“When you are in Haiti you listen to all kinds of music whether you want to or not,” says Jean Bélony Murat with a laugh. “Because we are Caribbean people and we listen to music so loudly, sometimes you are listening to music from your neighbor’s house or from the churches or from the Vodou camps. Plus we listen to all kinds of music, from African music to Jamaican music to American music.” For Murat, better known by his stage name BélO, music has shaped his life. One of Haiti’s most beloved contemporary musicians, BélO grew up just north of Port-au-Prince in Pétion-Ville, where music is an integral part of the culture.

However, BélO did not grow up in a musical family. An entirely self-taught artist, BélO started making music at age 11 to try and address the societal issues that he saw around him on a daily basis. “I started making music by the age of 11 because I needed to say something,” says BélO. “I just thought that there were so many things to say in society. Music was the easiest way for me to reach out to my people.” From there, BélO developed his own style of music, known as “Ragganga” a fusion of the genres he listened to growing up from Jazz to Rock to traditional Afro-Haitian rhythms.

This weekend, after winning numerous awards and touring the world, BélO comes to Sarasota to perform at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater. BélO’s performance will continue The Ringling’s Art of Performance season that is dedicated to celebrating artists from Francophone countries. Part of what is special about BélO, is not just his unique style of music, it’s the messages that are found within. BélO’s entire musical identity has been built around addressing the social issues in his home country and calling for change. “With my music, I didn’t want it to be music that people can only dance to. I wanted to say something. In order for people to understand and to act, they have to listen to it,” says BélO. “That’s why I chose to come up with something that some people can just sit down and listen to–you can listen and dance to it in a festival or a theater, but the consciousness about my music made me feel like I had to come up with something different from what we were used to hearing.”

March 8-9, 2024, Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, 941-370-7399.

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