Murat Jean Belony - aka Bélo - was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, a city eight miles to the north-east of Haiti's capital, Port-Au-Prince, on 29 October 1979. In a country where music is omnipresent in daily life (merengue, compas, zouk and carnival-style rara being just a few of the most widely listened-to style), Bélo soaked up various influences. And he proved to be particularly gifted for singing at an early age.

At the Collège Blaise Pascal, where he completed part of his secondary education, the budding young singer spent his break time practising popular reggae and ragga hits. Bélo went on to develop a veritable passion for reggae, becoming a major fan of Jamaican dancehall/reggae star Buju Banton and Haitian singers such as Alan Cavé and Eddy François. Bélo started out playing bass, then moved on to acoustic guitar which became his passport to the live circuit in Haiti.

With the support and encouragement of close friends and relatives, particularly his brother Charlot (who went on to become his manager), Bélo began an intensive series of concerts, building up solid live experience. In 1998, aged just 19, Bélo took to the stage to perform with the group Sokute at the Traditional Christmas Fair in Haiti. Fabrice Rouzier and guitarist Clément "Kéké" Bélizaire, from the group Mizik Mizik, spotted his vocal talent. Both were literally blown away by Bélo's extraordinary voice. Meanwhile, Jean Marc Appolon, a renowned producer in Haiti, encouraged Bélo to begin work on a debut album.

Bélo embarked upon various collaborations with other artists and went on to win a number of awards in Haiti. He began to make an increasing name for himself on the local music scene, his growing following of fans appreciating his catchy compositions, his socially committed lyrics and his simplicity. In 2000, he went into the studio with the group Sokute and provided guest vocals on "Krazy About Music" (a track on the group's album "Horizons").

Bélo went on to focus his attention on his own solo career, beginning work on his debut album, "Lakou Tranquil". The album, eagerly awaited by fans in Haiti and the French West Indies, was released in Haiti in August 2005. It featured a strong reggae flavour, impregnated with soul and Haitian "roots" influences. "Lakou Tranquil" took the airwaves by storm and radio and television stations were soon playing several tracks from it, notably "Match", "Dioré", "Lov pou Lov" and "Jasmine".

The talented young singer, songwriter and composer attracted a major youth following, teenage music fans identifying with his powerful songs criticising general living conditions in Haiti and calling for national unity. "Lakou Tranquil" led to Bélo being named Haiti's "Best Newcomer of the Year" in 2005 (votes coming in from Radio Métropole, Radio Ibo, the television station Télémax and Ticket Magazine). Thanks to his song "Tenza", Bélo was named one of the "twenty top Francophone artists" at the Radioffonies contest, organised by Francodiffusion and the International Francophonie Organisation (as part of the Francophone Festival in France).

In November 2006, Bélo emerged as the winner of RFI's "Découvertes" award ceremony, staged in Douala, Cameroon. The award spread his fame even further afield and when he returned to Haiti he was welcomed home as a national star. He had also earned himself a new nickname in Douala, his new Cameroonian friends dubbing him "Bélo Haiti"!

In January 2007, Bélo turned his attention to the live circuit, performing concerts across Haiti, the U.S., South America and Europe. After this, he put a great deal of time and energy into preparing his African tour which kicked off in May 2007 and took him to Bamako (Mali), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Niamey (Niger) and Accra (Ghana). Belo's tour of Africa ended with a grand finale in Senegal on 11 May - the day Bob Marley died and thus a day commemorated with various events in Senegal each year. Bélo took advantage of this calendar coincidence and used his concert to pay a personal tribute to the legendary "father of reggae."

After assuring such a hectic live schedule worldwide, Bélo took time off from performing to work on material for a new album, entitled "Référence", which was released in the spring of 2008. He premièred songs from this new album to his Haitian fans first, performing a big concert at the Historic Sugar Cane Park, in Port-au-Prince, on 10 May 2008.

Many critics noted how the twelve tracks on "Référence" were far more accomplished on a musical level than Bélo's debut and there was no doubt that the Haitian singer's vocals were also much more assured this time round. Bélo extended his normal circle of musicians on his new album, too, working with the Argentine pianist Gabriel Saientz, the Costa Rican drummer Carlomagno Araya and the Hispanic/Venezuelan saxophonist Ed Callé. The American guitarist Andy Barrow and the renowned Cameroonian bassist and singer Richard Bona also put in guest appearances on "Référence."

Conscious of his new-found role as a musical spokesperson for his compatriots, Bélo tackled a number of hard-hitting themes on his new album on tracks such as "Mwen bouke" and "Timoun Yo", both songs on which he explored the destiny of Haiti's children. On another highly topical song, "Pap Negosye" (which he wrote during his trip to Africa), Bélo urged young people to use condoms instead of having unprotected sex. It was clear that Bélo had not only developed a new musical maturity, but his songwriting has come on in leaps and bounds, too.

Bélo performed in concert at the Opus Café, in Paris, on 20 June 2008 and appeared at the Fête de la Musique the following night, playing in the gardens of the Ministère de la coopération, in Paris.

July 2008