25 meets 52 : when the WCMF turns silver and cadence-lypso turns gold

On October 25, 2025, (NIGHT TWO) the World Creole Music Festival marks its 25th edition  and fittingly, the day will feature one of the genre’s boldest trailblazers. Gordon Henderson, visionary founder and lead singer of Exile One, will celebrate 52 groundbreaking years of Cadence-Lypso the electrifying sound that reshaped Dominica’s music scene and inspired generations far beyond its shores.

The variation of "Calypso" music to date that has broken the most global records. (See Billboard Magazine)

Adding a poetic twist to history, October 25 also happens to be the birthday of the late, great Fitzroy Williams, the very man Henderson invited to assemble Exile One’s first musicians, not necessarily to create a group but as session musicians for Henderson’s album.Together, Henderson and Williams, later co-wrote and recorded hits that still echo across dance floors and airwaves worldwide, proving the staying power of creativity born on a small island with a big voice...Travay pou ayen, Fraiche...

This year’s festival will showcase the songs Gordon Henderson wrote, composed, and performed, works that leapt across borders and helped turn a local sound into a global movement. It’s a celebration of trend-setting at its purest: when one bold idea can ripple out and transform culture forever...Rosita,  Aki-Yaka, Réflexion, Jamais voir ça/ Quero Vocé...

WCMF 2025 isn’t just a milestone, it’s a living tribute to how vision becomes legacy, and how Cadence-Lypso continues to set the beat for the world to follow.