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Kes the Band

Also known as Kes, KES, Kees Dieffenthaller

Trinidad's soca band of brothers, fronted by Kees Dieffenthaller: pop, rock and reggae-flavoured soca, the streaming giant Hello, and a 2020 Road March with Iwer George.

From
Trinidad and Tobago
Active since
2005
Genres
soca, groovy soca, pop, reggae
Kees Dieffenthaller, lead singer of Kes, in a checked suit and hat singing into a microphone at the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2021

Image credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture (Lance Cheung), via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Known for

  • Road March 2020 with Stage Gone Bad, alongside Iwer George
  • Hello, which passed 70 million streams, a record for a soca song in its decade
  • Wotless, Endless Summer and Savannah Grass
  • Out of this World with Sean Paul, the official anthem of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024

Watch Kes the Band

Who they are

Kes the Band (often just "Kes") formed in Trinidad in 2005 and is built around family: the three Dieffenthaller brothers, Kees, Jon and Hans, plus their close friend Riad Boochoon. Hans has since left the band, and today lead singer Kees fronts the group with Jon on guitar and Riad on bass.1 "The family vibe is who we are," Kees told Afropop in 2020, describing the band as "a gang of brothers".2

Where much of soca is built for a single Carnival season, Kes write songs that keep playing long after Ash Wednesday. The Recording Academy describes their sound as pop-leaning soca infused with rock and reggae, with "a resonance beyond the Carnival space" that still lands at the heart of the celebration.1

Signature sound and key songs

Kes songs tend to be melodic, warm and sing-along friendly, the kind of groovy soca that a whole fete belts out word for word. Their catalogue runs from "Wotless" and "Endless Summer" to "Hello", which had passed 70 million streams by 2023, making it the most-streamed soca song of its decade.1

They also collaborate widely. In 2023 they paired with Jamaica's Busy Signal on "HoneyComb", produced by Haiti's Michael Brun.1 In 2024 Kes and Sean Paul released "Out of this World", the official anthem of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.3

Carnival legacy

Kes's big road moment came in 2020, when "Stage Gone Bad", their collaboration with soca veteran Iwer George, won the Road March.1

Kes are also closely tied to the IzWe concert in Carnival season. In 2023 they headlined the IzWe music festival on 14 February, and their official YouTube channel features "The Process" performed with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago to open IZWE 2026.14

Start here

  • "Hello" (Soca 2018): the streaming juggernaut and an easy first listen.
  • "Stage Gone Bad" (2020): the Road March winner with Iwer George.
  • "Wotless": the party anthem that made their name.
  • "Endless Summer": Kes at their most laid-back.
  • "Savannah Grass" (2019): a sweet, singalong Kes road song.
  • "Workout" (with Nailah Blackman): a modern fete favourite.

Sources

  1. GRAMMY.com: 5 Artists Essential to Contemporary Soca (2023) (opens in a new tab) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. Afropop Worldwide: At Home With Kees from Kes the Band (2020) (opens in a new tab) ↩

  3. ICC: Sean Paul and Kes, 'Out of this World' (2024) (opens in a new tab) ↩

  4. YouTube (Kes The Band): Kes, The Process, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago opening IZWE 2026 (opens in a new tab) ↩

More soca artists

Sources

  1. Recording Academy (GRAMMY.com): 5 Artists Essential to Contemporary Soca (Feb 2023)
  2. ICC: Sean Paul and Kes collaborate for 'Out of this World' T20 World Cup 2024 anthem
  3. Afropop Worldwide: Interview, At Home With Kees from Kes the Band (2020)
  4. Kes official website
  5. YouTube (Kes The Band): The Process, opening IZWE 2026 with the National Philharmonic Orchestra
  6. YouTube: Kes, Hello (Official Music Video)

Last verified 3 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.