishall. Other panels featured rising artists like Rajah Wild, Brownskin Rae, Imani Beau, Matthew Malcolm and Major Myjah, as well as acclaimed producers such as David “Yeti Beats” Specher, Omar “Major Seven” Walker and Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor.
The Hon. Dr. Moses Michael Levi “Shyne” Barrow, who scored classic hits alongside dancehall icon Barrington Levy in the 2000s before later working in Belizean politics, delivered Thursday’s keynote address. Dubbed “From Stage to State,” the Billboard chart-topping artist reflected on his unconventional career trajectory and urged artists to look beyond easily quantifiable measures of success. With an address that emphasized mindfulness, discipline and the emotional triumphs that art can achieve, Shyne struck a delicate balance between the conference’s onslaught of industry education and the spirituality that grounds Jamaican music.
From heated conversations about the benefits and limitations of artificial intelligence to intricacies of publishing and Grammy submissions, here are five key takeaways from the 2026 Island Music Conference.
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