{"id":2088446,"date":"2025-10-13T19:42:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2088446"},"modified":"2025-10-13T19:42:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T19:42:17","slug":"tadia-on-konpa-live-my-life-and-the-global-rise-of-haitian-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/tadia-on-konpa-live-my-life-and-the-global-rise-of-haitian-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Tadia on konpa, Live My Life, and the global rise of Haitian music"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-summary\">\n<h2 class=\"article-summary-title\">Overview:<\/h2>\n<p>Singer-songwriter Tadia discusses the rise of Haitian music on global stages, the evolution of Konpa through collaboration and digital fusion, and how her new single \u201cLive My Life\u201d reflects the universal fight for freedom and joy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>NEW YORK<\/strong>\u2014Among up-and-coming purveyors of arts and culture in the community, Tadia Tousssaint stands out for consistently working in the mainstream and being rooted in the Haitian community. The Emmy-nominated filmmaker splits time on music, her mainstay, and films\u2013combining both this fall with the release of a konpa-flavored single years in the making, \u201cLive My Life\u201d featuring Haitian R&amp;B artist Charlin Bato. The song comes with a companion film in which she stars as a spy out to stop Haitian corruption.<\/p>\n<p>We caught up with Toussaint a couple after she dropped \u201cLive My Life,\u201d available on all streaming platforms, to discuss the significance of projects like hers as Haitian sounds, konpa specifically, permeate. The conversation has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong>The Haitian Times \/ Macollvie J. Neel: How are you feeling about this moment now after this release, both for you and for Haitian music overall? For our culture as Haitians?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tadia Toussaint:<\/strong> I feel an immense responsibility as an artist to carry forth the sound, like God has revealed some chess pieces to me that I have to play. And with konpa kind of poking its head onto the global stage in the way that it did last year, it\u2019s timely to push forward the sonic that represents us.<\/p>\n<p>Literally, <em>Bondieu mete\u2019m la<\/em> [God put me here] in New York, in the melting pot of the world, where I\u2019ve grown up with other cultures that I get to see on the global stage all the time. So, I feel the responsibility to continue to lean into the power of influence and storytelling that artists have, which I think is one of the most profound things for an artist.<\/p>\n<p>You know, music has an ability to travel far and wide, and it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be always completely understood. Music is really our only tourism right now that folks can experience. Like, that 4 Kamp\u00e9 moment was so special because it was like Haiti was trending for the first time and it wasn\u2019t about something tragic. The Shade Room, the biggest American culture blogs, were reposting the song and saying, \u2018Where my Haitians at?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As artists, we want people from other places to hear us because we have something to share. As freedom fighters, it\u2019s crazy that we\u2019re still fighting for basic things. So when I look at just the climate globally, it\u2019s clear \u2018se pa nou menm selman kap viv [we\u2019re not the only ones living] in a way that we want to scream, \u201clet me live my life so nobody cannot take control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Live My Life \u2013 TADIA x Charlin BATO (Official Visualizer)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6-V41E8H2fM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>THT: How did <\/strong><strong><em>\u201cLive My Life\u201d<\/em><\/strong><strong> come to be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>I started recording <em>\u201cLive My Life\u201d<\/em> in Haiti in 2020. To get to the studio there, I had to cross a river. I remember watching kids playing and laughing on the way, and I thought, \u201cThey\u2019re just living.\u201d I was inspired by the simplicity and joy of the people I saw, and that moment birthed the song\u2019s message: Living free of external forces trying to rob our everyday peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Later, I brought the song to a writing camp in the Poconos, where Jackson Chery helped give it a more urban, Americanized feel. When I played it for Charlin Bato he loved it and added a verse about control within romantic relationships, giving the song more emotional depth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: So the song touches on many larger social themes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>There are many layers to it. At the time I was writing, I was hearing about Roe v. Wade, and the government trying to control our bodies and telling women what we need to do. Now, with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plannedparenthoodaction.org\/electoral\/trump-timeline-of-attacks#:~:text=2017:%20Trump%20reinstates%20the%20Global,Trump%20targets%20Planned%20Parenthood\">45 just taking away certain freedoms<\/a>, like freedom of speech, it\u2019s crazy how the timing aligned. In the lyrics, you\u2019ll hear me say, \u201cCan\u2019t take advantage over my body. Thank God I got me.\u2019 I\u2019m talking to the government. I also say \u2018nobody\u2019s going to run this show of mine\u2019 because, again, we should be in control of our time and what we do and what we say.<\/p>\n<p>So, it\u2019s something that I\u2019m hoping could just re-inspire folks to remember that as many forces and things that try to come and control us, take control of yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: You mentioned that people in Japan are discovering you. What\u2019s that been like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>When I saw over 400 listeners in Japan in one week, it made me realize how far Haitian music can travel. That shows genuine global curiosity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: There seems to be a growing effort among Haitian creators, like you, to bring our music to new audiences. What are you observing in this movement?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>There\u2019s a real attempt by many Haitian artists, producers, and creators to bring Haitian music to new stages. When you click on a playlist labeled \u201ckonpa,\u201d you\u2019ll find all sorts of Haitian music. Konpa has become shorthand for Haitian music in general, but Haitian music is so diverse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For musicians and scholars, there\u2019s a clear distinction between konpa and other genres, similar to classical versus jazz \u2014 they share roots but are defined by specific characteristics. Konpa has specific musical markers: its instrumentation, rhythm and cadence. It has also inspired subgenres like rab\u00f2day, which now fuses with amapiano, the South African electronic dance subgenre, to reach wider audiences. But for others, when they say \u201ccross over,\u201d they usually mean non-Haitian audiences engaging with Haitian music.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: How has the digital era affected reach and sound in this crossover landscape?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>Younger generations are blending konpa with modern genres like hip-hop and drill. Depending on the market, that\u2019s what \u201ccrossing over\u201d looks like.<\/p>\n<p>The record <em>\u201c4 Kamp\u00e9\u201d<\/em> by Jo\u00e9 Dw\u00e8t Fil\u00e9 was a turning point. It was the first time I saw a Haitian song being played in non-Haitian spaces \u2014 in clubs, reels, and street parties. It broke in France first, then expanded to the English-speaking world with Burna Boy\u2019s feature. That\u2019s what real crossover looks like.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tadia Toussaint as \u201cBrooklyn Goddess\u201d. Courtesy of the artist<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>THT: Sounds like Jo\u00e9 Dw\u00e8t Fil\u00e9\u2019s model is the template in some ways \u2013 right? Yet, so many artists over the years have said the reason konpa couldn\u2019t become like reggae, for example, is because of the language barrier. What\u2019s your view?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>I think Jo\u00e9 Dw\u00e8t Fil\u00e9 is the first Haitian to create a template, but the Afrobeat community, specifically Burna Boy, has done it. They [Africans] have their own language that\u2019s not predominant English. Afrobeat, within the last 10 years or so, showed that the U.S. market will still very much consume the sonic if it sounds good, even if you pepper in your language.<\/p>\n<p>Burna Boy had everybody saying, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/CKKk7TJroNU?si=vFduSdZOb9Qw5PZb\">\u2018I need igbo and shayo\u2019<\/a> and we don\u2019t know the words. I think also there is a songwriting strategy around how much of the English, how much of the other language, to include and then how much of the sonic sounds global. When it\u2019s just konpa, it\u2019s too foreign because it\u2019s not as universally understood. So, I think the way to introduce it to new audiences is to blend it with other things [sounds] that people can recognize.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: How does this type of collaboration compare to what other artists, like Wyclef or Michael Brun, have been doing for years?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong>There\u2019s a difference between a great collaboration and a song that ends up on everyone\u2019s playlist. For example, the collaboration song with John Legend and Ruthshelle that Michael Brun did. But I haven\u2019t gone to an event for anyone to be playing that song\u2013yet, so I wouldn\u2019t put it on the same level as <em>\u201c4 Kamp\u00e9.\u201d<\/em> However, something should be said around bringing in international artists onto our sonic. It shows that people know our music, people are familiar with it, especially a legend like John Legend. I think that that\u2019s still very powerful.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: What\u2019s next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toussaint: <\/strong><em>Mwen komanse on chemin<\/em> [I\u2019m starting on a<em> <\/em>journey] that\u2019s much bigger than myself. I\u2019ve been engaged in our community in a very deep way in the last decade, and have an understanding of our community, the goals we\u2019d like to accomplish as a collective and the hopes and dreams we have for Haiti. I think about all the storytelling and what impact representation has for Haiti. When I really sit down and fully assess, \u2018how can I touch many corners of the world?\u2019 You know, I have to use what God gave me, this musical gift.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s next is a four- to six-track EP and plans to start doing intimate live shows early next year. I want the performances to be healing spaces for people. I\u2019m also releasing a short film called <em>\u201cThe Last Mission\u201d<\/em> to accompany <em>\u201cLive My Life.\u201d<\/em> I play Agent Choublak, a special agent on a mission to stop a corrupt Haitian official. It\u2019s symbolic \u2014 about fighting corruption and reclaiming our power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>THT: I love it! Can\u2019t wait to watch.<\/strong><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\t\t\t<span id=\"wordads-inline-marker\" style=\"display: none;\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-76793838-244231-68ed5616121c7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=15.2-a.1#blog_id=76793838&amp;post_id=244231&amp;origin=haitiantimes.com&amp;obj_id=76793838-244231-68ed5616121c7\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-76793838-244231-68ed5616121c7\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sd-link-color\"\/><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source haitiantimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview: Singer-songwriter Tadia discusses the rise of Haitian music on global stages, the evolution of Konpa through collaboration and digital fusion, and how her new single \u201cLive My Life\u201d reflects the universal fight for freedom and joy. NEW YORK\u2014Among up-and-coming purveyors of arts and culture in the community, Tadia Tousssaint stands out for consistently working [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2088447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[361603,22672,393559],"class_list":["post-2088446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-conversation","tag-latest-news","tag-men-konpa"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tadia-on-konpa-Live-My-Life-and-the-global-rise.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2088446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2088446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2088446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2088448,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2088446\/revisions\/2088448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2088447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2088446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2088446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2088446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}