Kedane O’Connor always brings his A-game

AS a boy, Kedane O’Connor was often scolded by his teachers for disrupting the classroom.

He was not disrespectful or mischievous but he was playful and enjoyed making his classmates laugh.

O’Connor, 26, believes his love for entertaining started back then.

“It is definitely something natural because I never went to any school in terms of doing drama. I never did anything like that. But I have always been an energetic person,” he told Newsday on February 3.

“I could remember in school days, on my reports, it was always ‘Kedane talks too much. Kedane is distracting the class.’ The funny thing about it is that looking back at it now, I realised that I was always an entertainer without realising that there is where I wanted to be.

“I love making people happy. I love making people enjoy the moment. Regardless of what space they are in, they could forget about anything that is bothering them at that moment. That is how I saw things from even back then. It’s just that it (love for entertaining) came in the form of distracting people from their schoolwork.”

One of Tobago’s rising young entertainers, O’Connor is deeply passionate about his craft and does not take it for granted.

Last year, he left his job at the Tobago House of Assembly’s Division of Education, Research and Technology, to pursue entertainment and promotional work full-time.

Whether he’s emceeing a THA event, hosting a book launch, performing a monologue or dancing the brush back in the Moriah ole time wedding, the multi-skilled artiste is sure to bring his A-game.

Mediocrity, he said, is not an option.

“I feel like this is my purpose. Whether I am singing, dancing, emceeing, I just allow people to enjoy themselves through different forms.”

Within the past few years, O’Connor has added soca music to his repertoire.

At last year’s October carnival, the performer released Jam, which he co-wrote with his producer, Ray. The song, a story about relationships, made partygoers take notice of his talent.

He said, “Jam was released the Friday before the October carnival and it was just a vibe. It was like the calypsoes of yesteryear. It has a double meaning, innuendo. Me and my producer sat down and put something together and it just happened.”

In December, O’Connor sat down again with his producer, tossed around some ideas and came up with the song, Friday, We Get Pay, which has been receiving significant airplay.

“I just wanted to find something that people could relate to and people could celebrate, something that you look forward to, getting paid.”

The video for the song, which he also wrote, was filmed on location at the I Love Tobago sign, Calypso Rose Boulevard, in Scarborough.

“Those are the two songs I have out right now. I actually have a lot more music and it’s not just soca but a lot of different music.

“I don’t want to box myself in as an artiste. So people will see different forms and different versions of me.”

Asked if he plans to enter any of the competitions this Carnival, O’Connor said, “My aim was to enter in the Ultimate Soca Champions. However, I did not get certain information and because of that I missed out on the opportunity. But I don’t want to look at it that way.

“I definitely intend to jump out for the Soca Titans this year, my aim is to be a part of that competition. I have been watching and wanting to be a part of it but I wanted to take my time. I am definitely going to be part of the Soca Titans.”

O’Connor, who has lived in Bagatelle for the past 20 years, navigated between Plymouth and Scarborough as a child.

He attended Scarborough RC School and later Bishop’s High School before moving on to the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

There, he studied kinesiology (scientific study of human body movement) and sports management.

O’Connor said his love for sport and fitness inspired him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field.

“I am a personal trainer but my aim is also to get involved in massage therapy.”

But he said the stage is his passion.

While there’ve been several feel-good moments during his career so far, O’Connor said his experience hosting segments of the Commonwealth Youth Games in August 2023, including the closing ceremony, has undoubtedly been the most fulfilling.

“The Commonwealth Youth Games made me realise that I can thrive in this market. Although I have been doing work as well for the THA, Bmobile, ICC Cricket World Cup and other organisations, I feel like the Commonwealth Games opened my eyes as to how big this thing is, much bigger than I thought it would have been. It showed me that I not only have the potential to be great in Tobago’s market but internationally as well.

“In the Commonwealth Games, different countries participated and to be able to have them respond to me in the way they did, enjoying themselves, just showed me that it is not just Tobago. I have potential to go worldwide.

“So that experience, in particular, made me realise that I could really do this. That was one of my aha moments.”

Last year, O’ Connor also entered the popular THA inter-department carnival competition and placed second with De Bois Man, which was choreographed by well-known dancer Aquisia Frederick-Thomas.

He believes the presentation gave the audience at the parade ground of the Dwight Yorke Stadium further insight into his skill as a performer.

O’Connor said all of his experiences in the field, thus far, contributed to his growth as an artiste.

“It does not mean that every day is perfect or every day is amazing. But my mentality is different. So what I try to do is look for the positives in every single thing. So as much as something may not be how I want it to be, I look for the positives.

“It is like the law of attraction. If you look for the negative things, you are going to attract more negatives. But if you look at the positive things, then you are going to attract more positives.”

O’Connor said he is not about self-aggrandisement.

“I just love to do what I do and I am not doing it to look for any acknowledgement or recognition. A lot of people do it for false motives, to boost their ego. I do it because I really love it. It is just something that is in me and has been given to me. And it is amazing for me to share that experience with people.”

What has he learnt about himself from being in the spotlight?

“I learnt that my mind is very powerful. I have this way of making things work even if it seems impossible.”

He said the video for Friday, We Get Pay, best exemplifies this.

“There were so many things that went wrong in terms of me putting things together for the music video. Anything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. But someone once told me that whenever you are close to achieving something, God tests you to see if you really deserve it.

“So you have to find what works. And I have a way that I will make things work. As much as it looks like it is going to be tough, I will find my way to make it work and find the best possible outcome out of whatever I am dealing with at that point in time.”

O’Connor makes a point of challenging himself daily to be the best that he could be. For him, there are no benchmarks, just limitless possibilities.

“I like to be realistic with myself but at the same time I am a dreamer. My aim is to transition as an artiste so that my music is not just for Trinidad and Tobago or the Caribbean but for the world.

“I want to put out things that the world could relate to. I want the world to be able to grasp something from whatever it is I am giving. I want to be internationally recognised as an entertainer.”