Kees Excited to Return To the Southland. Shaggy Is Coming to ‘IzWe.’

One of the most anticipated Carnival events annually happens to be Kes the Band’s Carnival concert. Whether it’s being called, ‘Tuesday on the Rocks’ or ‘IzWE,’ fans of Caribbean music are always ready to be front and centre for the cultural fun. On Tuesday, Kees spoke with the media, telling of the plans for this year’s event, which takes place on Valentine’s Night, in South Trinidad.

Moving from West Trinidad to Diffenthaller’s Southern hometown, at the Brian Lara Stadium, Kees explained that the event will take the shape of a full-blown cultural festival, complete with a cultural village for the enjoyment of everyone. Encouraging the warmth of true Caribbean love, IzWe will, in 2023, usher its guests into a village that will celebrate love, life and the spirit of Trinbagonians and Caribbean people. “For the concert this year, I’ve chosen to expand the sound more than Soca. Of course, you’re gonna get Soca and it’s gonna be a jammin fete, but I definitely wanna carry people through a bit of a journey of where we came from and all of that,” said the artist.

Exposure of the creativity that lies within T&T, a great focus for the artist, Kees said international media presence within the carnival and certainly at the IzWe festival, would be welcome. Kees performed on the main stage of the Essence Festival in New Orleans in July last year. He had also been chosen to share his sound at the same festival in the US, one year prior.

Careful not to let too much out of the bag, Kees said Iwer George, Lord Nelson, Jimmy October, Orange Sky, J Perry from Haiti, Ettienne Charles and many others, he called friends, would be at the concert event. Revealing that there will be tributes at the event for artistes who have passed away, Kees acknowledged that many of those who’ve left this realm were from his San Fernando hometown.