Michael Brun Releases Bayo’ + Music Video

Out Now via Kid Coconut

WATCH MUSIC VIDEO HERE: http://bit.ly/2o9ju8v

STREAMING/PURCHASE LINKS HERE: https://fanlink.to/Bayo

In Haitian Creole, ‘Bayo’ means ‘to give’, which refers to both generosity in Haitian culture and the sense of duty that a new wave of Haitian musicians feel toward the country that they hope to represent on a global stage. Today, Michael Brun’s Bayo conveys this uniquely Haitian concept.

Bayo follows Michael’s turn away from EDM to focus on a body of work inspired by his homeland, which included Wherever I go and Gaya, which became certified hits in Haiti and amassed millions of play on Spotify. Like those, Bayo is rich with Haitian-cultural influences - Afrobeat, Rara, Konpa, Hip-hop, and Reggaeton beautifully weaved into Michael’s own contemporary electronic style, resulting in a track that’s distinctly Haitian but fits squarely in the current pop moment.

Bayo is the sound of contemporary Haiti. Featured on the record is Haitian pop sensation J. Perry, whose infectious voice makes the track shimmer, the king of Haitian Hip-hop Baky and rapper Strong G, who Brun discovered during a recording session on the small island of La Gonave, deliver powerful verses in traditional Haitian Creole.

As Brun recently wrote in an op-ed piece for Billboard:

“We are writing our own Haitian anthems… These are the voices that will be heard by the next generation of Haitians and these sounds will define Haiti to the rest of the world in years to come”

Today, Michael also releases a visual accompaniment to the track. In the video Brun is giving a new generation of Haitians the chance to present their country - the song's message is that Haiti refuses to be defined by tragedy, and that the new generation must shape their own destiny. Featuring local children from the area of Jacmel, representating Michael, Baky, J Perry, and Baky in their youth.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Michael Brun as he turned away from EDM to focus on his Haitian Heritage  - becoming the first non-Jazz performer to close the Haitian Jazz Festival in Port-au-Prince, remixing and collaborating with the likes of Maxwell, Fletcher, One Republic, and racking up millions of plays and curating the first national playlist on Spotify, ‘Haitian Heat’.

2018 will see Michael explore his new ‘Bayo’ live show concept, following a sold-out debut at Music Hall of Williamsburg in November.

 

About Michael Brun

“Michael Brun might be the biggest thing to come out of Haiti in the 21st Century” - Esquire

“A cultural ambassador for his island home” - TIME

Michael Brun spent his childhood on the sun-drenched Caribbean island of Haiti. Born to a Haitian father and Guyanese mother who loved music, Brun’s influences stretched from the percussion-heavy Rara and Afro-groove music of his native Haiti, to Hip-hop and RnB. He played guitar and piano from a young age, and took up DJing and music production as a hobby at 16 after winning a full scholarship to attend military school in the US, then going on to study Pre-Med at Davidson College.

Today Michael has emerged as the face for a new generation of Haitians, working with international stars and home-grown musical heroes to share the richness of his island’s culture with a wider audience.

The last two years have seen Brun depart from the club sounds that defined his early career, to work with Haitian artists like J. Perry, Baky, Lakou Mizik and BélO. His singular take on traditional Haitian sounds have caught the ears of tastemakers like Diplo and Arcade Fire, seen him land consulting work for Spotify, collab with superstars like J Balvin, sell out multiple headlining US tours and notch up tens of millions of streams across tracks like Bayo, Soweto, Gaya and Spice, his collaborative track with Grammy-nominated Kah-Lo.

Under his Bayo umbrella Michael is seeking to bring the energy, sound and alluring vibe of Haitian street parties to venues around the world.  In Haitian Creole, ‘Bayo’ means ‘to give’, which refers to both generosity in Haitian culture and the sense of duty that Brun feels to showcasing the best of his country. After multiple block parties in Miami and Haiti, Brun debuted Bayo with a sold-out show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which was followed by a sold-out US tour.  2019 will see Michael expand upon the concept, bringing the show to nine major cities in the US and Canada.

2018 also saw Brun soundtrack the World Cup, with Telemundo picking his and J Balvin’s collab ‘Positivo’ as their official world cup anthem. Brun would also join Balvin as direct support for his sold-out ‘Vibras’ tour, taking the stage alongside Ghanian pop star Mr. Eazi

Brun’s non-profit work has seen him produce and host the Wherever I Go festival in Haiti, join the board of Paul Haggis’ Artists for Peace and Justice, and serve as the face of the Emmy winning Beatmaking Lab Program.