These Haitian artists left the country thanks to the Biden program

Since the launch of Biden’s humanitarian program in 2023, more than 184,000 Haitian nationals have been approved under the program as of May 2024 and another 66,700 have been welcomed to the United States, including teachers, doctors, academics and various other professionals.

Initiated by US President Joe Biden, the “Humanitarian Speech Program” aims to facilitate the movement of people in specific humanitarian situations.

This program was also an opportunity for many Haitian artists to leave the country.

Here is the list of Haitian artists who benefited from this program and who chose to leave Haiti.

Vanessa Desire Dabel

Vanessa Désiré Dabel. Photo taken on the artist’s Facebook page

Runner-up of Digicel Stars in 2010 at the age of 16, she subsequently collaborated with Robenson Lauvince (Roby Rob) on “Mwen pa antò”. After a period of silence, she released “Sa plis ke love” with Toby in 2016, followed by “Ou fè m anvi viv” in 2018. Her first album, “Migration”, with Toby, was released the same year, including 10 songs from various genres. In June 2022, Vanessa Désiré launched her first solo album, “Fòs”, containing 13 tracks, four years after “Migration”.

Danola

Photo: Instagram Danola

Danola Antoine, her real name, studied civil engineering at Quisqueya University. She made her stage debut in 2017, at just 20 years old, when she first appeared at the Quartier Latin restaurant.

Black Doll

Black Doll. Photo : Facebook

Black Doll, real name Daphney Jasmin, attracted attention with her vocals on “N ap kenbe.” Spotted for her talent by MechansT, she was invited to join the project.

Toby

Toby. Photo taken on the artist’s Facebook page

Toby, whose full name is Owen Martinez Fava, is a rapper, singer and ghostwriter. Originally from Port-au-Prince, he was born on November 3, 1990. After following his classical studies at the Collège Pratique du Nord in Cap-Haïtien, he returned to Port-au-Prince to pursue studies in Computer Engineering at the ‘Inuqa and in Communication at the Contemporary Academy of Communication and Modern Languages.

Bob Cailloux

Bob Pebbles. Photo: Facebook

Born on December 15 in Port-au-Prince, rapper Bob Cailloux, whose real name is Jean Michelet Blanc, began his musical career very early despite a difficult childhood in Pétion-Ville and Carrefour. Whether with his first group, PV Clik, or solo, he has regularly demonstrated his talent as a rapper, particularly in freestyle, against other young artists.

Mr Zomò Gwolyon

Mr Zomò Gwolyon. Photo taken on the artist’s Facebook page

Originally from Ponsondé in Saint-Marc, in the Artibonite department, Zomò, whose real name is Caleb Webster Fénélon, is the son of Lionel Fénélon, himself a former member of the music group Virtuose de Saint-Marc. He inherited his passion for singing from his father. Immersed in music since childhood, he joined the rap group Négrier in 2007 in Saint-Marc, and published his first song in 2008. Two years later, in 2010, he began his solo career.

King Street

King street shaved head. Photo: Facebook

Pierre Louis Kendy, nicknamed King Street, was born on February 26, 2003 in Port-à-Piment. He recently appropriated the style of drill in Haiti, a subgenre of hip-hop popularized in Chicago in the 2010s.

Bgarmel

Bgarmel. Photo : Facebook

Born on September 4, 2008 in Carrefour, Jean Garmel Rosambert Buteau, known as BGarmel, is the youngest of four children. His talent as a singer was noticed from his early childhood in nursery school, where he won the “Christmas Caribbean” singing competition on Radio Télévision Caraibes. At nine years old, this success revealed him to the general public.

Dibango

Ralph Dibango

Originally from Mirebalais, Dibango began his career under the pseudonym Ralph the singer. In his early days, he specialized in the interpretation of songs, mainly pieces of Haitian music. However, he later changed course to become a TikToker. In 2022, he marked a turning point in his career with the release of his first music video, “Xtraterrestrial”.

This list will be updated regularly…