Drake’s IMAX music video production for his solo hit “Nokia” swept the world. While the hit continues to grow globally, a father-daughter duo in Toronto are receiving endless love for creating the Caribbean Mas’ looks that are featured throughout the video.
Dexter and Celena Seusahai are the designers behind 40 elaborate carnival costumes, which they needed to put together in just four days.
“It was real pressure,” says Dexter over the phone. “We got an email on Wednesday, so we knew we had to produce by Sunday. You’re talking about different sizes, different everything, so we had to get our seamstress to get all the body wear done in two days. I tell you, if we got eight hours of sleep [over those days], that was a lot.”
Celena also starred as one of the featured dancers in the music video, wearing a costume that she personally designed.
Dexter and Celena’s mother, Gail Seusahai, helped Celena execute her vision as creative director behind the costumes, and both were on set for the video
Dexter and Gail passed on the family business to Celena in 2022 after starting it in 2007. Named Tribal Carnival, the business is a leading force in uplifting Caribbean culture in Toronto. Their exquisite costumes have been seen all over the city, most prominently at celebratory events like Toronto Carnival (also known as Caribana).
“My parents both migrated here from Trinidad in the early 90s,” says Celena. “He started working at Saldenah Mas Camp, where he learned a lot of essential skills. My sister and I spent every summer in Mas camps watching our parents, so that’s where I grew to love it.”
When Celena was handed the reins to Tribal Carnival, her goal was to build the business to a larger scale in the city.
“I have a completely different network of people,” she says. “I was doing a lot to bring the brand to a different scale through my own social media and travelling. So we took a whole new direction to it.”
Her hard work was evident in how quickly the company grew. While they eventually caught the eye of Drake, it was her friend, Tyrell MacLennan, that opened the door.
“He’s friends with someone on the production team, and they let him know that they were producing this scene,” says Celena. “I’m super thankful for him because he instantly thought of us. It went pretty quickly because they already knew what they were looking for, but they just needed someone to facilitate it.”
While many look at “Nokia” as a success from a visual standpoint, Tribal Carnival sees it as a win for Caribbean culture as a whole.
“Oh yeah, we were getting love from the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad,” says Dexter. “A lot of people are talking online saying it doesn’t make sense because it’s not Toronto culture. I’ve had to correct a lot of people because there are a whole bunch of Caribbean people living in this big city.”
“They came over here and wanted carnival and culture to be shown. So in a sense, this is Toronto culture,” Celena adds.
While the video itself has been touted as one of the better music videos in 2025, the Seusahai family appreciate it for what it did for the Caribbean community in Toronto. “This is a win for every Caribbean person living in a big city, pouring their own resources and energy into keeping our culture alive for future generations,” Celena noted on Instagram.
For Dexter, there’s some parental pride mixed in: “It’s huge for a 26-year-old to be making these moves.”
