After 13 years apart, the local group The iZ is back together again and reuniting to perform at the Out of This World Music Fest with new music for their fans.
It was festival director John Watler, also known as Selecta Renegade, who reached out to the group and brought the three members together for this year’s event on 31 May at Camana Bay’s Festival Green.
The band will share the stage with international artists Ludacris, Shenseea and Mical Teja.
Band member Jason Gilbert told the Cayman Compass, when it was announced, “I got a flood of emotions with the thought of sharing the stage with my brothers once again. I’m ecstatic.”
The band, formed in 2009, featuring songwriting trio Jason ‘JG’ Gilbert, Lonney ‘Lonney Love’ McField and Stephan Cotterell, is best known for their 2010 breakout debut ‘Beach Club’ album, and sophomore album ‘Spontaneous’ in 2011, introducing fans to their sultry and playful blend of hip-hop, R&B, pop and reggae sound.
Their first single landed the group at number one for play rotation and downloads, and for requests across local and international radio stations, including in Japan. Within the two weeks of their official release, they saw some 1,000 units sold.
An evolving music industry, personal challenges and commitments, and career shifts were factors that led to the group’s break.
“I wouldn’t say we parted ways,” Gilbert said.
“We were all becoming men, starting families, doing different endeavours and the time just flew by. We all continued to collaborate in many different ways over that time.”
Cotterell told the Compass, “This might sound a little crazy, but I feel we were a bit ahead of our time, and that’s easier to say now in hindsight. Things were a lot different for creatives back then — around 10 to 15 years ago — when technology was still evolving, and the landscape of music consumption was changing rapidly. Platforms like YouTube and social media were just starting to gain traction, and we struggled to adapt to these new mediums effectively.”
He added, “There was a lack of clear pathways for monetising our music. Streaming services were emerging, but they didn’t offer fair compensation, making it difficult to sustain a living solely from music. The music industry was heavily reliant on traditional methods of promotion and distribution, and we found it challenging to navigate these standards while trying to innovate our sound and approach …
“It was a big gray area as we were all trying to figure things out. Like many artists, we faced personal challenges such as family commitments, career shifts, and life changes that took precedence over our music that ultimately led us to part ways,” Cotterell said.
From ‘It is what it is’ to ‘The iZ’
It was over time, while living on the island, Cotterell explained, “we all knew who was involved in music, and eventually we made friends and started collaborating just for fun”.
“At the beginning, JG and I started recording and producing together, and then Jason had the bright idea to invite Lonney to one of our sessions. That was the spark that ignited our group. It was such an exciting moment, and from there, everything just fell into place,” he said.
When deciding on a name, they began with the idea ‘It is what it is’ and eventually landed on The iZ.
With unique and blended voices, the group captured the hearts of many across Cayman and the world with the creation of their first album, which took them to United States, Japan, Jamaica and Trinidad. Their first song release, ‘Tonight George Town’, had a number two spot in Japan. One of their songs made it into a Vicks commercial. The group also signed a deal with a Japanese distribution company.
Time apart would prove to not be in vain for the trio as each member found their own path to success over the years.
Gilbert has produced numerous records, won a Grammy award, was crowned Soca Monarch, opened a music recording school and mentors the next generation of creatives across Cayman.
Cotterell has garnered a successful and fulfilling career in film and video production. Meanwhile, McField opened his own video production company, Future Focus, in Scotland.
Reflected Everywhere
In celebration of their return to the local stage and after seeing the excitement building around their anticipated performance, the group delighted fans with new music, which dropped on 2 May, including the single, ‘Reflected Everywhere’, a love letter to the beauty of the Cayman Islands, produced by Gilbert and Watler.
“After working with Selecta Renegade with Skorch Bun It, I knew if I could get us all in a room, it would be creative magic,” Gilbert said.
Within 30 minutes of meeting in the studio, Gilbert said they had a track completed and the bones of the song.
“My favourite thing about working with him is his raw honesty, so we usually get right to the point! Just having all of us together again with Lonney on Zoom was an amazing feeling and I get goosebumps hearing our voices together,” Gilbert said.
In a video on the making of the song, Watler said, “Maybe the context of the song is a girl or a kid that we no longer see and is reflected everywhere … It’s a song of memories.”
The group confirmed fans can expect “nostalgic Caymanian greatness, and just the overall display of what we can accomplish when we work together”.
Tickets for Out of This World Music Fest are available from Winner’s Circle Sports, AA Rubis Seven Mile and online at ticketsplus.ky. For more information, visit ootwmusicfest.com.
