If Haitian music felt extra busy in 2025, you’re not imagining it. This year brought big albums, steady singles, packed concerts, and even major cultural milestones for konpa and Rap Kreyòl.
This review guide breaks down the Haitian music in 2025 story in plain words: the albums people kept replaying (Zile, Kaï, Vanessa Désiré, Rutshelle Guillaume, Pierre Jean, Gabel, Black Parents, Carlo Vieux, Baky, Wendyy), the nonstop single drops from stars like plus the announcements that kept fans watching the calendar.
This year also carried real emotion. While fans celebrated konpa anniversaries and sold-out shows, the culture also said goodbye to important voices. Those losses made the wins feel even louder, like the speakers were turned up for the people who can’t take the stage anymore.
It was also a year of loud celebration and real loss, with tributes for legends who helped shape konpa and Haitian reggae.
The Haitian albums that defined 2025
Think of this section as a mini listening guide. These projects don’t all sound alike, and that’s the point. Haitian music in 2025 showed three strong moods: emotional storytelling, roots music for healing, and konpa energy that pushes you out of your chair.
Zile, Vwayaj: soulful storytelling you can feel
A good story doesn’t need fancy words. It needs a voice that sounds honest, and a beat that gives the words space. That’s the heart of Vwayaj.
In a simple Zile Vwayaj album review, the best way to explain it is this: the album feels like pages from a personal journal, but set to smooth production and clean hooks. It lands in that lane of Haitian soulful music 2025 where feeling matters as much as melody.
Vanessa Désiré, Full Package: a clean, confident statement
Vanessa Désiré’s Full Package arrived November 12, 2025, and the title fits. The album matches emotion with control. The vocals sit front and center, and the style blends R&B and konpa in a way that feels natural.
Two tracks that helped drive attention were “Brize m” and “Sans inik (feat. Wendyyy).” The project also built buzz through press moments and fan chatter, including social posts that said it hit the number one konpa spot on iTunes at one point.
Best for: date-night playlists, soft afternoons, and listeners who like love songs with real edge.
Rutshelle Guillaume, 12 ERA: 22 songs, big range
A 22-song album is a statement by itself. 12 ERA stood out in 2025 because it plays like a wide tour through moods, from tender moments to bigger, more public-facing songs that feel ready for stages and sing-alongs.
For fans, the milestone is the scale. You don’t press play on a project this long by accident. You press play when you want to live with it for a while.
Best for: long drives, workdays, and anyone who likes albums that feel like a full menu instead of one dish.
Gabel’s 2025 album and the Infinity talk
Gabel also stayed in the conversation for a little bit with album news and feature-driven and a 2025 album release that brought in many guest artists.
Pierre Jean new album: soulful and steady
Pierre Jean released a new soulful album in 2025, adding another option for listeners who want strong singing and emotional writing without chasing hype. It fit nicely beside other voice-forward projects that did well this year.
L Won released a great debut album
L Won’s debut album was widely received well, giving listeners a fresh voice to add to playlists. Debut projects can feel rough around the edges, but this one built positive talk and repeat listens.
Richard Cavé and KAÏ: a new album added to the konpa yearbook
KAÏ released a new album in 2025, adding another strong entry to a year already heavy with konpa conversation. For longtime fans, projects like this feel like checkpoints, proof that the genre keeps moving without losing its core swing.
Carlo Vieux (ex-CARIMI) album release: a spotlight moment for fans of the CARIMI era
Carlo Vieux also released a great album in 2025, giving listeners another angle on the wider CARIMI legacy. For many fans, it hit that sweet spot between nostalgia and forward motion, especially with CARIMI reunion shows already bringing emotions to the surface.
Harmonik released an album titled “Identity”, adding to their catalog
Baky released “Kaia” Rap Kreyòl project tied to music and fatherhood, cover art featuring his three daughters.
Wendyyy released Traka Mixtape. Major rap release that kept the scene loud into fall
The bigger point is consistency. In 2025, the artists who stayed in people’s ears were the ones who didn’t disappear for long.
On the events side, 2025 also had key public moments:
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Konpa’s 70th anniversary celebrations (including a major tribute event in Miami on May 17, 2025).
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Fête de la Musique in Port-au-Prince (June 21, 2025), a wide showcase across styles.
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PAP Jazz in April 2025, with a stronger focus on local talent due to travel limits.
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Michael Brun’s Bayo 2025 milestone show at the Barclays Center in New York (June 28, 2025).
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Sounds of Little Haiti continuing as a monthly Miami series that kept spotlighting Haitian music.
Awards recognition and major concerts that shaped the year
Big releases matter, but concerts are where songs turn into memories. Haitian music in 2025 had milestone stages, big diaspora crowds, and formal recognition across award shows.
A few key awards and honors stood out:
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Prestigious Haitian Music Awards (10th annual), held January 11, 2025, in North Miami Beach, Florida.
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KE Music Awards 2025, with nominations announced in December 2025 (covering projects released from October 2024 to September 2025).
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The New York City Council’s approval to establish July 26 as an annual Haitian Konpa Day, later formally designated in December 2025.
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UNESCO recognition for konpa. It framed and recognized konpa, and the news hit as more than a headline. It framed konpa as cultural heritage on a world level, the kind of recognition that gives extra weight to anniversaries, tributes, and the everyday work of bands keeping the style alive.
And the performance list was just as loud:
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CARIMI Reunion Tour, including a major show at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida (March 21, 2025).
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Klass at Adidas Arena, Paris (November 10, 2025), a big moment for konpa in Europe.
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Nu Look “Konpa en Symphonie” at Boston Symphony Hall (November 16, 2025), sold out and built around orchestral arrangements.
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Medjy’s “48 Rebecca The Tour” at The Theater at MSG (May 2025), sold out and widely celebrated as a pride moment for the diaspora.
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Harmonik performed live at Zenith in Paris, another strong sign that Haitian konpa and diaspora audiences keep growing outside Haiti. Big venues also change the way people talk about a band’s reach.
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Special Tribute to the legendary Shoubou in New York. This was a very moving event for the legendary singer of Tabou Combo who has been living in a nursing home.
Critical recognition for Anie Alerte and other standout projects
Beyond charts and crowd noise, 2025 also brought public recognition that helped frame who shaped the year. It’s clear the female artist dominated 2025:
Anie Alerte Zile’s year wasn’t only about the album. Anie Alerte also stayed visible with strong live momentum, including a successful summer tour in Haiti and many US shows with her band “Zile.” That constant stage time helped Vwayaj feel like more than a release, it felt like a full season.
Alerte Zile showed up as a prominent candidate in Haiti Open magazine’s year-end “Top 40 Artists & Creators” voting, a sign of how much conversation she drove across music and culture. She’s been nominated or mentioned as the “Female Artist of the Year”.
Vanessa Désiré also stayed active outside streaming. Her performances included the “Red and Black Affair” in Boston in February 2025 and the Boston Kulture Festival in June 2025, helping Full Package land with more weight than a quiet release.
Fatima left her mark in 2025 (and brought it to the stage). Fatima’s PWOTEJEM stood out for how it blends Haitian cultural roots with modern vocal choices. The year also included a striking live moment, with a concert at L’Olympia in Montreal tied to the album’s spotlight.
Bedjine collected major awards throughout the year, including recognition connected to Africa, highlighting how far Haitian voices can travel.
Rutshelle Guillaume also took home a major honor at the Caribbean Music Awards, winning Konpa Artist of the Year, adding a clear stamp to a year already packed with work.
Djakout #1 made a noticeable comeback, performing at a few concerts.
The 70th anniversary of konpa: history that still dances
Konpa Dirèk turned 70 in 2025, honoring the genre founded by Nemours Jean-Baptiste. The anniversary wasn’t just a history lesson. It came with tribute events, celebrations throughout the HMI in July 2025, and even a tribute performance by Tabou Combo tied to the larger recognition of konpa’s lasting pull.
Add the NYC Haitian Konpa Day designation, and you can feel how 2025 treated konpa as both party music and cultural heritage.
Notable deaths in 2025: the losses the scene felt deeply
Joy and grief shared space this year. The Haitian music world mourned several key figures in 2025, each tied to a different part of the sound people grew up with:
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Legendary guitarist André “Dadou” Pasquet (Magnum Band/Tabou Combo), who passed in November, remembered for shaping modern konpa.
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Beloved 90s singer Gary Didier Perez (Zenglen/Ozone), who passed in August, tied to classic hits that still play at parties.
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Reggae pioneer Adras Jean-Baptiste (GBX), who passed in April, leaving a real gap for fans of Haitian reggae.
Headlines that weren’t about music (but still affected the scene)
Not every story in 2025 Pedre release or a concert. A few public incidents pulled attention and sparked debate.
Herve Laplanta was detained and deported to Haiti by ICE.
Giuliano Puzo (DJ K9) was arrested while traveling for a gig due to an outstanding warrant.
Mendel Raphael was also arrested in Orange County Florid, with charges later dropped.
Media personality Carel Pedre was arrested for alleged domestic violence, and the trial was still pending at the time of this article is written.
These moments didn’t define Haitian music, but they shaped conversations in the same spaces where people share songs. These weren’t just names in headlines. They were fingerprints on the music.
