THE International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced that iconic Grammy award-winning artiste Sean Paul, and Soca superstar Kes will join forces to produce the official anthem of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, hosted in the West Indies and USA.

With just 50 days to go until the Men’s T20 World Cup begins, the anthem’s production is in full swing for the track that will reverberate around the world when 20 international teams come together across the West Indies and USA from 1-29 June. The anthem is being produced by Machel “Tano” Montano, and will be launched in the coming weeks, together with the music video, which will feature cameos from several well-known superstars.

Grammy Award winner Sean Paul is a Jamaican dancehall artiste, philanthropist and record producer who has also earned several Grammy, Latin Music and Billboard Music Awards nominations. He is also the recipient of an MTV Europe Music Award (2003), Grammy Award winner ‘Dutty Rock’ Reggae Album of the Year (2004), the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards for ‘Top Reggae Artiste of the Year’ (2005), an American Music Award (2006), of which he is the only Jamaican artiste to have won in the category for ‘Favourite Pop/Rock Male Artist’, and MOBO Award (2013).

Kees Dieffenthaller, known to the world as KES, is the lead singer of Kes the Band, the eclectic outfit from Trinidad and Tobago behind some of modern Caribbean music’s most indelible anthems. In addition to his collaboration with Sean Paul on the tournament’s official anthem, Kes has shared the stage with the likes of Will Smith, Major Lazer and John Legend, and has collaborated with artistes from Wizkid to Snoop Dogg.

Grammy-award winning artist Sean Paul said: “Cricket has always been a major part of our culture, so I’m honoured to record the official anthem for the T20 World Cup. “I’m a big fan of Kes, and the track will feature a nice touch of the Caribbean, with some dance, to an international vibe and of course Soca. It will be a real anthem for people to sing out and feel the spirit of unity.”

Soca superstar Kes said: “Our mission has always been about bringing worlds together, so blending cricket (dear to us in the Caribbean), with music is a powerful combination. Shoutout to Sean Paul, Tano, and the whole team for creating this musical vibe. Can’t wait for everyone to sing along to this worldwide anthem, and bring the party to stadiums across the West Indies and USA.”

The announcement of the artistes to feature on the official anthem comes as party-stand tickets for World Cup matches are also set to go on sale on Monday 15 April at 10h00am AST at tickets.t20worldcup.com, with prices starting at just US$25. General tickets are also available for purchase on the ticketing website and will be available at box offices across the Caribbean when they open in the coming weeks.