Soca artist Kees Dieffenthaller, frontman of Kes the Band, throughout one in every of his many performances.
Picture courtesy Kes
Internationally celebrated soca artist Kees Dieffenthaller, frontman of Kes the Band, has made historical past as soon as once more — this time as the primary soca performer to promote out two SummerStage live shows at Central Park inside hours of happening sale.
“Set for July 5 and July 6, 2025, these back-to-back sold-out reveals mark a groundbreaking second not just for Kees however for the whole Caribbean music scene,” Ronnie Tomlinson, the Jamaican-born leisure publicist, who serves as CEO of the New York-based Destine Media, informed Caribbean Life on Tuesday.
“This can be Kes’s second look at SummerStage, following a sensational 2024 debut, the place his single present bought out inside hours, leaving 1000’s of followers clamoring for extra,” added Tomlinson, a Brooklyn resident. “This 12 months’s double reserving is a testomony to his hovering recognition and rising world impression.”
Coming off a record-breaking run, Tomlinson stated Kees’s chart-topping single, “Cocoa Tea,” continues to dominate streaming platforms worldwide. On the similar time, his electrifying “IzWe Pageant: Trinidad Carnival Version” earlier this 12 months “drew large crowds and united cultures by way of rhythm and revelry.”
Tomlinson stated the band’s worldwide attain has additionally expanded considerably, with two sold-out reveals in Montreal throughout its 2024 tour in Canada, “proving that the love for soca is aware of no borders.”
“As Kes the Band celebrates 20 years within the music business this 12 months, they proceed to steer the cost for soca on the world stage—waving the purple, white, and black of Trinidad and Tobago with delight and objective,” she stated.
Kees stated: “We’ve at all times believed within the energy of soca to convey individuals collectively.
“To see that imaginative and prescient unfold not simply in Trinidad however in New York, Canada, and past—it’s deeply humbling,” he added. “This second belongs to all of us.”
Introduced by Capital One, Tomlinson stated SummerStage is famend for spotlighting dynamic expertise from throughout the globe.
“Kes’s back-to-back sold-out reveals not solely showcase his unmatched showmanship but in addition replicate a bigger cultural shift as Caribbean music takes its rightful place within the world highlight,” Tomlinson stated.
