Jean Bélony Murat (born 29 October 1979, known by his stage name BélO) is a

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

an composer and guitarist. The songs in his first album ''Lakou trankil'' (''Quiet Streets'') explain and reflect the problems Haitians face. BélO is popular in Europe and Africa where he won the Discovery RFI Prime in April 2006. This award had already helped other artists like Tiken Jah Fakoly and Rokia Traoré to reveal their talent in the music industry. BélO's musical approach is influenced by other Caribbean styles but mostly by reggae and jazz.

Early years

Jean Bélony Murat was born on October 29, 1979, at Croix-des-Bouquets in the north of

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, the capital of

. He grew up at

Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville ( ht, Petyonvil) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named ...

an area where music has an important role in the Haitian community. He started to sing at a very young age and at 11 years old interpreted Buju Banton, his idol. In 1994, he and his friend formed the Mega Boys that was not very successful. In 1997, he met Fabrice Rouzier and San, two artists who encouraged him to play an instrument. At first, he chose the bass but changed later to the guitar. He went to university in 2001 where he studied accounting for four years. Then he was ready to devote his life to music and released his first album in 2005.

Music

After ''Lakou trankil'', the first album that had success locally and internationally, BélO released ''Reference''. This is close to

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and has a touch of pop and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. He exposed the social problems of humankind, such as violence, AIDS and homeless children. BélO is an ambassador of the Haitian music; he shows love and affection for his homeland. In his songs he is making society aware of its problems and is proposing solutions.

References

"Bélo : « les Haïtiens sont aussi Africains »"
at Afrik.com, 28 April 2007

* ttp://www.rfimusique.com/musiquefr/articles/086/article_16759.asp RFI Musique - Reportage - BélO à Paris
FRONTLINE/WORLD . Rough Cut . Haiti: BélO's Song of Peace , PBS
Living people 1979 births 21st-century Haitian male singers People from Port-au-Prince {{Haiti-musician-stub