As a recording artiste, Kojo Rigault posts music content and engages with fans on social media daily.
So, it’s usually not a big a deal when he checks his social media notifications.
But on a particular day in July 2008, something in Rigault’s Twitter notifications caught his attention. A Twitter user named Jethro “Alonestar” Sheeran retweeted a tweet that mentioned him.
For Rigault, the user’s name piqued his interest, as Jethro’s last name was the same as that of global megastar Ed Sheeran.
He doubted if the two were related but took a chance and messaged Jethro. Even if the two were related, Rigault thought there was no way Jethro Sheeran would reply to him, of all people.
But he was wrong not only about the two being related, but also about Sheeran's replying to him.
It turned out Jethro was Ed’s cousin, and he did reply.
It’s 13 years now since that chance Twitter exchange, and the two not only have a song together but work together.
“No one usually replies to me on Twitter, but he (Jethro) did, and we’ve been friends ever since.
“When I met Jethro, it didn’t have anything to do with him being Ed Sheeran’s cousin, because we had so much in common,” said Rigault.
Born and raised in St Ann’s, Port of Spain, Rigault now lives in East Acton which is located in East London.
On the UK’s Music Week Black Music Top 20 Chart, the pair’s most recent collaboration – a song called Keep On Moving – is in the top ten and has thus far, peaked at number seven.
Sheeran enlisted Rigault to sing the song’s chorus, deciding he would be a perfect fit.
It was released as a single in February, the pair recognised the song’s value as a source of inspiration, especially in the face of the covid19 pandemic.
“The song just had this kind of magical feel to it, and it was an uplifting song. It’s very relevant to the pandemic when it comes to giving everyone a message to just keep on moving,” said Sheeran.
On the first day of its release, the song charted within Spotify’s Top 50 Global Songs Chart.
On YouTube, the song’s lyric video has gained over 30,000 views.
But collaborating with Rigault isn’t Sheeran's only connection to Trinidad and Tobago (TT). While Rigault was moving to the UK in 2000, Sheeran was visiting TT for the first time. He originally came to vacation in Tobago for three weeks in 2000, but fell in love with the country and first stayed for five months.
[caption id="attachment_893725" align="alignnone" width="689"] To date, Kojo Rigault has released several singles including Keep On Moving which is a collaboration with Jethro Alonestar Sheeran. Released as a single in February, the song is currently charting in the top ten of the UKs Music Week Black Music Charts. - Kojo Rigault[/caption]
In the years that followed, Sheeran frequently travelled to TT and even lived here from 2008-2009. Here he married his now ex-wife, who gave birth to their daughter, who is of Trini descent, i
