KAYTRANADA and Converse Create a Monumental Moment in Toronto
In partnership with LES SQUEAK, Converse transformed Toronto’s Princes’ Gate into a one-night-only, open-air dancefloor—delivering a first-of-its-kind, free show for 500 fans
Converse and Grammy Award®–winning artist KAYTRANADA made history last week with a first-of-its-kind performance at Toronto’s iconic Princes’ Gate. The landmark moment marked the first time an artist performed at the historic site—bringing together KAYTRANADA’s unmistakable sound and Converse’s long-standing cultural cred for a truly unforgettable, genre-defying experience.
The one-night-only show, on Friday, March 21st, which featured opening acts Lou Phelps and Teeno, was free for 500 local fans and marked the latest in a series of Converse-backed initiatives aimed at breaking down barriers between artists and audiences. At a time when live music is becoming increasingly inaccessible, Converse continues to champion creativity, community, and access—most recently with activations like Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA Pop-Up shows in New York and Boston, home to the brand’s Lovejoy HQ.
Against the striking backdrop of one of the city’s most recognizable monuments, KAYTRANADA turned the gates into a full-blown dancefloor—delivering a set that combined his signature grooves, genre-blurring energy, and cultural influence. Classic Chucks were front and centre, both on the artist and throughout the audience, as Converse celebrated self-expression, style, and sound.
“We started LES SQUEAK to help brands create work that actually moves culture,” said Laura Serra, Co-Founder of LES SQUEAK. “KAYTRANADA is the kind of artist who naturally blurs boundaries—between genres, spaces, and communities—so bringing his energy to a landmark like Princes’ Gate felt both unexpected and undeniably right. Tapping into those cultural intersections and building something unforgettable is exactly why we do what we do.”
The lead-up to the free concert was promoted via a paid media campaign across all social media platforms, alongside TSAs featuring QR codes placed throughout the city—leading to tickets selling out in under two hours.
Following the event, content from the concert is being promoted through a paid media campaign spanning digital, social, TSAs, and two specialty murals in the city’s cultural hubs of Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue.
LES SQUEAK also ran the paid media campaign, marking its official foray into the media space under the direction of veteran planner Darra Naiman. LES SQUEAK was also recently named media agency VOR for the University of Western Ontario and the University of Guelph.
LesSqueak.com
Converse x Kaytranada Campaign Credits
Client: Converse Inc.
Director, North America Brand Marketing: Olivier Camet
North America Creative Director: Stephanie Irving
North America Brand Designer: Christine Lopez
North America Lead Creative: Gabriel Baer
Marketing Coordinator: Adriana Matos
Client: Foot Locker Canada
Director Marketing & Visual Merchandising: Lisa Ascione
Manager, Integrated Marketing: Shelby Simms
Social Media and Content Coordinator: Angelique Gonzales
Agency: LES SQUEAK
Chief Creative Officer: Laura Serra
Chief Operating Officer: Louis-Nicolas Imbeau
Creative Director: Thomas St-Hilaire
Media Director: Darra Naiman
3D Designer: Christo Saba
Motion Graphics: Mathieu Bureau
Executive Producer: Travis Richel
Content Production: Common Good
Executive Producers: Julian Nieva, Dwight Phipps, Stefani Kouverianos
Photographer: Kane Ocean
Director of Photography: Tristan Clarke-McMurchy
Behind the Scenes: Theo Demeke
Producer: Erixon Bernardo
1st Photo Assistant: Noel Araquel
Photo Assistant: Kyle Phillips
Digitech: Paolo Cristante
Hair & Make up: Jasmine Merinsky
Wardrobe Stylist: Von Ford
Post Production: Daydream
Offline & Online Editor, Social: Ainslie Thomas
Full-Length Editor: Red Barbaza, Ohji Inoue
Experiential Production: Superfantastic Design
Experiential Creative Director: Daniel Josef Okorn
Creative Director of Design: Mark Neil Balson
Managing Director: Kristin Germain-O’Donnell
Experiential Director: Josh Voynovich
Experiential Producer: Bradley Blaylock
ABOUT KAYTRANADA
Louis Kevin Celestin, better known to the world as KAYTRANADA is a Haitian-born, Montreal-based DJ and producer. First breaking through to public consciousness for his viral unofficial remix of Janet Jackson’s “If,” KAYTRANADA has since gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s premier contemporary dance DJs and producers. His debut full-length 99.9% was released in 2016 to universal critical acclaim and earned him the Polaris Music Prize and a Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year in 2017. BUBBA, KAYTRANADA’s second album was released at the end of 2019 and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Electronic Albums chart and included features from Kali Uchis, SiR, GoldLink, Tinashe, Masego and many more. The album earned KAYTRANADA 2 GRAMMY Awards for Best Dance Album and Best Dance Recording for “10%” ft. Kali Uchis.
In 2021 KAYTRANADA released the Intimidated EP, which spawned a hit in the H.E.R. collaboration (the EP’s title track) that the two performed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Since then, he’s toured the world as both a headliner and with The Weeknd as part of the After Hours Til Dawn tour and released a full-length, collaborative album with Aminé. Released under the pseudonym Kaytraminé, the duo’s self-titled album was released in May of 2023 to praise from the likes of Billboard, Complex, NPR, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and more.
His most recent album TIMELESS cemented him as one of the most important names in contemporary dance music. Praised by the likes of DJ Mag, Rolling Stone, NPR, Pitchfork, Hypebeast, SPIN, The FADER and countless others. In particular, Rolling Stone’s digital cover story heralded KAYTRANADA as “dance music’s low-key legend,” proclaiming that he “has subtly shifted the sound of pop culture.” When DJ Mag featured KAYTRANADA on their cover, they characterized him as “a global music force.” He’s taking his lauded live shows, which have developed a reputation for being nonstop dance parties – coincidentally New York Magazine recently described TIMELESS as sounding like “a humid poolside dance party” – on tour across North America this fall.
ABOUT CONVERSE
Converse is an iconic lifestyle brand with more than 115 years of heritage, born in sport and adopted by culture. Converse provokes and enables those independent enough not to follow to challenge convention and defy conformity. Through expressive, inventive footwear and apparel, Converse inspires all to move confidently, play fearlessly, and connect authentically.
Converse is part of NIKE, Inc. and, also, distinctly itself.
Follow @Converse and visit Converse.com.
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