Trinidadian singer Kalpee takes another crack at the big time with Feel Good Playlist Vol. 1, his second EP which was released on September 23. On it, he collaborates with some high-profile figures. 

Gimme de Ting, first single from the five-song project, features Jamaican deejay Stefflon Don. Kalpee also worked with producer/writers Yei Gonzales, Carla Marie Williams and Santiago Rodriguez whose credits include hit songs by the likes of Beyonce, Britney Spears, Cardi B, DJ Khaled and Pitbull. 

Kalpee hopes teaming with them will not only break him into major markets, but introduce his fusion of West Indian sounds to the world. 

"Of course I’d love to see my music do great things and I believe it will, because every time I create, there’s a whole lot of love that goes into it and people feed off of that," he said. "But the main goal at the end of the day is so much bigger than just me; i wanna help build an industry for the arts in Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the Caribbean, outside of Carnival, because we are so much more than just that." 

Put A Record On, Climb, Runaway and Water Flowing are the other songs on Feelgood Playlist Vol. 1. 

Kalpee was born Christian Kalpee in Canada to Trinidadian parents. He grew up in Chaguanas, central Trinidad, and has an unapologetic appreciation for Calypso masters like Lord Kitchener and David Rudder. 

It was a pop song, No One, that made Kalpee popular three years ago in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. At that time, he was signed to Sony Dubai. 

Home, his first EP, was released last year. 

The sessions with Gonzales, Williams and Rodriguez, Kalpee stressed, were beneficial. 

"Working with all of these creatives definitely helped me to grow my sound and learn new ways of working. Also, we all have different tastes, so it’s always interesting creating something and coming up with a sound that we all agree on," he said.

Written By Howard Campbell