Trinidad & Tobago soca stars, Kes (aka Kes The Band) continue to take Soca to new heights and the top global music platforms, as the band of brothers premiered their new music video for “Liki Tiki” on Revolt TV and Vibe.com this past weekend.
The wave for this new single began in earnest last month with the release of the addictive, Caribbean-centric collaboration with Haitian producer Michaël Brun (Ed Sheeran, J Balvin) and singer, JPerry. Since its release, this unexpected link up between Haiti and T&T in song is being praised and rated highly by DJs, tastemakers and Kes fans around the globe and quickly gained massive support from New York’s renowned Hot 97 radio station.
“Liki Tiki” was featured as the “Track of the Week” on the iconic hip-hop radio station’s anchor program, Ebro in the Morning. The song also spent two weeks as Spotify’s most streamed track in Haiti, one of the DSP’s newest markets.
Liki Tiki” featured on VIBE.com
Trinbagonian filmmaker, Maya Cozier (whose credits include the 2021 feature film She Paradise, and Kes’ “Jolene” video) directed the visuals for “Liki Tiki”, which are set inside a sweaty and intimate fête awash with dim red lights and Caribbean flags.
“Liki Tiki,” was co-produced by Michaël Brun and Dwala and successfully blends the soca rhythms of Trinidad & Tobago with the rootsy feel of Haitian kompa as well as a splash of dancehall, to create a quintessentially Caribbean, island-pop anthem. It’s a sound that’s right on time, with Caribbean carnivals and soca-centric celebrations like Crop Over, Caribana and Notting Hill set to return this summer after two years on ice.
“Liki Tiki is the way I describe our rhythms and feel,” says Kes frontman, Kees Dieffenthaller,
“It’s the driving force behind the swing in our music. It’s smooth, sexy and makes you feel good.”
Both Kes and Michaël Brun have emerged in recent years as leaders in championing Caribbean music globally— Kes with soca and calypso, the homegrown sounds of Trinidad & Tobago, and Michaël Brun as a DJ/producer combining Haitian music genres such as kompa and rara with electronic dance music. Rounding out the trinity on “Liki Tiki” is Port-au-Prince-born, Miami-based JPerry, one of Haiti’s most globally visible homegrown music acts.
“Liki Tiki” represents one of the first times major artists from Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti have connected on the same track. While Kes sings in a seamless mix of English and Trini patois dialect, JPerry’s lyrics alternate between English and Haitian Kreyol.
“Kes has the same mission as JPerry and myself,” said Producer, Michaël Brun.
“’Kes is an artist bringing soca to the world and JPerry is bringing Haitian music to the world. The balance feels fresh and rooted.”
“Liki Tiki” is the second single of 2022 from Kes, following “Jolene.” Both tracks will appear on the band’s forthcoming full-length album, coming this Summer on Ineffable Records.
