kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
Grammy-award-winning, Diamond-selling, Jamaican superstar, Shaggy, has teamed up with soca artiste Kees Dieffenthaller to make soca/calypso music popular all year round.Shaggy made the disclosure on the Tamron Hall Show on Wednesday.
Broadcast from New York City, Tamron Hall airs across the United States in national syndication on ABC-owned television stations.
Hall brought on the duo for her Tam Bam, who introduced the Jamaican superstar to a screaming live audience and asked him about the single Mood.
“Soca and calypso have been the fabric of the Jamaican culture for many years. My Caribbean people in the house,” Shaggy said, prompting loud screams.
“It has always been dubbed as somewhat of a seasonal music and I think it should pass that. Kees and I had this whole idea to bring it past it being this seasonal thing, because we said I’m in a mood. I’m not just in a good mood for Carnival, I’m in a good mood all the time.”
Hall then welcomed Kees to the stage, asking him how he felt about sharing the moment with Shaggy.
“It is an honour. It is always amazing when Jamaica and Trinidad come together, anybody from Trinidad,” Kees said to a screaming audience.
“Just as he said, create the music and create outside of the season. Let people enjoy the vibe all year round.”
The duo then went on to perform their 2023 Carnival release Mood, which has received over 200,000 views on IG, over 20,000 views on the show’s YouTube Channel and over 5,000 shares on Facebook.
Guardian Media reached out to Kees about the interview and performance.
“Shout out to Shaggy and his awesome team for helping us take Soca to new heights,” he said.
“This showcase was just a taste of what’s coming next for us and the incredible music and culture we have in T&T and the Caribbean. It’s amazing to see so many people enjoying and sharing the clip. This song is truly special and represents a moment for us to come together, show our strength and support our music and culture. Let’s keep rising and spreading the soca love.”
Shaggy and Kees will perform at the Cali Roots Festival in Monterey, California, tomorrow.