Martelly, Michel

Artist/Band/Group Birthday :	12/02/1961(Age 63)
Born In/Current Location :	Haiti/Florida
Occupation(s) :	Singer, Keyboard, President of Haiti
Genres :	Konpa
Solo/Band/Group :	Big O

Michel Martelly, better known as “Sweet Micky”, is a musical marvel born in Port-au-Prince who has brought incredible energy, passion and sensitivity to the world of Haitian compas music. While his persona ignites great controversy throughout the Haitian diaspora, it is overstated with a pulsating, infectious beat, accompanied by satire and sharp commentary. It can also be ever so softly understated with a lilting, dream-like cadence. The only thing which is predictable about Sweet Micky is that he is completely un-predictable.

Over the past decade, Martelly has won the hearts of the Haitian people through his musical talent, irrepressible charm and charismatic persona. While he consistently shakes up the Haitian music world with new interpretations of compas, roots, salsa, Caribbean soca and jazz-fusion, he is steadily positioning himself for international recognition and popularity. He has the unstoppable “can-do” attitude which Americans admire and pride themselves on, tempered by the suave sophistication of the French Caribbean. When Wyclef Jean of the Fugees needed someone to spark the flames for his Carnival album, it was Martelly whom he called upon to record the title song. As Wyclef proclaims while the “Carnival” tempo rises tumultuously, “Surprise – it’s Sweet Micky, y’all!”

Sweet Micky has recorded ten albums over the past ten years, but his popularity began to ascend dramatically with the release of the I Don’t Care album in 1994 which contained “I Don’t Care,” the rambunctious, defiant title song that rocked every compas dance floor from Haiti New York City. Pa Manyen “Don’t Touch”, another burst of hard-hitting compas rhythms whose title song became one of the most requested songs on radio and in dance halls everywhere followed this album later in 1994. While turning out hit after hit, Micky remains close to the pulse of his audience by doing incessant concert tours throughout the U.S., Haiti, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe.

The 1997 release of his album Aloufa, took the international music world completely by storm. It is full of rhythmical and lyrical surprises, which even the most hard-nosed “anti-Micky” proponents cannot resist. “Mon Colonel”, which has also been released as a music video, was the clear front-runner when Haitian music awards were handed out for compas. Micky’s raw and rousing style is complimented by his romantic side in “Nous Deux” (We Two), a soft and somber love song. The pulsating push of “Mice’s Rara” is a classic example of how Martelly reinvents the boundaries of Haitian music by synchronizing roots with compas and reggae. His 1998 album, 100,000 volts is soaring up the charts and tearing up dance floors everywhere with hits like, “Y’ap Danse”.

Sweet Micky is often referred to as the “Bad Boy” of Haitian music, but this description is music more appropriate in its American slang definition where “bad” means really, really good. In 1997, Michel Martelly showed the world that his musical talent is a continuous means toward a very positive end by donating his time to participate in “Knowledge is Power”, an HIV educational music video with a powerful message about preventing the spread of HIV.

UPDATED: Michel Martelly served as President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016.

Visits: 272