Aidonia to Be Honoured for Contribution to will.i.am and Cody Wise’s “It’s My Birthday”
Jamaican dancehall star Aidonia is set to receive international recognition for his contribution to will.i.am and Cody Wise’s global hit “It’s My Birthday.”
The artiste will be among the music contributors recognised at the Excellence in Music Ceremony 2026, where he will receive a British Phonographic Industry (BPI)-certified Platinum disc connected to the song.
The recognition stems from the use of Aidonia’s “Fi Di Jockey” in “It’s My Birthday,” the 2014 collaboration between will.i.am and Cody Wise. Music cataloguing sources identify “Fi Di Jockey” as the Aidonia recording sampled in the song.
Released in 2014, “It’s My Birthday” became one of will.i.am’s major international solo successes, bringing elements of Jamaican dancehall into a mainstream pop production. Aidonia’s contribution to the record represents another example of the influence Jamaican music continues to have on international music.
The Platinum disc will recognise the commercial success of the recording in the United Kingdom, where BPI certifications acknowledge significant sales and streaming milestones.
Celebrating Jamaica’s Global Music Contributions
The presentation will take place at the sixth staging of the Excellence in Music Ceremony on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston, with the official programme scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Organised by Back 2 Da Future Music Limited in collaboration with Royalty Network Inc., the event was formerly known as the Grammy Certificate Ceremony. The rebranded ceremony continues its focus on recognising Jamaican and Caribbean music professionals whose contributions have helped shape internationally successful recordings.
This year's event will honour contributors associated with Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated projects, while selected recipients will also receive BPI-certified Silver, Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum discs, alongside Grammy Certificates.
For Aidonia, the honour highlights the reach of dancehall beyond Jamaica and into some of the world's biggest pop recordings. A dancehall recording created for the Jamaican market ultimately became part of a globally successful pop song, demonstrating the genre's ability to influence international music while retaining its Jamaican identity.
The recognition also underscores the importance of properly crediting the writers, performers and creators whose work forms the foundation of major international recordings.
With the Excellence in Music Ceremony bringing those contributors into the spotlight, Aidonia's Platinum disc serves as a tangible acknowledgement of the global impact of his music—and the continuing influence of Jamaican dancehall on the world stage.
