Kalpee taps into his homeland with ‘Island Gyal’

Recording artiste Kalpee recently released his latest single, Island Gyal, accompanied by a cinematic video which was shot on Las Cuevas beach in his native Trinidad and Tobago.

Directed by Josiah Persad, the visual boasts the beauty of the tropical twin island republic, capturing the energy of carnival and the essence of island life, vivid with colour and celebration. Kalpee said that he wanted the song to feel nostalgic, light and fun.

"The music feels so much like home, blending genres like calypso and dancehall together and incorporating instruments like steel pan and brass. That remind me of Trini carnival," he said.

He explained that the idea for the track started in neighbouring Barbados.

"But I knew I had to go back home to Trinidad to capture the energy that I thought was necessary for the track. As I landed, I linked up with my bro, Tano, who at the time had recently built his studio. I hadn't seen him since before COVID happened, so I played him the idea of Island Gyal and we immediately just started collaborating, vibing, talking about memories, about carnival and how sad it was that it didn't happen, and I think that was the inspiration that helped us finish the song," he said.

Of the video, he added: "It was important to me that we shot this video in Trinidad and Tobago, as I wanted to capture the beauty of home and the diversity within its people. That's what I envisioned when I wrote Island Gyal," he said.

The single follows the artiste's previous release titled Jump Off, which was released in March. In contrast, it took a darker tone and expressed themes of fear.