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As Kes’ “Cocoa Tea” Dominates Charts, The Artiste Reflects On A Time When Airplay was Minimal.

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Kes’ first release for Carnival 2025, “Cocoa Tea,” has taken the music world by storm, quickly climbing the ranks on major streaming platforms and topping the US iTunes Reggae chart. Released on November 15th, the track has captivated audiences across the globe, breaking records and topping playlists in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Just days after the release, Kes kicked off their third annual East Coast US tour, rocking packed venues in Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, Silver Spring (Maryland), Norfolk (Virginia), Raleigh (North Carolina), and Atlanta (Georgia) from November 24 to December 5. The success of the tour is mirrored in the rapid rise of the song’s lyric video on the band’s YouTube channel, which hit an incredible 1,000,000 views in just two weeks. The track has been added to thousands of streaming playlists, amplifying its reach even further.

Ineffable Records President Adam Gross shared impressive statistics on Sunday, revealing just how rapidly the song is gaining mainstream attention. Without an official music video, “Cocoa Tea” has become one of the fastest-growing Soca tracks in recent memory.

“Cocoa Tea has been out for less than a month, and the numbers it’s pulling are unprecedented for a Soca record,” Gross said. “It’s on track to become the biggest Kes song of all time!” According to Gross, the song has already garnered over three million plays, with 1.9 million on YouTube, over 400,000 on Spotify, and nearly 500,000 on Apple Music. On YouTube alone, the track continues to rack up over 125,000 plays a day.

The song is also making waves internationally, ranking #3 on Toronto’s local pulse Spotify chart and topping Shazam charts in 20 different regions. “Cocoa Tea” has climbed to the top of the charts in countries including Trinidad, Guyana, Antigua, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, and Dominica, among others. It’s also gone viral on TikTok, where it’s been featured in 66,000 videos, with 32,000 using the original sound. All told, the song has generated an impressive 61 million views on the platform. The track was written by Kes frontman Kees Dieffenthaller, along with Tano and Mical Teja, and features background vocals by Tano, Coutain, and Terri Lyons.

In a heartfelt message to fans, lead singer Kees Dieffenthaller expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support. Reflecting on the band’s journey, he recalled a time when Kes struggled to get airplay, even in their home country of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Real views, a million views in two weeks! I remember the days when we had so much trouble just getting airplay,” Kees shared. “So I give thanks for this moment. Thank you for the love and support. This is the mission — we’re spreading this to the world!”

To celebrate their incredible journey, Kes will mark their 20th anniversary with IZWE 2025, a special event scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, at Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Limited pre-sale tickets were released online on November 18 via their official websites, kestheband.com and izwefestival.com.

Stay up to date with all things Kes by following @kesofficial on TikTok and @kesthebandofficial on Instagram for the latest news and updates.

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Caribbean Buzz

The Bar Is Being Set. Flowers All Inclusive to Up The Game in Point Fortin, This Weekend.

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It’s a brand new concept being brought to life, in Point Fortin, however its impact, according to organizers, is already proving immense. The annual Point Fortin Borough celebrations, culminates this weekend and on Sunday, an event with a bigger purpose at heart, is anticipated to draw a massive crowd to fete, for the greater good.

Naya George

Naya George and Anson George spoke exclusively with Ebuzztt.com ahead of the all inclusive experience. They’re excited to see their vision come to life. Anson, a well known name on the carnival and entertainment circuit, is known for his strong involvement in the BeachHouse Carnival brand. “It’s going to be on par with BeachHouse,” he assured, asserting ‘Flowers’ as the new ‘must attend’ fete in Borough Day festivities. “There are other events happening on Sunday in Point Fortin but there’s no other event of this caliber, happening,” said Anson, explaining that a few tickets are still available for those who still want to get in.

For Naya, the effort is less about business, and more about purpose. “We are partying with a purpose. We want to let people know that this isn’t just about feting. This is the only party that’s happening in Point Fortin that’s giving back to Point Fortin,” he explained, adding that proceeds will go toward investment in the young people. “The first set of projects will be at the Point Fortin West Secondary School where the event is being held. We are going to revitalize the sports programme, playing field restoration, sporting equipment and that kind of stuff, to ensure the youths have a place to find themselves in the area of sports. Flowers is the premiere fund raiser to do these things,” said George.

Set to welcome fete lovers from 5pm on Sunday at the Point Fortin West Secondary School, Flowers will feature a cast of talented artistes, inclusive of Nadia Batson and Lyrikal. “We want to raise fund in style and with high quality at heart, hence the reason the event’s caliber is high. This is going to be a first for Point Fortin,” said Naya George.

Anson George

The Point Fortin Borough experience is widely attended, with a series of cultural events leading up to the weekend of excitement that is anticipated by locals and visitors alike, each year. “Flowers has set the tone for the Borough Day evolution I think,” said Naya George. “Fusion came to an end last night,” noted Anson. He said the cultural extravaganza, which was similar to Carnival’s Flava Village, was a huge success and noted the wide variety of cultural traditions, shared between April 25th and April 30th. “If people can jump on a plane to experience Grenada carnival, we are certain they can come from West and North Trinidad to enjoy the Point Fortin Borough activities,” said Anson, making it clear that ahead of the upcoming weekend, hotel and guest house occupancy is already high.

“Borough is like a second carnival,” said Anson. He said there are fetes happening throughout the day on Friday. “When you come, you get a taste of everything you get in carnival. You get the fetes, the all inclusive, the jouvert, the street food, the culture,” he highlighted, and this year, for the very first time, fans of culture, creativity and altruism, will fete with purpose at Flowers – a distinct, top tier, premium all inclusive experience in the heart of the borough.

Tickets for the event are available online at Stacy’s House Of Hair – Point Fortin, Atherley’s By The Park – San Fernando, Terminal 4 – Long Circular Mall and online at theticketgeneral.com.

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Caribbean Buzz

Caribbean Youths Zealously Welcome American Streamer, IShowSPEED.

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A Caribbean tour that started in Trinidad on Saturday and has continued in Grenada, this afternoon, has intrigued GenZ and GenAlphan fans across the Caribbean and internationally, all thanks to digital influencer, IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr.

The 21-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio native who has racked up over 53 million YouTube subscribers touched down in Trinidad on Saturday, much to the excitement of local gaming and streaming fanatics, many of whom are teens and pre-teens.

Accompanied by several Trinidad and Tobago influencers and chaperoned by Machel Montano’s manager, Che Kothari, the vibrant young streamer was shown various parts of Port- of- Spain, Trinidad, and introduced to aspects of the culture often experienced by visitors to T&T, particularly at Carnival time.

From Saheena, to Roti, Bake and Shark and Doubles, IShowSpeed tried several Trinbagonian dishes and even some of the snacks manufactured locally. He was exposed to Carnival culture and traditional carnival characters and further to that, Trinidad and Tobago artistes like Lady Lava, Nessa Preppy and Jimmy October shared in the thrill of his visit. Many young, eager Trinbaonians, inclusive of parents who are familiar with the young influencer, engaged happily with Watkins Jr. throughout Saturday’s trip, all as he streamed the fun, live. Running through the streets as he moved through places like Tragarete Road and Charlotte Street in downtown Port-of-Spain, he was visibly excited to experience the country known especially for the Greatest Caribbean Carnival, the world over.

The trip, though quick, was streamed to some 7 millions online viewers and while some found it difficult to relate to the new wave of digital marketing and influencer branding potential for the small, twin island, others have since been marveling at the fact that this 21-year-old has managed to gift Trinidad and Tobago more publicity in mere hours, than that which Caribbean celebrities have been able to attain, over years in cultural ambassadorship.

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