Spice declined offer to close dancehall night - Artiste says she wasn't ready for that role

Her Reggae Sumfest performance is still one of the most talked-about sets from the entire festival, and this is no surprise as the 'Queen of Stage' is known to deliver a stellar set year after year.

So spectacular are Spice's performances that the dancehall diva was being considered to close Dancehall Night 2018. Many were left disappointed when that did not materialise, especially after witnessing yet another spectacular set from dancehall's newest queen.

In her post-performance interview, however, Spice made it clear that her not closing was no one's choice but hers, as she felt she was simply not ready for that role as yet. She told THE STAR that although she was approached by the Sumfest team, she believed the timing was not yet perfect and decided against it.

"For some reason everybody wanted me to close, and that did not happen because I did not accept the offer to close. There were so many giants on the show, why would I want to close? There was Popcaan, Tommy Lee and Bounty Killer. I just didn't want that just yet," she expressed. "I just think I wasn't ready to close it this year. I'm not opposed to closing the show, and maybe I'll close one year very soon. The offer came my way and I'm sure the opportunity will come again."

WOWING THE CROWD

For the umpteenth year in a row, the artiste left patrons completely in awe and guessing what next she will come up with for her entrance, as she arrived on the Sumfest stage on a 'Wakanda' throne escorted by two 'Black Panthers'. Spice said that although she has to keep outdoing herself each year, she enjoys the challenge as she knows her entrance is usually highly anticipated, and she does not want to disappoint her fans.

"Every year when my fans see my entrances they say, 'Lawd, me can't wait till next year fi see wah she a go come wid,' so I blame them for me coming out and trying to outdo myself each year," she said. "I feel like I can't disappoint my fans, and now I feel like I can't stop. Every year I will have to keep raising the bar, because the people dem a anticipate a really dramatic entrance. I believe that I'm the Queen of Stage, so I will keep representing that. I'm always going to give the people something because I'm a true entertainer."

She added that this year's entrance was dedicated to every strong black woman across the world who was ever teased or mocked for the colour of her skin.

"As a black woman, I think over the years I have been criticised because of the colour of my skin, and this performance meant a lot. I wanted to come out with that theme and represent for all the strong black women in the audience and across the world."