Peso chose music over cooking

Vocalist and musician Everton 'Peso' Pessoa entered the JCDC Festival Song Competition wanting to be a part of a historic event, hoping he, too, would one day be an integral part of Jamaican culture.

He traces his roots in music back to high school, where he learned to play the trombone, a passion that grew stronger once he got a scholarship to study music.

But he had another career choice at first.

"In school, I was big on food and nutrition," Peso said. "I was actually working as a chef at the time when I received my scholarship," he said.

Peso's history with music goes even deeper than that. While playing with the late Sonny Bradshaw on the north coast, he would have the opportunity to display his vocal skills on numerous stages.

His music career now spans 15 years.

"Whether I come out the winner or not, I'm just looking for the platform to reach out to people with positive music," he said.