Kellie Cadogan, Barbados

Barbadian singer/songwriter, Kellie Cadogan, is the 2010 Jazz Artiste of the Year (Barbados Music Awards). Her debut performance on the music scene came at the Cool Jazz Series’ Discovery Segment in May 2006 and the following year she was the headlining act for the final Cool Jazz Series held in May 2007.

Internationally, Kellie’s accomplishments include being the 2007 scholarship winner of the Berklee College of Music’s five week summer performance programme, as well as the performer for the Singer Songwriter showcase at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, USA. Regionally, she has been featured at the St. Mary’s Jazz Festival in Virgin Gorda, the British Virgin Islands and at An Evening of Jazz with the band Euphoria at the Central Bank Auditorium in Trinidad. Most recently she has appeared with the Rupert Lay Quartet at the Jazz on the Pier event of the 2009 St. Lucia Jazz Festival.

In Barbados Kellie has headlined the Kellie Cadogan Quartet at the 2008 Holder’s Season. Her most accomplished assignment to date was in August 2008 when she took on the roles of artistic director, co-producer, writer, director and featured performer in the Jazz and Musical showcase, An Evening with Kellie Cadogan, which was held at the Frank Collymore Hall.

In January 2009 Kellie launched her debut Jazz album entitled “The Nearness of You” at the Frank Collymore Hall. She was also the lead vocalist with the BCC Jazz Project at the Jazz on the Hill for 2009 Barbados Jazz Festival as well as featured vocalist for the 2009 Sandy Lane Gold Cup where she sang the well known Barbadian song “Beautiful Barbados” accompanied by The Royal Barbados Police Force Band. Kellie’s most highly acclaimed performance came in September 2009 where she opened for international recording artiste, Stephanie Mills, at the Ultimate Soul Weekend held in Barbados.