DJ Amber highlights women’s contributions after Queens of Reggae honour

DJ Amber used her Queens of Reggae Island Honour Ceremony recognition to put the spotlight back on women whose work keeps reggae, radio and entertainment moving even when the applause is elsewhere. The veteran broadcaster said the honour mattered because it recognised work that is often overlooked, especially by women working in male-dominated spaces.

The 10th staging of the Queens of Reggae Island Honour Ceremony, held on May 31 at Karl Hendrickson Auditorium, marked a milestone year for an event that has built its reputation on recognising women across entertainment, media, academia, business and community development. Forty women were honoured in the QORIHC Class of 2026, adding another chapter to a ceremony started in 2016 by promoter Laurell Nurse.

Amber was among those singled out, and the recognition carried weight both personally and professionally for a voice that has spent nearly two decades on Jamaican airwaves. Her broadcasting path began at Linkz Radio in Savanna-la-Mar before she moved to IRIE FM, where her conversational style and easy relatability helped make her one of the most familiar voices in the country.

That platform matters in reggae culture because IRIE FM itself helped reshape the island’s media landscape. The station launched on August 13, 1990, in Ocho Rios, St Ann, as Jamaica’s first all-reggae radio station, a clear break from the established broadcast order. Amber’s rise through that space places her inside a larger story about how reggae media has been built, defended and carried by presenters, selectors and broadcasters working beyond the stage.

The honour also fit neatly with the wider life Amber has built around her microphone. Her work has included humanitarian efforts, relief for communities hit by natural disasters, and advocacy around beach access and social issues. She has said media personalities have a responsibility to use their platforms for social change, and she has linked that outlook to her upbringing.

Amber is also looking toward business expansion, music production and deeper community work, extending her influence beyond radio into the broader reggae ecosystem. The QORIHC has long framed itself as a formal, multi-generational celebration of unsung women in the industry, and Amber’s recognition reflected exactly that. Her honour was not just about one broadcaster’s career, but about the women whose labour offstage keeps reggae culture visible, active and alive.