Shaggy, Grammy-award-winning artiste, producer, and songwriter is set to release his soca-inspired EP, ‘In the Mood’ on Friday (May 12).

The seven-track project kicks off a new partnership with Shaggy’s label, Ranch Entertainment, and VP Records.

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 Kes and ‘Don’t Run’ with Vincentian singer Skinny Fabulous, the EP is set to fuel parties and parades from Port of Spain to Notting Hill.

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

‘In the Mood’ finds Shaggy enlisting talent from across the Caribbean and the diaspora to add to the magic. Featured artistes like 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 splendour.

Shaggy, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, envisions that 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,” said Shaggy.

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