Wesli
Wesli’s musical journey evolved from stringing up an oil can with nylon fishing string to winning a JUNO for World Music Album of the Year.
Wesli
Wesli’s musical journey evolved from stringing up an oil can with nylon fishing string to winning a JUNO for World Music Album of the Year. Award.
Born Wesley Louissaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he has grown into his role as a prolific songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Uniting a large cross-section of Montreal talent, his music links Haitian voudou and rara with Twoubadou roots, Afrobeat and reggae – guest spots on his albums have included the likes of Tiken JahFakoly, AfrotroniX, Mes Aïeux, Paul Cargnello and Radio Radio.
Since being crowned the Revelation Radio-Canada for 2009–2010, Wesli has gone on to win the Babel Med Music Prize (2010), SOCAN’s Hagood Hardy (Composing) Award (2016), an award from the Académie Charles CROS (2019) for Diaspora representation, a JUNO for World Music (2019), a Félix for Album of the Year in World Music (2019), and a CFMA for World Solo Artist of the Year (2020). He has toured across North America, Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, and Europe, and participated in WOMEX, Mundial Montréal and Cape Verde’s Atlantic Music Expo.
Wesli’s unstoppable creativity led to two album releases in 2015: the star-studded Immigrand alongside the more traditional Ayiti Étoile Nouvelle. Rapadou Kréyol (2018) was followed by his 7th album, released internationally on Oct 21, 2022, in partnership with the American label Cumbancha. Tradisyon Volume 2 will be released in 2023
“Having become in a few years one of the most active and successful
ambassadors of Haitian music, the singer and multi-instrumentalist Wesli
puts his knowledge at the service of his artistic know-how to federate
around his cultural roots”
– RFI, France
Tradisyon is the first of a diptych of albums engaging directly with Haitian music: this one looks back, and the second instalment will look forward and more widely, with a syncretic blend of electronic music, Afrobeat, soul, funk, hip-hop and more. (tr)
★★★★ – Financial Times, UK
Born Wesley Louissaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he has grown into his role as a prolific songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Uniting a large cross-section of Montreal talent, his music links Haitian voudou and rara with Twoubadou roots, Afrobeat and reggae – guest spots on his albums have included the likes of Tiken Jah Fakoly, AfrotroniX, Mes Aïeux, Paul Cargnello and Radio Radio.
Since being crowned the Revelation Radio-Canada for 2009–2010, Wesli has gone on to win the Babel Med Music Prize (2010), SOCAN’s Hagood Hardy (Composing) Award (2016), an award from the Académie Charles CROS (2019) for Diaspora representation, a JUNO for World Music (2019), a Félix for Album of the Year in World Music (2019), and a CFMA for World Solo Artist of the Year (2020). He has toured across North America, Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, and Europe, and participated in WOMEX, Mundial Montréal and Cape
Verde’s Atlantic Music Expo.
“Having become in a few years one of the most active and successful
ambassadors of Haitian music, the singer and multi-instrumentalist Wesli
puts his knowledge at the service of his artistic know-how to federate
around his cultural roots”
– RFI, France