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The annual Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence honoured the nation’s most exceptional young achievers on Saturday on the lawns of Jamaica House. Among them were The Foster Triplets, honoured for Excellence in Music, and Evert ‘Evy Royal’ Johnson, who was awarded in the new media category. The evening celebrated youth making waves across various fields — from music and philanthropy to the dynamic world of digital media.
Evert ‘Evy Royal’ Johnson went from screen to the stage as the recipient of the new media award, which reflects the pulse of the growing digital generation. Known for his comedic skits and digital storytelling, the Manchester native has spent the past nine years using social media to entertain, inform, and inspire.
“This means a lot to me. I’ve always wanted people to look at social media content creators differently and also respect them,” Johnson shared. “Winning this means a lot to social media, and it means a lot to my culture and my country. Young content creators can see this and be inspired by it and want to be in this room right now as well,” he proudly told The Gleaner.
Inspired by Jamaican icon Oliver Samuels, Royal’s childhood Sundays were filled with laughter from watching plays in his living room with family. That spark became a flame, and now his dream is to move from the digital stage to the global screen with an Oscar in sight.
“My long-term goal? To be a professional actor. The first time I watched Oliver Samuels, I’m like, ‘Yo, this is where I want to be’. I want to branch into professional acting, and if I get that opportunity, I will be bringing home an Oscar. That’s my dream,” Johnson said firmly.
For young creators, Royal’s advice is this: “Just be authentic, be real to yourself, and tell your story the way you know how to tell your story”.
He joins fellow new media honorees Jason Weir, 876 Stream, and Diandra Harrison.
For Mikaili, Mahari, and Malaika Foster, music has always been both melody and a ministry. From harmonising at the age of two, The Foster Triplets have developed their voices into instruments of change, weaving compassion into every note they sing.
“This was something that was engraved in us. We started singing harmony at two years old. And from then on, we’ve just been doing music. It has opened doors in many places, and also, our YouTube channel and our Facebook page [have] been a place for so many people to gather and find hope and acceptance and joy,” Mahari told The Gleaner.
Though they were awarded for their contribution to the field of music, their philanthropic endeavours have also struck a deep chord as they have helped in both local and regional areas.
“We had the We Will Rise initiative, and this initiative aimed to raise money for the youth of the Bahamas who were suffering from the effects of Hurricane Dorian. We also raised $2 million, which was able to buy essential equipment for the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital. And then most recently, we also raised funds for the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, and the Salvation Army School for the Blind [and Visually Impaired],” Mikaili explained.
Their Pack-A-Bag initiative, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivers food and essentials to struggling families.
“This initiative started around COVID time, when people were struggling to find food, and we just thought, why don’t we support people? Why don’t we give people food? And so each year we give more and more. It’s so close to our hearts at this moment, and this has definitely been a blessing, and we hope to continue into the future,” Malaika shared with a smile.
“We are also champions for homeschooling,” Malaika continued. “It has ingrained such great morals in us, and we hope to posit that to the whole nation.”
The triplets recently released an EP titled We Need You on May 24, and are set to drop two more albums later this year with hopes of including songs with some level of African sound production, as they are inspired by their deep connection to Africa.
English (US) ·