a message from Kes the Band

(Nov. 19, 2020) - Our fans recently alerted us to a new Apple iPhone TV commercial featuring the song “Hello Hello Hello” by Remi Wolf. Many noted that the song’s chorus resembles that of our own track “Hello,” which we first released in 2017. 

While we too have noted the similarity, we do not intend to take legal action against Apple, Remi Wolf or Island Records. However, we do wish to use this moment to call attention to the global resonance of soca music. 

From calypso to steelpan to today’s soca, the music of Trinidad & Tobago has long been a source of inspiration for artists, songwriters and producers in the broader music world. While borrowers of our cultural capital have sometimes credited the original sources, in many instances they have not. Similarly, interpretations of our music have often gained access to promotion and corporate investment that is simply not afforded to our own local musicians, producers and songwriters.  

It is our hope that people from all over the world will recognize the soca/calypso genre as the treasure that it is and, when they hear aspects and elements of it in music from other places, understand and appreciate where the influences come from. We will always fight for the genre, and the music of Trinidad & Tobago.