KesTheBand carries soca from Brooklyn Museum to DC JazzFest stage with Stevie Wonder

NEW YORK, United States. Trinidad and Tobago soca group KesTheBand put Caribbean music at the centre of one of the busiest weekends of the year for the diaspora, performing to thousands in Brooklyn before sharing a stage with Stevie Wonder in Washington, DC.

The Labor Day weekend began on Friday, September 4, when the band played Soca Fest at the Brooklyn Museum, drawing thousands of fans from across the region.

Young fans danced alongside parents and grandparents as Caribbean flags filled the venue, with people from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana and beyond in the crowd.

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani introduced the group, drawing loud applause as he spoke about the role the Caribbean diaspora plays in shaping the city.

Wonder joins the band

The following night KesTheBand travelled to Washington, DC, to perform at DC JazzFest, where Stevie Wonder joined them on stage.

Together they performed a mashup of Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and the band's soca anthem "Savannah Grass".

For frontman Kees Dieffenthaller, the moment carried special meaning. He later reflected on social media that Wonder's music had been part of his life since childhood.

Grand marshal duty

The weekend continued as Dieffenthaller prepared to serve as an honorary grand marshal of the 59th annual New York Caribbean Carnival Parade alongside reggae artist Buju Banton.

Led by Dieffenthaller, KesTheBand has helped introduce Caribbean sounds to audiences far beyond Trinidad and Tobago, and its music has become closely associated with the global growth of contemporary soca.

Known for blending soca with calypso, reggae, R&B and global pop influences, the group has become one of the Caribbean's strongest musical ambassadors, showing how the region's music crosses borders while staying connected to its roots.