KesTheBand will ring in the return of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival after three long years with their IZWE Festival, set for Tuesday, February 14th at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando, Trinidad.
The event was launched in 2021 as a series of five, socially-distanced concerts during what would have been that year’s Carnival season. The limited-capacity shows were the first sanctioned live music events held in Trinidad & Tobago after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which began one year earlier, and just days after the close of Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival 2020.
Things having opened up, Kes has exported IZWE in an expanded festival format toNew York City and Toronto. IZWE concerts were hosted in 2021 and 2022 in those cities, respectively. Some 8,000 fans attended each event, with July’s IzWe Toronto concert receiving national media coverage in Canada from outlets including CBC and Breakfast Television.
With IZWE2023, the band is set to bring the show back home to Trinidad on the Tuesday before Trinidad & Tobago Carnival — the same calendar spot where Kes held its Tuesday on the Rocks concert series from 2014 to 2020. Fans can stay tuned for guest artist announcements and more details at www.kestheband.com.
The homecoming follows a banner 2022 for Kes, which included a mainstage performance at ESSENCE Fest in July, where the band played for one of its largest audiences to date. Summer saw Kes usher in the return of carnival celebrations across the Caribbean and its Diaspora, with performances in Guyana, Barbados, Anguilla, Grenada, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Toronto, London, and New York City. Their Liki Tiki U.S. Tour followed in September and October, with sold out dates up and down the East and West Coast.
This week, the band returns to the Caribbean for the Tomac Festival in Plymouth, Tobago, on Oct. 24, followed by the World Creole Music Festival in Roseau, Dominica, on Oct. 28. Kes’ next and last U.S. date of 2022 is at Houston’s Tribeville fest on November 26th.
The band is currently wrapping work on their forthcoming full-length album, Man With No Door. The rollout began in January with island-pop smash “Jolene,” followed by “Liki Tiki,” their region-spanning, multilingual collaboration with Haiti’s Michael Brun and JPerry.
Grammy-winning Jamaican dancehall artist Sean Paul and Barbadian singer-songwriter Amanda Reifer have released a brand-new single called, “No One.” The single was unleashed via Dutty Rock Productions and distributed by Milk and Honey on Wednesday, November 11th.
On “No One,” Sean Paul’s clipped dancehall cadence plays against Reifer’s melodious delivery as the two trade lines over Daramola’s Afrobeats rhythm. The exchange gives the track the feel of a conversation on the dance floor. That sense of connection carries into the video, which was directed by Kieran Khan. Fans will see Sean Paul encouraging two people to come together. “Sean’s music and influence was always present in my life growing up in the Caribbean and I’ve been inspired by his global impact,” Reifer said. “Sharing the pen with him is a real honor. I mean he swung open so many doors for us Caribbean artistes,” she said.
The duet marks their second collaboration, following 2024’s “Sweat (Part II),” and was the first song they wrote together. Sean Paul said “No One” was a good reconnection. “Amanda and I found a rhythm together from that first session. I love that you can hear Jamaica and Barbados in the same record, and Daramola gave us a riddim that let both of us do our thing.”
Worldwide Links
Nigerian-born, Miami-based producer Daramola brings experience across Afrobeats, Latin Pop, and Caribbean music to the record. A member of Tainy and Lex Borrero’s NEON16 roster, his credits include Farruko and Beéle’s “Santorini”, Kesha and Big Freedia’s “Raising Hell”, and Sofía Reyes and Pedro Capó’s “Casualidad”.
Sean Paul helped bring Jamaican dancehall to a global pop audience with hits such as “Gimme the Light” and “Get Busy”. He won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for Dutty Rock, and his honors also include an American Music Award, an MTV Europe Music Award and two Soul Train Music Awards. “No One” is Sean Paul’s penultimate release of 2026 and begins a run of new music that will carry into 2027. It follows “DIP” with Sommer Ray, which surpassed one million streams in its first 11 days and secured 36 editorial placements across seven platforms, according to his team.
Reifer first broke through as the frontwoman of Cover Drive, whose “Twilight” reached No. 1 in the U.K. in 2012. She went on to co-write and appear alongside Blxst on Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard”, a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit. Her 2026 collaborations include Destin Conrad’s “DANGER” and Rapsody’s “Pick A Side”. For Reifer, the duet reflects what the two artistes share across islands. “One people – many styles, many flavors, many flags,” she said.
There’s a major shift happening in entertainment in T&T. The energy is rising. On the heels of Tobago Carnival – a spectacle that has left mas lovers craving more, there’s a band launch on the horizon that promises entertainment lovers a true taste of what Trinidad’s South West peninsula has to offer. URAVE is a brand that’s building community and dedicatedly setting things in motion for the best Borough Festival Point Fortin has ever experienced, in 2027.
Speaking exclusively with Ebuzztt.com, Directors, Kariym Balthazar and Roland Hamilton shared details on ‘Life Beyond The Creek’ – the concept for URAVE’S 2027 Borough Festival presentation. The event takes place at the Clifton Hill Beach Resort on Saturday, November 7th from 9pm.
URAVE’s Kariym Balthazar
Two of seven directors who make up a broad team of professionals, their planning for this upcoming event, has been extensive. “We officially kicked off the project in May this year. We’ve put in a lot of work and with a strong team, we are guaranteeing an enhanced Borough Festival,” said Hamilton. He has been a part of the entertainment and promotional landscape in Trinidad and Tobago for the past 15 years. Hamilton said the URAVE brand was conceptualized back in 2015, but opportunity to present it to the people of Point Fortin and those coming into the Borough the way it was conceptualized, has only truly shown itself at this time. “This is not just a band. We’ll also be doing events in the space as well. URAVE will host something like a ‘First Jam’ in the Borough celebrations in 2027 and even our road experience will start off with a brunch event for two hours, with food stations before we hit the streets to play mas. When our masqueraders get off the road, they will enjoy a las’ lap experience too,” he said.
Four mas sections ready for presentation on Saturday, Balthazar told Ebuzztt that this is just the beginning. “We plan on taking URAVE into different spaces – not just Point Fortin Borough Festival, so in the future, URAVE may even be in Carnival in Port -of-Spain,” he said. The four sections are, “Pitch Lake,” “Garden Jewels,” “Fields Road,” and “Columbus Bay,” – all honoring integral aspects of the Southern experience. “I am from La Brea. La Brea and Point Fortin are like brother and sister,” said Hamilton, explaining that the idea is to truly highlight the South Western part of the island by giving those who are unfamiliar an experience of what they have to offer. “Deep South often feels neglected. We don’t have the opportunities or the experiences that others often have. We always have to go into Port-of-Spain to experience mas, so because I would’ve experienced mas so many times, URAVE aims at delivering a higher standard when it comes to experience, so that people who do not frequent Port of Spain, can enjoy what its like in the Borough Festival.”
URAVE stands for Unimaginably, Rhythmic, Audio, Visual, Experience. “These words are at the heart of the brand. The focus is on how people feel, how they are welcomed, and what they leave with. This is not something that is predominant in the Point Fortin Borough space so it is important to us, to establish this standard,” said Hamilton. He says the theme, “Life Beyond the Creek celebrates the beauty, creativity and talent within the South Western peninsula.
Roland Hamilton says URAVE was conceptualized in 2015.
The band launch is being touted as one that will showcase exactly what masqueraders can expect on the rod come 2027. Though starting off with more of a Monday Wear mas deliverable, the band will be going hard to ensure the feeling of revelry and fun are high priority. “Years ago, bands like Legacy and Ronnie and Caro, and other big bands would come down from Port-of- Spain, but Borough Day has never had a Point Fortin based mas band involved.
Years ago, Legacy, Ronnie and Caro and other big bands would come down from Port of Spain and they never really had a Point Fortin based mas band involved. Our team has been having discussions with the Point Fortin Borough executives and we’ve been discussing all areas to ensure what we bring enhances the celebration,” said Hamilton, noting that the overall aim is to bring life to the celebration. “We hope even big mas bands will come back into the space after our presentation in 2027,” he said.
The Economics and the People.
All bases covered, inclusive of safety and convenience, Hamilton noted the state of the present economy. Understanding of the economic climate, he said URAVE’S website will go live after the band’s launch on Saturday and those interested in playing will be able to register with the option of securing a payment plan.”
On Saturday night in Point Fortin, fetters can expect a whole lot of energy and Carnival vibes. Artistes inclusive of Farmer Nappy, Trinibaby, Christo and Viking Ding Dong, will be apart of the excitement. “We are creating a safe space for people to come out and have fun. We want to always have a great time. The feeling is very important to us and we will show potential masqueraders just what it will mean to be on the road with URAVE, when we launch the band this weekend,” Hamilton assured.
Follow URAVE online on Instagram for more on what’s to come and be part of the greatest Borough Festival experience in 2027.
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