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

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

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 Croix-des-Bouquets (, ; or ) is a commune in the Ouest department of Haiti. It is located to the northeast of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. Originally located on the shore, it was relocated inland after the 1770 Port-au-Prince ea ...

in the north of

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

, the capital of

. He grew up at Pétion-Ville 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 during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. 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 Musicians from Port-au-Prince {{Haiti-musician-stub