Bermudian reggae artist Collie Buddz will be appearing in a prestigious music festival in Florida this weekend alongside a host of reggae superstars.Tomorrow he will appear in the 19th Annual 9 Mile Music Festival in Miami, Florida alongside reggae stars such as Stephen Marley, Wale and Burning Spear.Collie Buddz is just finishing up a tour of the United States where he appeared most recently in Anchorage, Alaska. In January he performed before large crowds in Boston, New York and Montreal, among other places.“The 9 Mile Music Festival is huge,” said Andrew Holmes of Goslings, which is sponsoring Collie Buddz’ performances overseas. “A lot of Bermudians don’t realise he has been hitting these festivals for the last couple of years. He is very well respected off the Island. He is a mega star out there in terms of the reggae world. I have caught a couple of his shows, and in Boston there were about 2,500 people.”The 9 Mile Music Festival was pioneered by the mother of reggae legend Bob Marley, Cedella Marley Booker. The concert is not just about music, but also has a charitable arm. Over the years the festival, under various names including ‘The Caribbean Music Festival’ has collected over two million canned goods to give back to the community. Four canned goods are required for entry, along with an admission ticket. The canned goods collected are then distributed to shelters in Miami and Jamaica.Collie Buddz, whose real name is Colin Harper, is best known for songs such as ‘Come Around’ and ‘Holiday’. He studied audio engineering at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, and performed on Shaggy’s 2007 album ‘Intoxication’ on the track ‘Mad Mad World’. He has also appeared on the 2009 remix of Kid Cudi’s single ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’.Mr Holmes said Collie Buddz would probably be winding down for the year after the 9 Mile Music Festival. He was scheduled to go to Europe and then spend part of the summer in Bermuda, getting ready to launch his new local radio station Vibe 103 with his brother Matthew Harper. The radio station should be up by next month and will be heard on the radio, and streamlined over the internet.“I think hard work has led to his success,” said Mr Holmes. “He is obviously a really talented guy but he is extremely hard working. He does all his own writing, and that gets him a lot of respect in the music world. He also has great management behind him that has allowed him to make some good career choices.”If you are in Florida tomorrow, general admission tickets to the 9 Mile Music Festival are $49.87 and $166.50 for VIP tickets. To purchase go to www.bobmarleymovement.com .