The Inspiring Story of Dwayne Gamree, Wedding Singer Turned ‘International Icon’ Winner

At the end of 2024, Mumbai singer-songwriter Dwayne Gamree emerged as the winner of International Icon Season 3 after a nationwide talent hunt for new voices to represent India.

As it turns out, Gamree—a regular on the corporate and wedding gig circuit as part of the band Bombay Buzzar—stumbled upon International Icon when a friend sent him details about the regional auditions taking place in Mumbai. “This happened the day before the auditions,” he says. Gamree rushed over and played his song “Sprinkle That” for that round’s judges—singer-songwriter and music entrepreneur Raghav Meattle along with the show’s organizer, Hyperlink Brand Solutions’ executive director and seasoned music promoter, Neale Murray—and progressed soon enough.

After performing for international judges like Swiss pop artist Veronica Fusaro, Afropop artist Kidi, and U.K. singer-songwriter Jamie Millier, Gamree clinched to win. “I came in with the intention to prove a point to myself and as the competition moved forward, hearing all the judges’ feedback, it reinforced myself as a singer-songwriter,” he says.

With all the jury sitting in on virtual calls, Kidi, in particular, was all praise for Gamree. “He sang my original back to me and mentioned that it needs to be on the pop charts. That was my highlight,” Gamree admits.

As the winner of International Icon Season 3, Gamree gets unlimited radio plays for all his songs (with Radio One, one of the show’s creators, backing the push) for a year. He also gains access to the Radio One studios to record more music and receives a free tuition scholarship to learn production at the True School of Music. Gamree says the school “is sorting me out with a very carefully curated curriculum” and founder and veteran musician Ashu Phatak will be among those mentoring the artist. “I will be able to learn the ins and outs of music production, not only for my originals but also ads and film scores,” he says.

It was soon after winning International Icon that Gamree went into “planning mode” and got into the studio to record his acoustic album Based, which released in December 2024. Aided by drummer and percussionist Alastair Quadros, Gamree says they took five hours to complete eight playful, moody tracks for Based.

In the middle of all these developments, the artist planned another big life decision – moving to Canada with his family. Setting up base in Toronto, Gamree is already in the thick of it, performing at open mics and club shows for established acts in the city. Prior to his move, he’d already made a few friends in the music circuit. “I will be hitting the indie festivals as I take it one beautiful day at a time. Simultaneously, I’ll be setting up a home studio so that I can keep sending across my originals from another album I release to the Radio One team in Bombay. Around March, my music production mentoring will begin with True School of Music. I’ll be settled in well by then and continue to build my bank of songs,” he says.

Listen to Dwayne Gamree’s album ‘Based’ below.