Reggae icon Sizzla Kalonji has issued a statement addressing his no-show at the One Caribbean Music Festival in Trinidad, rejecting promoter claims that he demanded the same payment as fellow Jamaican artist Vybz Kartel, who was originally set to headline the event.
According to the event’s promoter, Odane Anderson of Jacho Entertainment, Sizzla pulled out of the May 25 concert after allegedly requesting a significantly higher fee—one that matched Kartel’s US$1.35 million contract—once it became clear Kartel would not appear. Anderson said his team was prepared to pay Sizzla’s original balance but could not meet the new figure on short notice.
“We were prepared to pay Sizzla’s balance as agreed,” Anderson told ET&T in a recent interview. “Unfortunately, there was a request for significantly more, and when we could not meet the new demand on such short notice, they opted to withdraw.”
But in a statement released this on Friday, Sizzla—born Miguel Collins—called that version of events a “blatant lie.” He said his team never demanded Kartel’s full fee, and instead requested only 50% of the amount Kartel was reportedly set to receive, after the promoter failed to honor their original agreement.
“We simply said to the promoter in a meeting, when he still didn’t offer to pay us the 50% of our original contractual amount, that he should pay us the 50% that he was going to pay the artiste that was to headline the show and didn’t appear, and I will headline the show,” Sizzla said.
Despite signing a contract that required a 50% down payment, Sizzla said he arrived in Trinidad having only received 10%. “That is not acceptable, all because of Trinidad,” he added, suggesting his presence was already a compromise. Even after arriving at the hotel, he said, the outstanding balance was not paid—and no further communication came from the promoter.
“We sat in the hotel room waiting on the promoter to get back to us after the meeting and he didn’t. They left us standing there,” Sizzla recalled. “So even if I was going to do the show without the other 50% owed to us, the promoter didn’t get back to us the whole night. I fell asleep—lol.”
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Still, the artist took a diplomatic tone in closing, applauding the efforts of the festival organizers and expressing continued love for Trinidad. “I genuinely think the promoter and sponsors did a very good job; it’s just that the headliner didn’t appear. I went to the studio and compiled my album with some very talented local acts. We’re moving on. We love Trinidad. One love Trinidad.”
Anderson, for his part, said the festival had been financially stretched by Kartel’s cancellation, which he blamed on foreign currency restrictions that delayed the final payment of Kartel’s fee. “They felt Sizzla should be considered the new headliner, which is understandable,” Anderson said, “but financially for us, this was simply not something we had planned for or agreed to.”
