Kees has revealed that years before Kes appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, he had already created a performance with the platform in mind.
He described the eventual Tiny Desk appearance as a dream come true and said an earlier home performance was deliberately designed to show that Kes could work in an intimate musical setting outside of a fete.
Kees said he remembered telling his production team that he wanted a “Tiny Desk style” presentation because he viewed it as an unofficial audition tape.
When the opportunity eventually materialised through his public relations team, Kes then faced the challenge of fitting its performance into the programme’s limited timeframe.
Kees said he also wanted the appearance to showcase Trinidad and Tobago’s culture, incorporating steelpan and musicians who have been part of his wider musical journey.
He said the band had roughly a week to pull elements of the performance together while continuing to tour.
