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{{See also|Haitian general election, 2010–2011}}
{{See also|Haitian general election, 2010–2011}}
Martelly's relationships with members of Haiti's past governments and with U.S. diplomats has been met with mixed opinions and criticism by music fans and activists alike. Martelly is reportedly a friend of President [[René Préval]], and has previously acknowledged such friendships as well as the one with [[Michel François|Lt. Col. Michel François]], the former [[Port-au-Prince]] police chief, who was later convicted in absentia<ref name="Sakkai321"/><ref>Institute for Justice and Democracy -IJDH, [http://ijdh.org/articles/article_raboteau-3.php List of Raboteau Trial Convictions] Undated. Retrieved on Feb 13, 2011.</ref> of human rights abuses.
Martelly's relationships with members of Haiti's past governments and with U.S. diplomats has been met with mixed opinions and criticism by music fans and activists alike. Martelly is reportedly a friend of President [[René Préval]], and has previously acknowledged such friendships as well as the one with [[Michel François|Lt. Col. Michel François]], the former [[Port-au-Prince]] police chief, who was later convicted in absentia<ref name="Sakkai321"/><ref>Institute for Justice and Democracy -IJDH, [http://ijdh.org/articles/article_raboteau-3.php List of Raboteau Trial Convictions] Undated. Retrieved on Feb 13, 2011.</ref> of human rights abuses.
Ah

Prior to the coup that overthrew Aristide, Martelly operated a nightclub called the Garage, often frequented by [[Military of Haiti|Haitian military]] and other members of the ruling class. Later, after a second coup had overthrown [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]], Martelly played a free concert to oppose the return of the ousted president and any American presence on the troubled island. The charismatic Martelly refused to back down from criticism of his affiliations with politicians and government officials. As he once stated to a news reporter, "''I don't have to defend myself....It's my right. It's my country. I can fight for whatever I believe in.''"<ref name="Ackerman321"/>
Prior to the coup that overthrew Aristide, Martelly operated a nightclub called the Garage, often frequented by [[Military of Haiti|Haitian military]] and other members of the ruling class. Later, after a second coup had overthrown [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]], Martelly played a free concert to oppose the return of the ousted president and any American presence on the troubled island. The charismatic Martelly refused to back down from criticism of his affiliations with politicians and government officials. As he once stated to a news reporter, "''I don't have to defend myself....It's my right. It's my country. I can fight for whatever I believe in.''"<ref name="Ackerman321"/>
Ah oui

In 1997, Michel Martelly participated in "Knowledge is Power", an [[HIV]] educational music video with a message about preventing the spread of HIV. His humanitarian work as the President of the Foundation Rose et Blanc, created by his wife Sophia and himself, to help the poor and disenfranchised of the country, was the basis for his choice as the Good Will Haitian Ambassador for the Protection of the Environment by the current Haitian Government. In 2010 he ran for President of Haiti where he challenged the results as to whether he placed second, making the runoff, or third. On 3 February 2011, it was announced that he would participate in a run-off election scheduled for 20 March 2011.<ref>Waters, Maxine. [http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7098/2011-02-03.html Haiti's Doubtful Elections Cloud Future Recovery] ''Black Star News''. Feb 03, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 03, 2011.</ref> Martelly proposes to re-instate the [[Armed Forces of Haiti]], which were disbanded by former president Aristide in 1995.<ref>Nienaber, Giorgianne. [http://www.laprogressive.com/haiti-earthquake/haiti-michel-martelly-election/ Haiti's Michel Martelly: The Election, Fraud, and the Future]. ''[[LA Progressive]]'' December 8, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.</ref>
In 1997, Michel Martelly participated in "Knowledge is Power", an [[HIV]] educational music video with a message about preventing the spread of HIV. His humanitarian work as the President of the Foundation Rose et Blanc, created by his wife Sophia and himself, to help the poor and disenfranchised of the country, was the basis for his choice as the Good Will Haitian Ambassador for the Protection of the Environment by the current Haitian Government. In 2010 he ran for President of Haiti where he challenged the results as to whether he placed second, making the runoff, or third. On 3 February 2011, it was announced that he would participate in a run-off election scheduled for 20 March 2011.<ref>Waters, Maxine. [http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7098/2011-02-03.html Haiti's Doubtful Elections Cloud Future Recovery] ''Black Star News''. Feb 03, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 03, 2011.</ref> Martelly proposes to re-instate the [[Armed Forces of Haiti]], which were disbanded by former president Aristide in 1995.<ref>Nienaber, Giorgianne. [http://www.laprogressive.com/haiti-earthquake/haiti-michel-martelly-election/ Haiti's Michel Martelly: The Election, Fraud, and the Future]. ''[[LA Progressive]]'' December 8, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.</ref>


Revision as of 14:57, 6 September 2011

His Excellency
Michel Martelly
President of Haiti
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 May 2011
Prime MinisterJean-Max Bellerive
Preceded byRené Préval
Personal details
Born (1961-02-12) 12 February 1961 (age 63)
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Political partyFarmers' Response Party
SpouseSophia Martelly
Children4
ProfessionMusician
Composer
Sweet Micky
Birth nameMichel Joseph Martelly
GenresCompas music
Occupation(s)Musician
Composer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Keyboard
Years active1988–2011

Michel Joseph Martelly (born 12 February 1961), also known by his stage name "Sweet Micky", is a Haitian politician, former musician and businessman, currently the incumbent President of Haiti.[1] Before entering politics, Martelly was a performing and recording artist, composer and businessman.[2]

In July 2010, he announced that he would be running for the Presidency of Haiti. Martelly previously supported the disbanded Haitian military, FAd'H, and supporters of the 1991 coup d'état, such as the notorious killing squad, the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH).[3][4][5][6][7]

On 4 April 2011, a senior Haitian official announced that Martelly had won the second round of the election against candidate Mirlande Manigat.[8][9] The election is widely regarded as having been undemocratic and fraudulent. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help) Martelly was only included in the run-off after pressure from the OAS and the United States government, turnout was extremely low (under 24%) and the country's largest political party, Fanmi Lavalas, had been excluded from the electoral process. Martelly's campaign was managed by the Spanish firm Solas, which has ties to Spain's People's Party.[4][10][11][12][13][14]

Early life

Martelly was born in Côtes-de-Fer, a small town on the southeastern coast of Haiti near Jacmel. The middle-class son of a petroleum plant supervisor, Martelly is a self-taught keyboard player and singer. After graduating from high school, Martelly briefly enlisted in the Haitian Military Academy. Following an unsuccessful stint in the Armed Forces, Martelly subsequently moved to the United States where he briefly enrolled at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. In 1986, after one semester, he returned to Haiti just as Jean-Claude Duvalier, then president-for-life, was heading into exile. Martelly later on returned to the U.S. with his then-girlfriend, Sophia, whom he later married in a small ceremony in Miami, Florida. Martelly continued to work on a construction site for a year until moving back to Haiti in 1987. Upon their return to Haiti, Martelly had his first breakthrough in the musical industry when he began playing keyboard as a fill-in musician in local venues in Pétionville and Kenscoff, some of the upscale suburbs of Port-au-Prince.[5][15]

Music

Michel Martelly has been heralded as a pioneer of a unique brand of kompas music, a style of Haitian dance music sung in predominantly Haitian Creole language. Originally, Compas, or Kompa, was the creation of Nemours Jean-Baptiste. Martelly, a keyboardist and the self-proclaimed President of Compas, popularized a nouvelle génération, or "new generation" style, of smaller bands with few members that relied predominantly on synthesizers and electronic instruments to reproduce a fuller sound. Martelly's and Sweet Micky's live performances and recordings are sometimes laced with "burlesque" and humorous sociopolitical commentaries and satires. Outlandish and outspoken, Sweet Micky has been known to drink publicly while performing in wigs, costumes, and Scottish kilts, and occasionally remove his own attire while performing. While arguably the most recognized and applauded musician and public personality in Haiti, Martelly's performance style has sometimes ignited controversy throughout Haitian communities. After completing his high school at the Saint-Louis de Gonzague, he tried a career in engineering, however, his musical talent and his entertainer's skills took over his professional life so he became a popular recording artist and entertainer.

Recording career

By 1988, Martelly's musical talent, charismatic persona, and his pattering style of compas had gained tremendous popularity at El Rancho Hotel and Casino and The Florville, another local venue. That year, he recorded his first single, Ooo La La, which became an instant hit, followed by "Konpas Foret des Pins" which was released in 1989, also a number hit from his debut album "Woule Woule". During the period of about 1988-2008 Michel Martelly using his stage name Sweet Micky recorded fourteen studio albums and a number of live CDs. His music blends Haitian music with fresh interpretations of compas, zouk, reggae, salsa, Caribbean soca and jazz-fusion. In 1997, Martelly's appeal to other musical genres was evident when Wyclef Jean of The Fugees featured him on the title track for Jean's solo effort Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival featuring the Refugee Allstars. As Jean proclaims on 'The Carnival,' "Surprise - it's Sweet Micky, y'all!" Also in 1997, Martelly released an album containing one of his most celebrated hits, Pa Manyen ("Don't Touch"). The song is an adaptation of "Angola", composed by the renowned artist/composer/record producer Ramiro Mendes (of the Mendes Brothers), first recorded by Cesária Évora, the legendary Cape Verdean singer. Pa Manyen went on to be featured in various compilation albums, including the popular Putumayo Presents: French Caribbean in 2003. The song was also covered by Venezuelan singer, Soledad Bravo as "Canta, Canta Corazon" and by Jose Luiz Cortes of Cuba. See also the Mendes Brothers' original version of the song, performed by Ramiro Mendes included in the group's 1997 album - Para Angola Com Um Xi Coracao. Martelly is also notorious for his cursing on stage as well as using homophobic slurs.

Political career

President of Haiti, Michel Martelly with the Prime Minister of Spain, Rodriguez Zapatero in July 2011.
See also: Haitian general election, 2010–2011

Martelly's relationships with members of Haiti's past governments and with U.S. diplomats has been met with mixed opinions and criticism by music fans and activists alike. Martelly is reportedly a friend of President René Préval, and has previously acknowledged such friendships as well as the one with Lt. Col. Michel François, the former Port-au-Prince police chief, who was later convicted in absentia[6][16] of human rights abuses. Ah Prior to the coup that overthrew Aristide, Martelly operated a nightclub called the Garage, often frequented by Haitian military and other members of the ruling class. Later, after a second coup had overthrown Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Martelly played a free concert to oppose the return of the ousted president and any American presence on the troubled island. The charismatic Martelly refused to back down from criticism of his affiliations with politicians and government officials. As he once stated to a news reporter, "I don't have to defend myself....It's my right. It's my country. I can fight for whatever I believe in."[5] Ah oui In 1997, Michel Martelly participated in "Knowledge is Power", an HIV educational music video with a message about preventing the spread of HIV. His humanitarian work as the President of the Foundation Rose et Blanc, created by his wife Sophia and himself, to help the poor and disenfranchised of the country, was the basis for his choice as the Good Will Haitian Ambassador for the Protection of the Environment by the current Haitian Government. In 2010 he ran for President of Haiti where he challenged the results as to whether he placed second, making the runoff, or third. On 3 February 2011, it was announced that he would participate in a run-off election scheduled for 20 March 2011.[17] Martelly proposes to re-instate the Armed Forces of Haiti, which were disbanded by former president Aristide in 1995.[18]

On 4 April 2011, a senior official announced that Martelly had won the presidential run-off election against candidate Mirlande Manigat with more than 60% of the vote.[9] His success is attributed by some to the fact that he hired a professional marketing firm, Ostos and Sola, and also held political rallies with music in a traditional Haitian style.[19]

Martelly was sworn in as President of Haiti on 14 May 2011. The following day, the incumbent Prime Minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, resigned to allow Martelly to choose his own Prime Minister.[20]

Personal life

Martelly currently lives in Haiti, but held several homes in Palm Beach, Florida, which he subsequently lost through defaulting on the mortgages.[21] He lives with his wife and former manager, Sophia, and their four children, Olivier, Sandro, Yani, and Malaika. In 2006, Martelly announced his unofficial retirement from recording and performing but two years later announced a return to music with a new single, Magouyè, and the video/short film, "Bandi Legal yo ki rive". He is a cousin of Port-au-Prince hotel manager and musician Richard Morse.[22]

Discography

Title Released Type Label as...
Woule Woule 1989 Studio Geronimo Michel Martelly
Anba Rad La 1990 Studio AP Michel Martelly
The Sweetest 1992 Studio Josy Michel Martelly
Min Koze-A 1993 Studio Josy Michel Martelly
I Don't Care 1994 Studio Josy Michel Martelly
Pa Manyen 1995 Studio Josy Michel Martelly
Tout Cé Mately 1996 Studio Déclic Michel Martelly
Aloufa 1997 Studio Antilles Michel Martelly
Best of Sweet Micky 1997 Compilation Déclic Sweet Micky
100.000 Volts 1998 Studio Mini Records Michel Martelly
An Bolewo 1998 Live Anson Sweet Micky
Dènye Okazyon 1999 Studio Geronimo Michel Martelly
Jojo Ban'm Nouvel Micky 1999 Live Exit Michel Martelly
100% KaKa 1999 Live Mad Dog Sweet Micky
Michel Martelly Live 2000 Live Créon Sweet Micky
SiSiSi 2001 Studio Créon Michel Martelly
Live au café des arts: Vol. 2 2001 Live Geronimo Sweet Micky
200% KaKa 2001 Studio/Live Mad Dog Sweet Micky
Rale Kow La ???? Live Geronimo Sweet Micky
400% KaKa 2002 Live Mad Dog Sweet Micky
Live at best western 2002 Live Geronimo Sweet Micky
Best of Michel Martelly 2002 Compilation Créon Michel Martelly
Totot 2003 Studio AD Sweet Micky
Micky Chez Lui (Micky Bolero 2) 2003 Exit Sweet Micky
Sweet Micky Live 2003 Live Geronimo Sweet Micky
New Repertoire 2004 Live Exit Sweet Micky
Babaille Micky Mix 2004 Exit Sweet Micky
GNB 2005 Studio D-Facto Sweet Micky
Sweet Micky with Robert Martino: Live Vol. 1 2005 Live Touche Douce Sweet Micky
Sweet Micky with Robert Martino: Live Vol. 1 2005 Live Touche Douce Sweet Micky
Micky ap Trip 2005 Live Exit Sweet Micky
Sweet Micky & Djakout: Live 2006 2006 Live Feeling Sweet Micky
Jojo Ban'm Nouvel Micky 2006 Live Exit Michel Martelly
Sweet Micky vs Dega 2007 Live Arnold Sweet Micky
Live in Miami (Ouvè Kôw) 2007 Live Acoustique Sweet Micky
Blazin' Live 2007 Live Exit Sweet Micky
Bandi Légal 2008 Studio Antilles Sweet Micky
Micky & Sons 2008 Antilles Sweet Micky
Vin' Pran Kompa 2008 Studio Patrick Sweet Micky
Kompa Prezidantiyèl 2010 Live Sweet Micky Sweet Micky
Prézidan Éspwa Vote #8 2011 Studio ArnoldZic Sweet Micky

References

  1. ^ "Singer "Sweet Micky" takes oath as Haiti's president". Reuters. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  2. ^ Miller, Michael E. "Sweet Micky's masquerade ...the musician has a dark side" Miami New Times. Jun 09, 2011. Retrieved Jun 07, 2011.
  3. ^ Wadner, Pierre. "Michel Martelly, Stealth Duvalierist" The Dominion. Dec 16, 2010. Retrieved Jan 24, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Grandin, Greg. Martelly: Haiti's second great disaster Al Jazeera. May 04, 2011. Retrieved May 08, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "Grandin321" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Ackerman, Elise. "His Music Rules in Haiti: Sweet Micky's provocative music moves Haitians with an infectious beat and political overtones". Miami New Times. May 29, 1997. Retrieved Feb 03, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Sakkai, Kahina. Michel Martelly, de la chanson à l'élection Paris Match. Feb 04, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 04, 2011.
  7. ^ Daniel, Trenton. The former pop singer who could be Haiti’s president The Miami Herald. Feb 06, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 08, 2011.
  8. ^ Charles, Jacqueline. Miami Herald "The Miami Herald" Apr 04, 2011. Retrieved Apr 04, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Archibald, Randal C. Popular Carnival Singer Is Elected President of Haiti in a Landslide "The New York Times". Apr 04, 2011. Retrieved on Apr 04, 2011.
  10. ^ Annis, Roger and Edmonds, Kevin. Haiti's foreign-orchestrated election hands power to neo-Duvalierist Michel Martelly. rabble.ca. Apr 14, 2011. Retrieved on May 10, 2011.
  11. ^ Constantini, Peter. Haiti Stumbles Toward Second Round of Flawed Elections Huffington Post. Feb 14, 2011. Retrieved on May 10, 2011.
  12. ^ Constantini, Peter. OpEd: Haiti's election undermines democracy. Seattle Times. Jan 28, 2011. Accessed on May 10, 2011.
  13. ^ Philipps, Nicole. Michel Martelly’s Short Honeymoon The Fresh Outlook. May 03, 2011. Retrieved on May 10, 2011.
  14. ^ Annis, Roger. Michel Martelly’s Electoral Coup d’Etat. Haïti Liberté. Volume 4–39 April 2011. Retrieved on May 10, 2011.
  15. ^ Balmaseda, Liz. The Sweet Life of Michel Martelly Palm Beach Post archived on FindArticles.com. 2007. Retrieved May 07, 2011.
  16. ^ Institute for Justice and Democracy -IJDH, List of Raboteau Trial Convictions Undated. Retrieved on Feb 13, 2011.
  17. ^ Waters, Maxine. Haiti's Doubtful Elections Cloud Future Recovery Black Star News. Feb 03, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 03, 2011.
  18. ^ Nienaber, Giorgianne. Haiti's Michel Martelly: The Election, Fraud, and the Future. LA Progressive December 8, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  19. ^ McAlister, Elizabeth The Bad Boy Makes Good "Foreign Policy." April 8, 2011. Retrieved on Apr 12, 2011.
  20. ^ Miami Herald, May 15, 2011
  21. ^ Robles, Frances. Haiti candidate Martelly lost three South Florida properties to foreclosure. The Miami Herald. Mar 07, 2011. Retrieved on May 09, 2011.
  22. ^ Daniel, Trenton. The former pop singer who could be Haiti’s president. The Miami Herald. Feb 06, 2011. Retrieved on Feb 21, 2011.

Music

Political offices
Preceded by President of Haiti
2011–present 		Incumbent


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