KRISTINE ALICIA
Born Kristine Alicia McCaw this singer/songwriter hails from Kingston, Jamaica and moved to the USA when she was 13. She comes from a musical background and like many reggae singers, her musical background started in church. She has four brothers, a music teacher, a producer, and two that are themselves artistes. She also has a sister who is a dub poet. Her father, a pastor and musician, taught her classical piano.
Kristine Alicia became actively involved in shows and performances in Junior High and High School and was encouraged by her father to take voice lessons in classical music for which she is very grateful today. She attended Oral Robert’s University majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in music, with a Master’s degree in Music Business from the University of Miami. While attending college she became a backup singer for gospel artiste Papa San and Nigel Lewis. This eventually led to the recording of her first album “Get Ready”, produced by Nigel Lewis, in 2007, which propelled her
into the forefront of the Caribbean Gospel community, where she received 8 nominations at the 2009 Marlin Awards and took home both Artist of the Year and Female Reggae Vocal Performance.
Kristine chose to expand her boundaries in judicial by doing more than just gospel music.
She wanted to talk about topics that included love and social justice. While in Jamaica for a photoshoot, she was introduced to Rory “Stone Love” Gilligan who took an interest in her career and gave her a track to write on. This led to him producing her
next reggae album. “Songs from Zion” is a classic Roots Reggae album, rich in inspirational messaging, which was released in February 2017. The album experienced widespread exposure on radio and early notoriety in magazines, while also charting on iTunes top 10 and Billboard’s top 15 Reggae album charts. It also received high praise from Reggaeville, Zona Reggae, Reggae Vibes, &The Jamaican Observer to name a few. The album received a special review by John Masouri of Echoes Magazine where
Kristine Alicia was also dubbed artist of the month. United Reggae listed Songs From Zion in its list of Top 20 albums in 2017 at the end of that year.
Kristine Alicia took a hiatus from recording, except for a few singles, to take care of her husband Brian Caldwell, who sadly passed away in August 2020. Her powerful inspirational single, “Black Diamond”, all about overcoming personal tragedy, a call to action for all survivors, victims, and those suffering in silence. “Black Diamond” is not only a reflection of her personal endeavors but also musically feels like a universal soundtrack for a post-pandemic world.
Since her emergence, Kristine Alicia has performed nationally and internationally while producing singles that reflect her development as a person and as an artiste.
Throughout this time of growth, Kristine Alicia has collaborated, opened for, and performed with artists the likes of Third World, Taurus Riley, Papa San, Etana, Nadine Sutherland, Warrior King, and Freddie McGregor. She has performed in the USA, Canada, Africa, and in multiple Caribbean countries but her biggest show to date was headlining the Groove Party in Nairobi, Kenya in which she performed to over thirty-thousand (30,000+) people.
Her latest release is Fools Love produced by Royalty Respect and distributed by Tuff Gong Records. Kristine Alicia was asked what inspired her to go in this direction of songwriting. “I had just decided to do a love album. I wanted to compile my experiences/journey in dating and finding love again in the best way I know how – songwriting. Monty from Royalty Respect gave me a riddim to check out told me they were putting a few artists on it. I heard it and immediately got the lyrics.
Fools Love is the expression of early love or infatuation. When you’re caught up in the clouds and you don’t see the red flags and all the signs are telling you to leave but you keep allowing this feeling to reel you back in. Fools Love is the first song written for my upcoming album which is intended to show the vulnerable expressions of the heart.”
Whether on stage, in the streets or online, Kristine Alicia delivers a consistent message: Love God, love people, and stand for justice. Her honest approach to music is refreshing and touches people in a way that piques their interest in who she is and what she truly believes.