Princess Lover (top left), Kai formerly of Carimi (top right), Phyllisia Ross (bottom left) and JmaX (bottom right).
PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) launched its zouk/kompas concert line-up this week and, according to the foundation, has been receiving “tons of interest and response” from local zouk lovers as well as interest from the nearby French territories.
Under its concert brand “Sons D’Amour”, the concert will be held on Friday, April 22 in Carnival Village and will feature four international recordings artists: Headliners Phyllisia Ross and Kai formerly of Carimi, along with zouk sensation Princess Lover and Urban artist JmaX.
“We were excited to host this concert the last two years but the pandemic had different ideas for the world and the island. We will finally be able to bring zouk/kompas back into Carnival village after a very long time and we are beyond excited about the line-up. We believe people will be swaying all night long to the sweet tunes of these artists,” the SCDF said.
Tickets for this show are available at Van Dorp and Levi’s on the French side for US $25 in advance and $40 the week of the show and at the gate.
Phyllisia Ross
In 2014, Phyllisia’s career reached a turning point when she decided to focus on the world music genre. The release of her single “Konsa” was the revelation-the public fell in love with her vocal style, exceptional musicality, use of multiple languages and homage to Phyllisia’s Haitian roots in its kompa production style.
The success is there and continues with many hits like “Ma Vie Sans Toi” featuring French singer-songwriter Marvin, “Only For You” which mixes R&B, kompa and electronic music production styles, “U & Me” which features authentic reggae production, “Can’ T Resist” which contains kizomba elements, “One” an upbeat, summer afro-pop tune and “Di Mwen” a subtle mix between soul, R&B, kompa and zouk.
Kaï
Carimi is no more, long live Kaï! After the gossip-ridden split of the popular Haitian band Carimi, singer Richard Cavé stepped out on his own and became Kaï. In his music his fans are treated to an energetic Kompas sound, with a confident Richard as the front singer, who proves that he has the charisma to dominate Haitian music for many years to come.
Princess Lover
Princess Lover started showing interest in music at the age of 14. With her brother Master MX, a dancehall singer from Martinique, they collaborate for their first hit, Inmin, which becomes a success. After numerous appearances in zouk and reggae compilations which earned her undeniable popularity, she decided in 1998 to emigrate.
Arrived in Paris, she joined Alice Dona’s school and met many persons who multiplied her potential. She is best known for her worldwide hit “Mon Soleil”.
JmaX
JmaX is a young author, composer and performer. At the end of 2013, he found success thanks to the hit title “Fanatique Girl”, which reached a million views. He strung together a chain of hit singles like “Let me love you”, “An pa tou sel”, which allowed him to conquer a wide audience.
After the success of the 12,000,000 views of “Touch me remix” alongside Mel, JmaX collaborated with Nesly on the hit “Your Sides (Baby Doll)”. His dancehall compilation “Pull Di Trigger” released on June 13, 2018, was also a great success.
