Ebuzz News
Kes The Band Launches New Single With Busy Signal and Michaël Brun, Ahead of IzWE.
Last Thursday, Kes The Band unleashed its latest collaborative single. The track, ““Honey Comb,” features Jamaican artiste, Busy Signal and Haiti’s Michaël Brun. The dancehall-inspired track premiered on BBC1Xtra with Seani B.
Both Busy Signal and Michaël Brun are set to join Kes as they ring in the return of Trinidad Carnival at the IzWE Festival. That’s happening on happening Tuesday, February 14th at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist, Shaggy will also be a part of the event. The internationally acclaimed entertainer recently collaborated with Kees on the single, ‘Mood.’
A couple weeks ago, Kees, speaking during a digital media conference, said the show will also feature acts like 91-year-old calypso legend Lord Nelson, and Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles. Soca acts like Nailah Blackman, Olatunji, Iwer George, Erphaan Alves, Mical Teja, Viking Ding Dong, Rikki Jai and Ravi B are also billed to bring fans of Caribbean music, tremendous excitement and fun.
The festival, which falls on Valentine’s Night, will showcase the diversity of music from Trinidad & Tobago and the broader Caribbean, with two alternate stages, dubbed Sun (mainstage) and Moon (auxiliary). While the Sun stage hosts Kes The Band and other headliners, the Moon stage will showcase alternative acts outside the norm of what is typically presented during Caribbean Carnival, including Keshav, Coutain, Annalie Prime and Orange Sky.
Adding to the event’s pan-Caribbean flavor are Haiti’s JPerry, Barbados’ King Bubba FM and St Lucia’s Teddyson John, as well as Laventille Rhythm Section, whose instrumental “engine room” sound is the ultimate expression of Trinidad Carnival culture. “For the concert, I tried my very best to expand the sound beyond the soca,” said Kees. “I want to carry people through a bit of the journey from where we came,” he explained.
IzWE Returns
Kes launched IzWE (pronounced “Is We”) in 2021 as a series of five, socially-distanced concerts during what would have been Carnival Week 2021. The intimate, limited-capacity shows were the first sanctioned live music events held in Trinidad & Tobago following the start of the pandemic one year earlier.
Kes has since exported IzWE to New York City and Toronto, in 2021 and 2022, respectively, with some 8,000 fans attending each event. With IzWE 2023, 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 annual Carnival season concert from 2014 to 2020.
Ebuzz News
Patrice Roberts Pulls 10K Plus Crowd At Flava Village in Port-of-Spain.
The national Carnival Commission says more than 10,000 patrons came out to Flava Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday night to see female Soca artiste, Patrice Roberts.
An event dubbed, ‘Always Us,’ held as a free showcase for Carnival lovers, delivered a number of truly entertaining soca stars, among them, Shal Marshall, Shurwayne Winchester, Nadia Batson, Farmer Nappy and Mical Teja. The NCC, in a media statement said, “an estimated 8,000 people filled the popular Carnival venue, with an additional 2,000patrons enjoying the show from viewing screens along The Drag, creating an electric Carnival atmosphere despite heavy rainfall earlier in the day.”
With her usual high energy performances, Patrice held the attention of fans throughout the night.The concert was described by the artiste as a heartfelt “thank you” to her fans and
supporters. NCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Keiba Jacob-Mottley, said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to partner with Roberts. “We commend Patrice for her decision to give back in this meaningful way and applaud her commitment to ensuring that high-quality local entertainment remains accessible to everyone during the Carnival season, Mottley said, adding, “Our collaboration reinforces the NCC’s focus on creating memorable Carnival experiences that celebrate our artistes while removing financial barriers for the public,” she added.
The NCC CEO noted that the Flava Food Village, one of two signature Carnival villages at the
Savannah, alongside the John Cupid Carnival Village, is offered as a vibrant, inclusive space
where patrons can enjoy food, culture, and nightly performances free of charge. She added
that other NCC events, such as “Welcome to the Gayelle” represent the continuing work at
delivering a successful Carnival 2026.
David Baptiste, President of the Carnival Entrepreneurs Association, described the night as a milestone for vendors at the Savannah. “Last night was truly beautiful and something I have never seen before – an event of this magnitude in terms of crowd size, and people supporting the vendors. Many vendors sold out last night. We need more of this, and I am looking forward to the next event. Events like these boost business for our vendors at the Savannah and make them truly feel like they are a part of the Carnival festival,” Baptiste said.
Ebuzz News
Squeezy Rankin’s Pivot. Artiste Goes Hard into Calypso to Change Mindsets.
From dancehall music with rough lyrical content to social commentary that aims at changing mindsets, East Trinidad native, Squeezy Rankin says he has found his true calling in Calypso music. The entertainer is on the road to the preliminary round of the Calypso Monarch Competition later this month, with a single called ‘Rat Race’ – this, one year after ‘Justice’ influenced younger audiences to take a stronger look at the Calypso genre, something that he hopes he can continue to do as his journey in music continues.
In a recent radio interview, the reigning Young King, whose real name is Anthony La Fleur, said prior to 2025, he had not done music professionally in 13 years. Jumping back into the spotlight, he said, was a bit intimidating, but the exposure last year has prepared him for 2026 and the artiste is expected to confidently claim his space in the Calypso Monarch competition this year.
As real as it gets, Squeezy Rankin- a man on the ground, has always fought for his place in the music industry locally. Now, as Calypso music embraces him even more, he says he believes he’s found his place. “I plan on releasing two songs during the year because I want to change the narrative that Calypso music is old people music,” he said, adding that his hope is that urban radio stations see the value in sharing topics of social commentary, such as ‘Justice’ and ‘Rat Race’- songs deep in meaning and valuable beyond measure, in the greater scheme of things.
Determined to change mindsets one song at a time, Squeezy Rankin says his strong suit is certainly social commentary and he will not, at any time, delve into political commentary. “I was advised by someone who is deep in politics to stay out of it and I literally listened. You know sometimes we hear people, but we aren’t listening. I thought about what he said, and it made sense. I literally listened, even though they say I don’t listen,” he said with a laugh.
‘Rat Race’ was written by Squeezy and Angelo Pantin with production by Q-Ban Production.
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