dBurnz wins 2026 Jamaica Festival Song Competition with ‘I Love Jamaica’

Clarendon native dBurnz has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Jamaica Festival Song Competition with his patriotic entry “I Love Jamaica.”

The song captured the coveted title at the competition’s grand finale on Saturday (July 25) at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St. Andrew and will serve as the soundtrack for Jamaica’s 64th Independence celebrations this year.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange presented the artist with the grand prize of $3 million and the winning trophy.

dBurnz, whose given name is Melbourne Douglas, also captured the Best Performer sectional award, earning an additional $200,000.

Music educator Ovando Levy placed second with his entry “Jamaica School (Bingi Ling)”, receiving $600,000, while Aba Jones finished third with “Teet A Fi Me” and collected $300,000.

Chief Judge and veteran Festival Song winner Roy Rayon said the winning entry had to capture the spirit of Jamaica’s Independence celebrations.

“The festival song is supposed to be the pulse, the metronome of the independence celebrations, so we are looking for a song that dances, a song that has lyrics that are relevant, a song that the entire population can coalesce around,” he said.

Grange congratulated all nine finalists, saying each contestant benefited from the experience regardless of the final result.

“I want to big up all nine contestants and say to them it has been a good experience for you, so even if your song is not the winning song, you are still a winner,” she said.

The minister also looked ahead to Jamaica’s 65th Independence anniversary celebrations in 2027, noting that the year will be a milestone occasion.

“It will also be the last Grand Gala before we build out the new stadium,” she said.

Reflecting on the competition’s six-decade history, Grange said the Festival Song Competition has played an important role in showcasing Jamaican talent.

“It has been a wonderful journey and has exposed many Jamaican talents,” she said.

Over the years, the competition has featured several notable Jamaican artists, including reggae legends Bob Marley and Rita Marley.

The annual event is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport through the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and remains a major part of Jamaica’s Independence celebrations ahead of August 6.

The grand finale also featured a guest performance by reggae artist Duane Stephenson.

Jamaica is celebrating 64 years of Independence this year under the theme: “United in Celebrating Resilience.”