She Got Soul: Talie Ayiti interview part 2

 This is the second part of Nathalie Cerin's little chat with A l'Haitienne. Find the first part along with a short introduction  here

AL:What is the most challenging thing about breaking into the music industry? 

NC: The most challenging would be that people tend to only associate Konpa as Haitian music. I enjoy Konpa just as much as the next person, but people are really cheating themselves of wonderful musical discoveries by only limiting themselves to listening to konpa when it comes to Haitian music. Haitians tend to not be too interested in listening to something if it isn't something they can dance to. My music is more of a "sit down and relax" genre.

I encourage Haitian Americans to look up Haitian artists that are not Konpa singers and see how much their music can really touch you. 

AL: Is it harder for you as an Haitian woman?

NC: Being a woman has its pros and cons when it comes to being a Haitian singer. One of the pros is the shock factor. In Haiti, guitar is a male instrument. People are always so surprised to see me get onstage with my guitar to play as i sing. Haitian men also LOVE to hear music that flatters men, my song "Ti Neg Chelbe" describes a handsome man, and every time I sing it for a Haitian audience, the men in the crowd react as if I'm specifically singing to them. They have a soft spot for us women, and that can really be used to their advantage.

The cons of being a woman is that people might not take you as seriously, because the Haitian Music Industry really is a boys' club.

AL: I know you were in Haiti during the Earthquake. What did you take away from the experience? Tell us a little about "Revolisyon"

NC: I was in Haiti for Christmas break visiting my parents when the earthquake hit. I watched the house I grew up in fall to pieces in front of my eyes. I stayed a few weeks after and translated at a hospital for a European medical team. The song is basically about the desperation I saw during those few weeks, but also about the glimmer of hope and the need to take this as a time for revolution. A change of mindset, a time for unity.

AL: Are you working on any projects right now? Do you have any plans for an album?

NC: My current project is graduate school. I am working on a masters degree in multicultural education that I should be finishing very soon. Musically, I am simply living, loving and writing, and taking the opportunity to perform at wherever allows me to share my art. Hopefully my music projects will be more concrete, but for now I am happy with where it has taken me and the response I have been getting.

AL:What does "A l'Haitienne mean to you? What are some cool/funny things that can be considered strictly "A l'Haitienne"

NC: A L'Haitienne is doing things with your special Haitian woman touch. We're fancy. We don't just fry our eggs with salt and pepper, we season it with maggi. You can't just sneak up behind us in the club to dance with us, you have to ask first. We won't dare serve our man a sandwich after breakfast time, that's not a meal. We're just awesome. :) 

AL: Finally, is their a specific "ti neg" behind "Ti neg chelbe" it's one of my favorite songs and inquiring minds want to know lol

NC: People ask me this question so often...but believe me when I say, it's hypothetical! lol.. It's funny. I wrote this song only a few days after meeting an ex of mine. I know he still, till this day, believes that song is about him. Little does he know, I had come up with the idea and recorded the voice note for that song months before ever meeting for him. The truth is, we all enjoy the sight of a handsome man, but it's not really expected or accepted for us to "holla"...the song is more of a social commentary than anything. A regular girl who spots a handsome guy, and is wracking her brain for ways she could possibly approach him, but in the end realizes that her only chance would only be if he were to fall for her.

We really enjoyed this interview and I hope you do too! Comment and add her on (fb, twitter, youtube) to stay updated on what she's doing. Thanks for reading!

She left her info here. Make sure you check her out!

Follow me on Twitter @Miss_Talie

Like my facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/TalieAyiti

Check out my Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/TalieAyiti

And read my blog: http://www.paleavem.com

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Holding on... made in Haiti!!!

Kudos to JPerry and GraphCity. Simple but beautiful video. I'm looking forward to more like this!

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Do you know Jany?

In the 60's,  a young woman with dreams of becoming a medical doctor stumbled into the modeling world

Models get discovered all the time you might say, but she is something different... She is Jany Tomba!

She's a Vre Fanm Kreyol (Haitian Beauty) with dreams and an unsure future in the great, exciting, and scary world that is NYC in the 1960's.

She went on to become a very popular model covering many magazines and doing ad campaings in the 60's and 70's. She is truly one of the first black supermodels... Proud Haitian roots to boot!

After retiring, she became a painter and these days you can find her still painting, reliving her life through her granddaughter's exhibits and documentary of her, and on many people's inspiration boards.

I hope you know get to know Jany a little bit more after you watch this beautiful documentary about her I Love Jany Video
I'm proud to talk about her and I'm inspired by her life and joy. Thank you Jany!

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Touristic Haiti dreams 3

Saut D'eau Mirebalais Haiti

Not much to say today... Forget anything you've heard and just admire the pictures :)

 1. Kokoye Beach Here

2. Grottes Marie Jeanne Here


3. Saut D'eau

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Macaroni au gratin

Haitian style mac and cheese before I baked it

Sooo I know this is late but I meant to make a Thanksgiving Haitian style post this year but the picture above ended up being all the food pic I took because I actually had to cook this year and I was dead tired by the time the table was ready. When I was done in the kitchen I went to take a nap to while we waited to everybody to get to the house and well let's just say by the time I came back... the table was no more lol.
 If anybody is interested, I'll make a mac and cheese post because my mom makes the best I've ever tasted. It's like the first thing I actually asked her to show me how to make. It's soooooo good. Gosh I could eat it all day!

*Edit : click here for recipe

Haitian style lol

After dinner i also got to spend some time with Esthere!!!!!  I'm still waiting for her to post more on the blog ahem... Yes I'm calling you out Esthere! lol I love this girl  we are always laughing when we're together :)

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Se Kom si

Natural Haitian beauty singing a beautiful song. "Se Kom si", i love this song of Tifane,

Enjoy!

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She Got Soul: Nathalie "Talie" Cerin part 1

A couple of weeks ago, I got the privilege to send Nathalie "Talie Ayiti" Cerin some questions that she answered for me. I asked too many questions and she answered in great detail to all of them... So I've decided not to take anything away and just post our little chat in 2 parts. I'm posting the first part today to also say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Talie. She's an awesome artist and a great person. I'm a huge fan!

This is the second installment of "She Got Soul: Haitian Women in Jazz" Check out Melanie JB Charles here. I first heard Talie on Ayiti Deploge which is Haiti's "unplugged" I loved her instantly and I made it a point to search for more of her music and life story. I'm glad I got to hear a little bit more about her and I want to share her answers with you. Read all of it... You'll love her too.


ALH: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What are the basics of Nathalie and her music? How long have you been singing? Was music always your passion? Etc...

NC: My name is Nathalie, I go by Talie when singing and writing. I am from the beautiful island of Haiti. I currently live in Philadelphia where I am a graduate student studying multicultural education, and pursuing a career in singing. I've been singing my whole life. My parents tell me that I could sing before I could talk. As a baby, they would take me to church and I would sing along with the congregation during the hymns. 

I was blessed enough to be born in a very musical family. My mother is a talented musician she sings, plays the piano, guitar and accordion. My four siblings and I were her little choir when we were younger, and she would make us sing at church and family functions. Three of my sisters grew out of it and no longer wanted to sing. My brother and I, however, stuck to music all along. My brother now sings classical music.

ALH: As I was reading your blog, I noticed that you have a BA in music. I would like to know why you decided to go that route? What was your motivation?

NC: When I was applying to colleges, I did not have the intention of becoming a music major just because music did not seem like a "practical enough" major. But I made sure I only applied to schools that did have music programs just in case I did one day realize that that is what I wanted to do. College applications were so much pressure for me, I felt like my ultimate happiness in life was based on my decision of school and major. So I did a lot of soul searching. I looked at my uncles and mom who ignored their passion for music to be doctors, engineers, professors etc. And I realized I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did not pursue music in school. But as one of my favorite teachers once told me "A major is not a life sentence" ...I took that to heart. I decided to study music, and if being a musician did not work out, I could work in some other heartless field for The Man to pay Sallie Mae back.  

ALH: Do you consider yourself a Jazz singer? Do you classify your music at all? If yes, what advice do you have for young Haitian artists who want to sing/play Jazz music

NC: I like to call my music "Soul Kreyol" or "Creole Soul" ...whichever you prefer. My main advice to young Haitian artists is to never stop looking for inspiration. I've always said the complexities of Haitian life provide the perfect inspiration for an artist. Use your art to make sense of your current situation, to make yourself happy and only you, and hopefully it will in turn touch someone else. 

ALH: Where do you find inspiration for your music? How is your creative process like?

NC:My music, like I advised in the previous question, is my way of making sense of my life. I've lived half of my life in the United States and half of my life in Haiti, I am heavily influenced by both cultures, and often times growing up, that was a little confusing. I would go to the U.S. and be "Haitian"; I would go to Haiti and be "American". My music is a marriage of those two cultures, just like I am: a big Haitian American mixture. 

In terms of vocals, I lean towards the African American soul influence, Haitian artists don't tend to let loose in their ad libs like African Americans do. And my lyrics are in Kreyol, put those two elements together and you get Kreyol Soul.

As for my creative process, I'm a hot random mess. Melodies come to me all through out the day, and when they do I pull out my blackberry and record a voice note. The one day, I sit down and listen to my voice notes and finish the little bursts of inspiration that I recorded. Sometimes I'll get an idea for a song, but it won't become a full fledged song till a year later. It just kind of happens when it happens.

ALH: List your top 3 Haitian artists? Top 3 artists in general? and why?

NC: My top 3 Haitian artists would be:
 1. Belo 2. Emeline Michele and 3. Boulot Valcourt.
 I admire Belo's effortless combining of genres to form his own sound while still keeping it Haitian. His lyrics are always relevant and poetic, and the little rasp in his vioce just keeps things interesting. Emeline Michele is just the diva of all divas. She has set the bar so high for Haitian female singers. I love her from the beginning with songs like "A.K.I.K.O." and "La Chanson de Jocelyne' till now with "Ban'm Lajwa." Boulot Valcourt, I absolutely love. He is amazing live, and he composed the song "Fe Van Pou Mwen" (words by Syto Cave) which is my absolute favorite song in the world. (Emeline Michele has a version of that song on her "Reine de Coeur' album)

My 3 favorite artists in general would have to be: Lauryn Hill, Asa (Nigerian singer), and Belo.

Here she is singing at a  Ayiti Deploge session. Enjoy! I'll be posting my favorite song in the next post.

Part 2 along with contact information for miss Talie Ayiti  is coming soon. Stay tuned!

P.S. check out this post on her blog. I think it's worth reading http://www.paleavem.com/2011/11/commons-sweet-video-leaves-bitter-taste.html

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