Kobo Town and Wesli

Wesli’s musical journey has gone from stringing up an oil can with nylon fishing line to winning a Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year in 2019. Born Wesley Louissaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he has grown into his role as a prolific songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Uniting a large cross section of Montreal talent, his music links Haitian voudou and rara with roots, Afrobeat, and hip-hop. Guest spots on his albums include the likes of Tiken Jah Fakoly, Paul Cargnello, and Malika Tirolien. He has toured under the GlobalFest banner with the Caribbean All Stars. Since being crowned the Revelation Radio-Canada for 2009–2010, Wesli has gone on to win the Babel Med Music Prize (2010), SOCAN’s Hagood Hardy Award (2016), an award from the Académie Charles CROS (2019), a Félix for Album of the Year in World Music (2019), and a CFMA for World Solo Artist of the Year (2020).

Founded and fronted by émigré Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music has been variously described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” (Guardian) and a “unique, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry and activist journalism” (Exclaim!). They return to Koerner following a sold-out debut with Calypso Rose.

The online stream of this concert will be available for seven days on RoyalConservatory.Live. You can watch the performance as many times as you’d like to!
Note: Concert streaming tickets are per household.

Presented in association with the Bureau du Québec.