Winters

Perhaps in modesty, Neville 'Gunty' Winters said he had no idea he would win the 2007 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song Contest. On the other hand others, including hisrivals and fans, knew Gunty was the man to beat.

He overcame what he considers a stellar group of contestants to walk away with $1 million in cash and other prizes, but that was the easier part of the journey for him.

Gunty managed to woo the judges and the voting public with two of his original songs. It is customary for contestants to open with a cover song as a warm-up and then the original.

"First off mi haffi tank Fadda God. It is a joy. This is a forward step towards the music and even more work. JCDC provide this for me and now I know a lot more about the business," Gunty said.

Regardless of the work he knew he put in, he will not dispel how much the other contestants were deserving of the win, but there could only be one winner. However, to prove the strength of bond between the contestants, all 10 finalists decided whoever won the competition would give a portion to the others. Gunty and the second and third place finishers followed through on the commitment.

"Chicago come third last year when he was in the competition and he didn't like how the other seven didn't have anything to go home with, that's when we came up with the idea," Gunty said.

But now that the competition is a thing of the immediate past, one of Gunty's future projects is to represent Jamaica at MIDEM in Cannes, France, in January 2008.

By then, he hopes to have a few more singles out. To ensure that happens, Gunty said he will be heading straight to the studios.

"A jus conscious lyrics mi inna. Something di youts can listen to and get something out of. A come mi come fi teach di people righteousness," he said.

Gunty is especially pleased with the fact that the competition is no longer a festival song competition, but one that is open to just about anybody with the talent and the right song.

"It set up in a way that if you come from Downtown or Uptown or anywhere in Jamaica, you can take you talent to JCDC and they will help you. You just have to know that yuh lyrics clean and not too slack," Gunty said.

And, since he is $1 million richer, he said he would use the money wisely in promoting himself and his talent.

"If a car is in the money it is there, but mi not going to force it out if it not."

He also had nothing but high praise the JCDC.

"From mi reach di top 10, dat allow mi fi get a (music) video, write-up inna di paper and exposure around Jamaica. Even if I didn't win, I could use all that. Di million only strengthens me," Gunty said.

- A.J.