Shaggy Is In the Mood For Carnival With New EP and Music Video

(VP Records) Shaggy's soca-inspired EP In the Mood is set to be released on May 12. The seven-track project kicks off a new partnership with Shaggy's label, Ranch Entertainment and VP Records.

For In the Mood, Shaggy drew inspiration from the vibrancy of Caribbean Carnival celebrations and blended the fast-paced exuberance of Trinidad and Tobago's soca music with modern dancehall and EDM. Led by the revelrous singles "Mood" featuring Trinidadian star Kes and "Don't Run" with Vincentian singer Skinny Fabulous, the project is set to fuel parties and parades from Port of Spain to Notting Hill.

In anticipation of the EP's release, Shaggy has today unveiled a music video for "Mood," directed by Maya Cozier. It features Shaggy and Kes playing fun-seeking mechanics, people feteing in the streets, and the two artists performing at Kes's IzWe Festival in Trinidad.

In the Mood finds Shaggy enlisting talent from across the Caribbean and its diaspora to add to the magic; fellow Jamaicans Konshens, Future Fambo, and Noah Powa offer some dancehall edge, while Trinidadian sensations Bunji Garlin, Kes, and Patrice Roberts, as well as Skinny Fabulous, help drive the project into pure soca splendor.

Though Trinidad & Tobago Carnival has ended, Shaggy, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, envisions his latest project will keep the party going year-round: "From the start, I wanted to capture the Carnival experience in these seven songs, and while soca has historically been more seasonal, In the Mood won't be limited to any one season. Its hybrid sound can be played anywhere and anytime people want to enjoy themselves."

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