BélO turns 47

Singer, songwriter and guitarist BélO turns 47 on Thursday 29 October 2026. The outlet Tito.ht wished him a happy birthday on Instagram.

Born Jean Bélony Murat, BélO was born on 29 October 1979 in Croix-des-Bouquets, according to his label Putumayo. He grew up in Pétion-Ville, Afrik.com reports.

Twenty years of "ragganga"

His debut album, Lakou Trankil, released in 2005, made his name beyond Haiti. The following year he won the RFI Discoveries Prize (Prix Découvertes RFI). He has since released Référence (2008), Haiti Debout (2011), Natif Natal (2014), Dizan (2016) and Motivasyon (2019).

His music, which he calls "ragganga", blends reggae, jazz and traditional Haitian rhythms, with strongly socially conscious lyrics. In 2023, ten Haitian women artists reinterpreted his first record on the album Fanm Lakou Trankil.