Soca Superstar Kes Breaks Down Five Favorite Tracks From First Album in 10 Years: ‘It’s Time to Position Ourselves in a Global Way’

“Jolene” was the first track. It came about when we were locked down and I was just happy to be on the island. At least, I have some beach and home-cooked food, you know? [Laughs.] I was swinging my hammer, listening to a piece of music and it came to me. The sound of “Jolene” touches a lot of different genres – Afrobeat, a bit of traditional calypso, some R&B, you know? I felt that this was a cool sound that we’ve stumbled upon, how about doing the entire project based on free painting? Hence the name, Man With No Door – a creatively free space. So “Jolene” really kicked it off – and it’s more of a traditional calypso/tongue-in-cheek vibe. Double entendre vibe. 

We wanted to have a visual that captured that as well, so as much as I love making new music, I love doing visuals as well to paint the picture. So, we did it in our fishing village and [it’s] very rustic, a common island life that’s shared by all islands across the world. It was a fun project and I’m really happy was the first [song] to kick off everything. 

“Tack Back,” for the American audience, means “spin the block.” [Laughs.] Which happens in Carnival, which happens on the island, which happens in life! It’s really a song geared towards the carnival atmosphere, which is all of it that comes with partying and that world. 

We had a lot of fun with not just the sound — I think this song touches a semi-Afrobeat vibe — but the take on the vocals is a little different as well. The baseline is a heavy ‘90s soca feel, there’s a lot of cool elements about it that I love. When we were writing the track, we wanted to capture the sweet soca of the ‘90s, with Crossfire and all these bands that were creating a sound of soca I thought was very important. We wanted to capture that sound back in this music with a little extra stuff in it. The writing session was a really good time. We were having fun and I felt as if that vibe came onto the track too. Even the old-school brass lines, that’s all that classic soca feel that we wanted to capture now. I think it’s still fresh and it gives you a feeling when you hear those instruments.  

“Banga” was actually out of a writing camp. Every so often, I’ll settle in a place and bring food and bring vibes and bring people, and we write. We had Jamaica’s Carnival and I stayed on for a few extra [days[ to do this writing camp in JA. JA is just such a beautiful island and it’s away from home, so there’s a sense of urgency to get something done. Again, it was out of fun. “Banga” is not a real world, we just made it up where you could put any meaning towards what it is. It sings how it feels. For us, it was just that blend. It sounds like it could swing in an Afrobeats way; it sounds like it could swing in a reggaetón way. With “Banga,” a lot of other genres are plugged into the sound of it, yet it was still us as Trinbagonians. You have to interpret it the way that you would like to interpret it. It’s not set in stone what it is. I love that creation. 

And the visual again was fun to do! The visual was me trying to be in different looks and different scenes. The song feels like a crush from long ago, from when you were a kid. All the awkwardness that came with, you know? So we [decided to] have something based in Trinidad in the ‘80s — like how we used to have house parties, and what we used to wear and how we thought we were looking so good. We probably prepared for the entire month to have this one party! We really wanted to capture what that was, so both processes were a great time. It’s a playful one, and that’s a part of who I am. 

“Miracle” was an experiment gone right! There are two vibes of soca: there’s a groovy side and there’s power soca. I appreciate power soca, but it’s a lot harder for me to write and create in that in that circle. Once in a while, I find a project or two that makes that makes sense or suits my vibe. I felt that “Miracle” was such a miracle — no pun intended – it really got my R&B side, my intimate side, but in a song that can be enjoyed in the streets of Carnival.

It was a love song between two people, but also love song for the festival itself. The way that we come together every year, it’s a miracle the way that we meet each other and do this thing. It does something different. I always say, when three or more are gathered, something changes. I feel like that happens every Carnival, when you’re around that one person who really lights your light. I felt like “Miracle” was very intimate, but yet “stadium,” so it deserved to be on this album.  

We had this piece of music for a while and it always struck a chord with me. I really wanted to write a song that speaks to my militant side. There’s a certain type of reggae I grew up to, we’re talking about Sizzla, we’re talking Capleton, “Gideon Boot!” These artists were fighting the good fight, and fighting for humanity. I felt like the sound of the music made me activate that part of myself.

I have deep love for humanity and sometimes deep concern too of where things are going. I really wanted to write a song to capture that part of me. It’s something from humanity where we make the changes as a people rather than waiting on a few to decide for all of us. We have to come together and make the changes that we that we want to see happen in the world. The song is really a call to that. 

I wanted a proper collab with this track because I felt the music was so amazing [that] it couldn’t just be me. [Laughs.] I needed to hear somebody else on it. I was following this reggae artist out of Trinidad called Queen Omega, and I think she just one of the greatest — her talent, her live talent, her recordings, everything. She was doing a dubplate for Lion Sound and it was just impeccable. I felt it. She grew up where I grew up, she’s right there! She fits.

One day, I just pulled up. We talked on Instagram, and I pulled up by her house and played the track for her, and she was like “I love it.” And then she did it. This track to me is history. It’s one of those tracks most people would say is “left field,” but I like it because it’s a different one. I’m really happy about it and I’m really looking forward to people actually taking it in.