Flavorwire

This Spring, Hennessy held an international competition to offer one band the chance to travel to France and perform at the Cognac Blues Passions festival. After extensive judging and voting, the winners of the competition were NexCyx, a five-piece group from Barbados that mixes together hip-hop, pop, rock, and reggae with excellent results. (We’re especially fond of their party-starting track “On the Floor.”) Jetting off to Cognac last week, the band joined a bill that also included Tom Jones, Sting, Hugh Laurie, and other heavy hitters from the worlds of blues and roots music in its six-day lineup. Take a look at some of the highlights from the fest — which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year — in our exclusive photo gallery.

Tom Jones headlining the second night of Blues Passions 2012. Photo courtesy of Hennessy.