Chutney soca star KI has released his song Best Fete for Carnival 2024.
Co-written and co-produced with younger brother Rich “Shan” Persad, the crossover single is already getting lots of love from DJs across the diaspora and has already featured in several festivals on the international Carnival circuit, a media release said.
KI, real name Kris Persad, credits the song’s mass appeal to its relatable lyrics, catchy melody and danceable rhythm.
“I have been truly humbled to see the love the project is receiving from soca DJs and fans and we are all excited to see where it takes us next,” KI said in the release.
The three-time Chutney Soca Monarch says the song redirects the pent-up energy inside of Caribbean peoples. After the pandemic-forced restrictions soca fans endured recently, they are ready to free up and party. He sings:
I nevah fete like this, promoter yuh doing something!
Everything I miss, is only soca and plenty pumping,
Because this is the time to free up yuh mind and think bout nothing, think bout nothing.
Cause I, ah dunno what I come out to find, come out to find,
And I, as long as ah make this party mine, I’ll say this every time
Ah feel this is the best fete ah ever went,
The best ah never feel like this yet, and I eh going home,
Ah feel this is the best fete,
And I eh went the rest yet,
Tomorrow is a next set cause we eh going home
KI said he wrote the song during "the Mother of All Carnivals" earlier this year. He said after listening to the track take shape in studio alongside Shan, they immediately heard its crossover potential.
“Funny enough, I started writing Best Fete at the beginning of January this year. Three weeks later we emerged with a fully completed song, produced and written by myself and my little bro, Shan.
"When it was time to release, it would have been the beginning of February and at that time it wouldn’t have made too much sense. The songs of Carnival were stamped already. We decided to keep it till this year.”
The Persad brothers teamed with songwriter Stefan Jaxx, hit-making music producer Nikholai Greene of NMG productions, Bajan bassist Julian Griffith and vocalist Keone Osbourne to complete the updated track. The NSinghPro-produced music video for the project has already been viewed thousands of times on YouTube, the release said.
“Working with my brother Shan is sometimes unreal with regard to how we click and understand each other. I always say between him, our dad Cappy (Veerendra Persad) and myself, we were blessed with talents that span everything we would’ve loved to do, all together. I love that. His abilities musically as well still surprise me every day, especially being one of the few people I can talk music with, using numbers and math,” KI said.
KI is already capitalising on the momentum of the project. His family band 3Veni has played shows across Canada, the US and the Caribbean this year.
Playing at TT Carnival, however, would be the best way to start the band’s 2024 tour season, KI mused.
“I’m ready for the st
