Wyclef Jean the star of Krakow’s Wianki!

 

Wyclef Jean the star of Krakow’s Wianki!

Wyclef Jean – musician, songwriter, singer, composer and a nominee for the prestigious Grammy Award – will be the star of this year’s Wianki in Krakow. On the 25^th of June the artist will perform on the scene within the bend of the River Vistula near Wawel. Support bands include: Sofa, The Poise Rite, Pablopavo and Marika.

Wyclef Jean, née Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (born on the 17^th of October 1972 in Croix–des–Bouquets in Haiti) – an American Grammy–winning musician, songwriter, singer, composer, actor and film producer. Activist for humanitarian causes, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti and the founder of the Yéle Haiti Foundation. A co–founder and a many years frontman of the pioneering band The Fugees. Since 1997 he has pursued a solo career.

Wyclef’s musical journey began in Haiti, where at the age of three he sang in the church in which his father was a pastor. When he was ten Wyclef moved to the U.S. In 1987, he founded, along with his classmates Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, his first serious band, Tranzlator Crew. In 1994 the group changed its name to The Fugees and gained acclaim for their debut album Blunted on Reality.

Their second album – The Score – was released in 1996 and proved to be a real cultural phenomenon, getting to first place in the Top 200 and Top R&B/Hip–Hop Albums charts of Billboard magazine. The album includes three excellent singles: Fu–Gee–La, Killing Me Softly With His Song and Ready Or Not. The album also won two Grammy Awards; for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group (Killing Me Softly With His Song) and Best Rap Album. The Score is one of the best–selling hip–hop albums of all time (19 million copies, still sold).

In 1997, Wyclef Jean decided to try his luck in a solo career. For the album Presents The Carnival Featuring The Refugee All–Stars, he was nominated for a Grammy. Five other albums released after 2000, including The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book, Masquerade (2002), autobiographical The Preacher’s Son (2003) and Welcome To Haiti: Creole 101 (2004) make up his most radical artistic and musical message. It was at this time that Wyclef returned to his homeland for the first time since childhood.

The fruit of Wyclef’s production and musical talents are the countless successful projects completed over the last twenty years. He has recorded, among others, with Bono (New Day) and collaborated on the creation and release of Carlos Santana’s Supernatural, later awarded a Grammy for Album of the Year; Whitney Houston’s My Love Is Your Love; and Hips Don’t Lie – a Grammy–nominated hit performed with Shakira, which secured first place on the all–time Top 40 Airplay chart.

Wyclef’s sixth album Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant includes a song Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill), which gained platinum status and was his first solo song in the Top 10.

In 2008, Wyclef wrote and recorded a new, distinctive song – Venus (I’m Ready), inspired by the personality and achievements of the American tennis player Venus Williams. The song was used as background music during Venus’ entery to the court thoughout the U.S. Open 2008. Wyclef also worked with Venus on an episode of the Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts series, the idea of which is to invite innovative people from all walks of life to discuss their passion and creative processes.

In 2008, Wyclef took part in the activities of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI): attending panel discussions and speaking about his native Haiti. In 2009, he attended a number of balls held in Washington on the occasion of the inauguration of the U.S. President, including the Mid–Atlantic Ball, and he also performed in Oslo at the 16^th annual concert to celebrate the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to the U.S. President Barack Obama.

In 2005, Wyclef Jean founded the Yéle Haiti Foundation, focused on aid for Haiti. Wyclef’s organisation aims to change Haiti through educational and sports programmes related both to arts and the environment. The programme of activities for the community includes food collections and providing social assistance in emergency cases. The foundation’s name was invented by Wyclef and means ‘a cry for freedom.’ The name was also used in one of his songs. The Foundation has gained international recognition and media coverage from such media outlets as: Associated Press, USA Today, CNN, Fox News, NBC’s Today and 60 Minutes. After the tragic earthquake in January 2010, all programes of the Foundation were switched to supporting and rebuilding the island.

It’s crucial to give children hope, says Wyclef, Yéle Haiti Foundation enables children to dream, and children in Haiti couldn’t have had have dreams for some time. They had nightmares, instead. It’s what has been driving me – dreams. The mission of Yéle Haiti is to restore pride and hope in individual people, and spirit and strength – a part of our heritage – in the entire nation.

Wyclef is currently working on a new album, Feel Good Music, its release being scheduled for this summer, and his mini–album DJ Drama Presents Wyclef Jean AKA Toussaint St Jean is already on sale.

SOFA – a band founded in early 2003 in Toruń. SOFA presented a sample of their musical aspirations and potential in their demo record, which proved to be a ticket to a professional career. Distributed in the underground, SOFA’s demo aroused huge interest not only among the audience, but also representatives of Poland’s music industry. Thanks to Hirek Wrona, SOFA landed a place on the permanent playlist of the Polish Radio 3 even before recording their debut album. In 2005, SOFA signed their first record deal with an independent record label Kayax, prioritising high quality and elite status of the label branded with Kayah’s name.

Their debut LP Many Stylez was released in 2006, gaining acclaim from both fans and music critics. Many Stylez won a Fryderyk 2007 Award in the New Face in the Music Industry category. SOFA was also granted the Mayor of Toruń Award, becoming an official representative of the city in Toruń’s candidature for the title of the European Capital of Culture 2016. The band has successfuly performed in Poland and abroad, earning the recognition with their professionalism, energy and modern sound.

SOFA has numerously played as a support band before concerts of world–class stars such as: Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, Groove Armada, Beastie Boys and The Black Eyed Peas. Also, the band was repeatedly invited to the largest Polish festivals such as the Top Trendy 2006, Opole Premiery 2007, Vena Festival 2006 (London), 2007, Heineken Open’er Festival 2005, 2006, 2007, to name just a handful. In the studio, Sofa has worked with such artists as Kayah, O.S.T.R., Andrzej Smolik, Michał Urbaniak, Jamal and Mosqitoo.

In 2009, Kayax released SOFA’s second studio album DoReMiFaSoFa. The album met with outstanding reception from both music journalists and the audience. Drawing on hip–hop and soul, the musicians are extending their stylistic repertoire with sounds of analogue synthesisers and distorted guitars, yet unexplored by them. Some of the guests featured on DoReMiFaSoFa include: O.S.T.R., Miodu (Jamal) i Frenchman, and Zgas (Me, Myself And I). A big surprise is the featuring by Frank McComb, American soul music star.

Presently, SOFA band works on their ther album scheduled for release in 2012.

The Poise Rite – a Rzeszow band with music defined as a blend of guitar rock and indie–pop. One of few Polish bands that has played at the legendary Glastonbury Festival (2007) and the only one that gets regular coverage from the British music press. 

The band was set up in 1997 in Rzeszów. In their music you can distinguish inspiration with some of the best guitar bands such as Placebo and Interpol. In 2004, they gave their first concerts in London, gaining favourable reviews from English critics, which allowed them to gain recognition on the European music scene. The Poise Rite’s songs have also appeared on several important British compilations, including UV Magazine – next to tracks by Clearlake, Tokyo Dragons and the New York Dolls. 

In 2007, after years of gaining experience and seeking their own unique sound, The Poise Rite released their first album Passagalia (EMI) and set on a tour. They appeared at the biggest Polish festivals such as the Heineken Open’er Festival (2007) and MFT Malta in Poznan (2007). They also gained recognition in the musical community with their performance at the last year’s Off Festival in Mysłowice. At present, the band is working on a new album scheduled for a prmiere in September. The album will be promoted by a single Głową do góry, already on the air.

Pablopavo, that is, Paweł Sołtys. A singer, songwriter, one of the most talented representatives of the Polish independent scene, regarded by critics as one of Poland’s best reggae and raggamuffin voices – a champion of vocal freestyle and one of the best songwriters in Poland today. In 2010 Pablopavo was nominated for a Paszporty Polityki Award.

He founded his first band – Pablopavo – with his schoolmates in 1993 and originally performed as a guitarist and vocalist. Since 1996, he has been a member of Antikonsjum rekords – an informal group of music–making friends. In 1999 he founded Magara, Pablopavo becoming group’s guitarist and vocalist. At the same time Zjednoczenie Sound System was established, with which he has been linked to date (other members being Reggaenerator and dj Krzak, formerly also Manana). Zjednoczenie has for many years produced two music festivals: Czwarty Żywy Punkt – unfortunately discontinued – and Reggae Faza – the oldest continued reggae event in Warsaw. In 2003, the band Vavamuffin was formed, where Pablo is one of three vocalists (besides Mr Reggaenerator and Gorg). Pablopavo has also performed in Sedativa and is a member of the Ba–Lan Soundsystem. In 2009 Karrot Kommando released the first solo album Telehon by Pablopavo, or actually Pablopavo i Ludziki.

Marika is a Polish singer, songwriter, composer of music combining reggae, funk and soul. Hailed the First Lady of Polish Dancehall, Marika launched her career in 2002 with Sound System Bass Medium Trinity, which released in 2004 the well–acclaimed album Mówisz i masz. The first predominantly Polish abum based on original Jamaican rhytms turned out to be a pioneering and historic album.

In 2006, she took part in the Polski ogień project (Germaican Records, Tam Tam Records). The album – fruit of collaboration between Polish and German musicians – features two of Marika’s songs: Siła ognia and What’s Your Flava?.

In summer 2007, she released her first single, heralding the release of the first LP. The song, titled Moje serce (My Heart), in collaboration with the producing duet Juniorbwoy, was a great hit (with more than 2 million hits on YouTube.)

On the 22^nd of August 2008 Marika’s solo album, Plenty, hit store shelves. The record is a hot fusion of various urban genres from neo soul to reggae, drum n’ bass and funk. The album was well–acclaimed by the audience and critics and nominated for the Fryderyk 2008 Award.

The 8^th of June 2010 saw the release of Marika’s new double LP: Put your shoes on, Put your shoes off. The album created a sensation and was accompanied by the impetuous concerts the artist is famed for. She has already given hundreds of concerts in clubs all over Poland and scored big concerts at the Opera Leśna and such festival stages as the Coke Live Music Festival (2008 and 2009), OPOLE 2009, Ostróda Reggae Festival 2009, Reggaeland 2010 and Heineken OPEN’ER 2010. She has also supported concerts by such celebrtities as Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, Macy Gray, Gentleman and Panjabi Hit Squad.

For the last two years Marika has had her own show Nie tylko reggae (Not Only Reggae) on Radio Euro, and since September 2009 – Towary Kolonialne on Radio Roxy.

More information about artists at: www.wyclef.com; www.myspace.com/wyclefjean; www.facebook.com/wyclef; twitter.com/wyclef; www.columbiarecords.com; www.yele.org; www.sofamusic.pl; www.facebook.com/SOFAmusic; www.myspace.com/poiserite; www.marika.art.pl/; www.myspace.com/marika; www.myspace.com/hoodooband; www.pablopavo.pl/.