On September 30, the singer released her 5th single, “An nalé”, in collaboration with Louides Dama, aka Doaly, a Haitian artist and journalist living in exile in Miami.
We did not know that Irie Keef could sing konpa (or Compas), but the song “An nalé” with Louides Dama, aka Doaly, proves us wrong. “Compas isn’t my usual style, so I needed a little coaching to get it right”, she says with a laugh. We learn that this duo was born out of a virtual encounter between the two Caribbean artists, who both worked in the audiovisual field on their island: “Daoly contacted me on social media. He likes my style, my world, my voice, and wants us to create music tèt kolé”.
The Haitian artist and journalist then sent her the track he had composed via the internet, and under the direction of Mister Francky from Studio Debs et fils in Pointe-à-Pitre, “An Nalé” was finalized. The backing vocals were provided by singer Krysstal, Manno, and Valy, and young musicians – some being well known on the zouk scene – rounded out the team: Claudy Durizot (bass), Karim Verger (guitar), Stevy Landre (drums), and Maestro Shiller (keyboard).
Enrolled in a volunteer program between Haiti and the United States (now suspended by Donald Trump), Louides Dama, who has been living in Florida since April 2024, closely followed this remote collaboration. The artist, who has already been part of musical groups (Désizyon and Kotèj), released several tracks on his island in 2016, 2017, and 2022.
The shooting of the video was also done separately with two directors: images of Doaly in Florida (notably in Little Haiti, Miami) shot by Drew Umland were assembled with those of Irie in Guadeloupe (notably at Îlet du Gosier), filmed by Cédric Marcellin. “I’m delighted. Thanks to technology, we were able to overcome distance: write, compose, sing, record, and release a track. We even shot a music video. Tou sa: tèt kolé – ansanm ansanm. It’s beautiful. For me, it’s also new and therefore very enriching. As always, we put our hearts into it. I have no doubt that you will love the result”, says the singer, who is now releasing her fifth single.
“To self-produce this new single, I also took charge of the creative direction of the video. I am passionate about all aspects of artistic design. I find it soothing and feel completely present when I do it. In this scenario, I imagined this woman of the sea and land, gliding across the deep waters and feasting with her companions on the shore. For me, she is like Maman dlo, goddess of the waters. She is grace: courageous and strong, she blesses all her children. Water is life; it cannot be stopped. I see this image as a symbol of hope for humanity”, she explains.
For his part, Doaly – who lives in exile with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head because he can be sent back to Haiti at any moment despite the insecurity prevailing there—dreams of coming to the French West Indies to perform concerts with his friend Irie Keef: “I really like Guadeloupe, Martinique, and also La Guyane. I would like to meet other artists, forge links, and work tèt kolé on some good music. I really appreciate Saïna Manotte’s work. She is a beautiful woman, and I would like to get to know her”.
In the meantime, let us hope that he will promote “An nalé” in the numerous Haitian community in Miami…
