Michaël Brun
Michaël Brun (born 19 May 1992) is a Haitian DJ and record producer based in New York, known for blending electronic music with traditional Haitian styles such as kompa and rara.[1] He released his debut EP Gravity in 2013 and founded the record label Kid Coconut in 2014,[2] to showcase Haitian music and develop Haitian artists.[3] In 2018, he released the single "Positivo" with J Balvin, which became the theme song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[1][4] His debut album, Lokal, was released on June 26, 2019.[5]
Michaël Brun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 19 May 1992 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Genres | Progressive house, electro house, kompa, rara |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Digital audio workstation, keyboard, synthesizers, violin, guitar |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Phazing Records, Spinnin Records, Revealed Recordings, S2 Records, Columbia Records, Musical Freedom, Kid Coconut, Astralwerks |
| Website | michaelbrun |
Early life and education
Brun was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,[4] to a Guyanese mother and Haitian father.[6] He also has French Haitian, Portuguese, Chinese Haitian, and Afro-Haitian ancestry.[7] Growing up he was exposed to the music of Caribbean Sextet and Tabou Combo, which influenced his musical tastes. His father was in a band called Skandal in the '90s.[7] Brun began playing piano, violin and guitar at a young age.[8][3]
He initially intended to have a career as a pediatrician.[4][3] At 15, he began DJing and producing his own electronic music tracks as a hobby.[4][9][10] He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana[3] and then Davidson College in North Carolina as a pre-med student, while continuing to work on his music production.[4][7][3]
Music career
2011: First singles and Gravity EP
Brun was one of the first electronic music artists in Haiti.[4] On June 29, 2011, he released the 4-track single Shades of Grey on S2 Records.[11] Primarily styled as progressive house, Brun released "Dawn," on Dutch DJ Hardwell's Revealed Recordings on December 21, 2011.[12] Dirty South signed Brun to his label Phazing Records shortly after, releasing Brun's next single "Rise". Brun also joined Dirty South on tour in Miami.[3] Around that time, he started performing at major events including Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival, and decided to take a hiatus from medical school.[4][7]
In 2012, Brun released the tracks "Rift" with Dirty South and "Synergy" with Special Features. Brun released his debut EP Gravity in September 2013, which reached number 2 on the Beatport charts.[8] Also in 2013 he remixed tracks for artists such as Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris and Armin van Buuren.[8][7]
2014-15: Touring, singles, and Kid Coconut imprint
In March 2014, Brun became the first Haitian to play at Ultra Music Festival.[7] That year he also performed at the Moonrise Festival in Baltimore, and at Coachella.[3] He was nominated for World's Best EDM Artist at the World Music Awards.[13]
In August 2014 Brun released the single "Zenith," which was the first release on his new label Kid Coconut.[14] In June 2015, he released "See You Soon" on Kid Coconut.[15] He then released a collaboration with Roy English titled "Tongue Tied July".[16]
In 2015 he performed at clubs including Create (Los Angeles), Temple (San Francisco), Union Nightclub (Toronto), and Story (Miami), and also appeared at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival.[17]
2016-17: "Wherever I Go” single, tour and festival
In January 2016, Brun released "Wherever I Go", a collaboration with Artists for Peace and Justice's Audio Institute.[18] He then embarked on his first North American Tour, titled the Wherever I Go Tour,[19] followed by the creation of the Wherever I Go Festival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.[20]
In May 2016, he collaborated with American artist The Ready Set and released a remix to The Ready Set's song Good Enough which charted at number 40 on US Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay.[21]
In August 2016, he released a collaboration with Louie for the Netflix film XOXO, titled "All I Ever Wanted".[22] In October 2016, he announced Haitian Heat, a Haitian music playlist that he curates for Spotify.[23][24]
In January 2017, he released "Gaya", a collaboration with Haitian roots music collective Lakou Mizik and Haitian pop artist J. Perry.[25] He followed "Gaya" with remixes for OneRepublic, Maxwell, Kesha, Major Lazer and FLETCHER.[26][27] He released "Easy On My Love" in December 2017.[28]
2018-present: “Positivo” and Lokal
In 2018, as part of collaborations with artists from around the world to bring Haitian sounds into the mainstream, he released the single "Positivo" with Latin singer J Balvin.[4] It was the theme song for Telemundo's 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage, and as of March 2019, has over 12 million views on YouTube.[1] Brun also opened for J Balvin on his 2018 Vibras tour.[29][30]
In 2017, Brun began experimenting with songs that would bridge the gap between Nigerian afrobeat and Haitian music. This led to the concept behind his debut album Lokal, released on Kid Coconut on June 26, 2019.[5][10] The album's first single was "Akwaaba Ayiti", a reworking of a song by Mr Eazi.[5] The nine-track album features collaborations with artists including Major Lazer, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, J. Perry, Eddy François, and BélO.[9][31] The track "Nouvo Jenerasyon" includes a sample of a song from his father's konpa band Skandal.[10]
Brun puts on an annual Haitian block party-style tour called Bayo, with the third edition taking place in 10 North American cities in 2019. Special guests on the tour included Maxwell, Boukman Eksperyans, and Adekunle Gold.[1][24] It started out in 2016 as a free block party in Haiti.[10] He also played a set at Coachella 2019.[30]
The 2022 edition of Bayo took place on 21 May and featured Wyclef Jean, J Balvin, Kes, and many other artists.[32]
On April 4, 2023, Astralwerks, an American record label owned by Universal Music Group, announced it had signed Brun.[33] His first Astralwerks single, "Clueless" (featuring Oxlade), was released in February 2023.[34]
Personal life
Brun lives in Brooklyn, New York.[24] He is an ambassador for Paul Haggis' Artists for Peace and Justice, a nonprofit that encourages peace and social justice.[35] He mentors children in Haiti's nonprofit school The Audio Institute, and is also on the board.[5]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category[13] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | World Music Award | Michaël Brun | World's Best EDM Artist | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category[13] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Latin Grammy Awards | Michaël Brun, for his production/writing on J Balvin's Colores | Best Urban Music Album | Won |
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Lokal[38] |
|
Extended plays
| Year | Title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Gravity |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Prime" (with Derrick Rouseeau) |
Non-album single | Versuz Essentials (April 29, 2011) |
| "Shades of Grey" (with Remy Joel and Xpression) |
4-track single | S2 Records (June 29, 2011) | |
| "Dawn" | 2-track single | Revealed Recordings (December 21, 2011) | |
| 2012 | "Rise" (Dirty South Edit) |
Non-album singles | Phazing (March 19, 2012) |
| "Synergy" (with Special Features) |
Phazing (April 18, 2012) | ||
| "Rift" (with Dirty South) |
Phazing (November 10, 2012) | ||
| 2013 | "Gravity" | Gravity EP | Phazing (Oct 8, 2013) |
| "Halfway" (featuring Zashanell) | |||
| "Antares" | |||
| 2014 | "Zenith" | Non-album singles | Kid Coconut (August 4, 2014) |
| "Sun In Your Eyes" (with DubVision featuring Tom Cane) |
Kid Coconut (September 15, 2014) | ||
| 2015 | "Woo" (with Dirty Twist) | Kid Coconut (April 20, 2015) | |
| "See You Soon" (with Rune RK featuring Denny White) | Kid Coconut (June 2, 2015) | ||
| "Tongue Tied July" (with Roy English) |
Kid Coconut (August 7, 2015) | ||
| "Vintage" (with Rayven & Valexx) | Kid Coconut (September 25, 2015) | ||
| "Check This Out" (with Still Young) | Size Records (October 16, 2015) | ||
| 2016 | "Wherever I Go" (with The Audio Institute) | Kid Coconut (January 29, 2016) | |
| "Omega" (with Aspyer) | Kid Coconut (April 22, 2016) | ||
| "Good Enough" (with The Ready Set) | Hopeless Records (May 18, 2016) | ||
| "All I Ever Wanted" (featuring Louie) | XOXO: The Album | Kid Coconut (August 3, 2016) | |
| "Summer Dreams" (with Marcio Lama) |
Non-album singles | Kid Coconut (September 9, 2016) | |
| "Jupiter" (featuring Roy English and Uni) |
Kid Coconut (October 15, 2016) | ||
| 2017 | "Gaya" (with Lakou Mizik & J. Perry) |
Kid Coconut (February 17, 2017) | |
| "Danse Konsa"[39] (with Strong G) |
Kid Coconut (August 9, 2017) | ||
| "Easy On My Love" (with Janelle Kroll) |
Kid Coconut (December 15, 2017) | ||
| 2018 | "Bayo"[40] (featuring Strong G, Baky and J Perry) |
Kid Coconut (February 16, 2018) | |
| "Soweto"[41] (with Shirazee) |
Kid Coconut (June 22, 2018) | ||
| "Spice"[42] (with Kah-Lo) |
Kid Coconut (August 31, 2018) | ||
| 2019 | "How About This"[43] (with Uniiqu3) |
Kid Coconut (February 22, 2019) | |
| "Akwaaba Ayiti"[44] (featuring DJ Bullet, J. Perry and Dro) |
Lokal | Kid Coconut (June 12, 2019) | |
| 2020 | "Melanin"[45] (with Kah-Lo) |
Non-album singles | Self-released (August 19, 2020) |
| 2023 | "Clueless"[34] (with Oxlade) |
Astralwerks (February 18, 2023) | |
| "Jessica" (with Saint Jhn, Charly Black & J. Perry) |
Self-released (July 19, 2023) | ||
| "Coming Your Way"[46] (with Anne-Marie & Becky G) |
Astralwerks (August 16, 2023) |
Remixes
| Year | Title | Original artist | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Awooga" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Calvin Harris | |
| "Alive" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Dirty South and Thomas Gold featuring Kate Elsworth | ||
| "Dancing" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Delivio Reavon and Aaron Gill featuring Phatt | ||
| 2012 | "Burn Forever" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Those Usual Suspects and Nordean | |
| "Nuclear Seasons" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Charli XCX | ||
| "Heartbeat" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Childish Gambino | Glassnote[47] | |
| 2013 | "Power of You and Me" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Rune RK featuring Andreas Moe | |
| "Your Heart" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Dirty South featuring Joe Gil | ||
| "Until the End" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Dirty South feat. Joe Gil | ||
| "Steal You Away" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Dash Berlin and Alexander Popov | ||
| "Fire We Make" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Alicia Keys and Maxwell | [48] | |
| "Take Me" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Tiesto featuring Kyler England | Musical Freedom | |
| "Sound of the Drums" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Armin van Buuren featuring Laura Jansen | ||
| "Thinking About You" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Calvin Harris featuring Ayah Marar | Columbia (Aug 4, 2013) | |
| 2014 | "Shadow of the Sun" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Max Elto | |
| "Arkham" (Michaël Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Oliver Chang and Daniel Etienne | ||
| "Our Story" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Mako | ||
| 2015 | "Arkham" (Michaël Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Oliver Chang and Daniel Etienne | February 25, 2015 |
| "Ivory" (Michaël Brun Mix) | Shanahan | March 9, 2015 | |
| "What I Did For Love" (Michaël Brun Remix) | David Guetta featuring Emeli Sandé | April 16, 2015 | |
| "Love Will Never Let You Down" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Eddie Thoneick and Abel Ramos featuring James Walsh | May 25, 2015 | |
| "Blue Sky" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Feenixpawl and Jason Forte featuring Mary Jane Smith | June 19, 2015 | |
| "I Can Change" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Brandon Flowers | September 11, 2015 (Island) | |
| "Ardor" (Michaël Brun Edit) | No Regular and Pessto | December 29, 2015 | |
| 2016 | "Awakening" (Michaël Brun Mix) | Baha | March 25, 2016 |
| "Move That Body" (Michaël Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Japaroll and Funk Machine | July 15, 2016 | |
| "Lake By The Ocean" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Maxwell | July 19, 2016 (Columbia) | |
| "U" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Ben Alessi | December 16, 2016 (Kid Coconut) | |
| 2017 | "Wasted Youth" (Michaël Brun Remix)[49] | Fletcher | March 8, 2017 (Self-released) |
| "Lift Me Up" (Michaël Brun Remix) | OneRepublic | June 8, 2017 (Mosley, Interscope) | |
| 2018 | "Sunny Days" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Janelle Kroll | March 23, 2018 |
| 2019 | "Give Dem" (Michaël Brun Remix)[50] | Diplo and Blond:ish featuring Kah-Lo | June 24, 2019 (Mad Decent) |
| 2021 | "Dumebi" (Michaël Brun Remix) | Rema, Mavins and Becky G | April 1, 2021 |
| 2023 | Party Girls (Michaël Brun Dancehall Remix) | Victoria Monét featuring Buju Banton | May 26, 2023 |
Radio appearances
| 2013 | Show | Episode | Date and details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Group Therapy | Episode 055 with Above & Beyond: Guest Mix by Michaël Brun | November 29, 2013 |
| 2015 | Diplo and Friends | Episode: Michaël Brun & Two Fresh | April 19, 2015[51] |
| 2019 | Diplo and Friends | Episode: Michaël Brun in the mix | July 28, 2019[52] |
References
- Charles, Jacqueline (28 March 2019). "DJ Michael Brun hosts a huge block party in Little Haiti as part of his 'Bayo' tour". Miami Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- "CODE Guest Playlist: Michael Brun". Billboard. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- "Michael Brun On Helping His Homeland & Kid Coconut Label: Exclusive". Billboard. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Bruner, Raisa (11 May 2018). "Haitian DJ Michael Brun Is Bringing His Island's Sounds to the World". Time. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- Leight, Elias (12 June 2019). "Michael Brun Is Taking Haitian Rhythms Global". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- "Interview with Michael Brun". Fashion Ayiti. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- Jacob Katel (17 July 2014). "Haiti's Michael Brun Talks EDM Stardom and Launching Kid Coconut Label". Crossfade. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- "DJ Michael Brun put medical career on hold for music". Sun Sentinel. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Bergado, Gabe. "Michael Brun on His Album "Lokal," the Beauty of Haitian Music, and Building Bridges". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "Haiti's Michael Brun Talks Debut LP 'LOKAL,' Friendship With J Balvin & Diplo & His Legacy As Global Artist". grammy.com. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "Shades of Grey (Remixes) - EP by Michael Brun, Remy Joel & Xpression on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- "Michael Brun – Dawn (Hardwell Edit)". Dancing Astronaut. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- "Select nomination". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21.
- Farella, Dylan (2014-07-21). "Michael Brun – Zenith (Original Mix)". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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- "Billboard Hot 100 Fest: Daily Lineup Revealed". Billboard. 2015-08-04. Archived from the original on 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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- Barron, Michael (2016-01-30). "Listen To This Michael Brun Track Released In Support Of Local Haitian Musicians". Vice. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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- "Michael Brun". Billboard.
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- "Spotify Delves Into Uncharted Territory With Unique New EDM Playlist [Listen Here]". YourEDM. 2016-10-29. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- Raymer, Miles (19 February 2019). "DJ Michael Brun on bringing Haitian street-party vibes to the States". TimeOut. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- Bein, Kat (2017-02-17). "Haiti's Michael Brun, Lakou Mizik & J. Perry Drop Charitable Political Anthem 'Gaya': Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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- "Michael Brun Is Sweet & 'Easy On My Love' With Janelle Kroll: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- "Michael Brun Explores the New Sounds of Haiti In His Debut Album 'Lokal'". Okay Africa. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- Suarez, Gary (18 July 2019). "How Mr Eazi, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny Made One of the Best Songs of the Summer". Vice. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- Elder, Sajae (29 June 2019). "Micheal Brun brings Haitian sounds to the forefront on debut album, LOKAL". Fader. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- Dixon, Siobhan (26 May 2022). "Wyclef Jean & More Stars Celebrate Haitian Culture At Michaël Brun's Bayo Concert". Yahoo. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- Garcia, Thania (4 April 2023). "Music Industry Moves: Astralwerks Signs Michaël Brun (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- Lane, Vincent (18 February 2023). "MICHAËL BRUN RETURNS WITH "CLUELESS" (EXCLUSIVE)". The Garnette Report. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- Hubbell, Diana (14 November 2018). "Having a Beer with Haiti's Most Famous DJ, Michael Brun". October. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- "Meet Mr Eazi, Nigeria's Crossover Afrobeat-Reggaeton Star - PAPER". 10 December 2020.
- "Latin GRAMMYs".
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- "Danse Konsa - Single by Strong G & Michael Brun on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- Bein, Kat (2018-02-16). "Michael Brun Urges the World to Give Love in Celebratory 'Bayo' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- Rishty, David (2018-06-22). "Michael Brun Delivers a Doubleheader With 'Jalouzi' & 'Soweto': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
- Ochoa, John (2018-08-31). "Michael Brun and Kah-Lo Are Red Hot On 'Spice': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- "How About This - Single by Michael Brun on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- "Akwaaba Ayiti (feat. DJ Bullet, J. Perry & Dro) - Single by Michael Brun on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- "Melanin - Single by Michael Brun & Kah-Lo on Apple Music". Apple Music. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- "Michaël Brun, Becky G, Anne-Marie Are 'Coming Your Way' With New Song". UPROXX. 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- "Michael Brun Is A Big Time Haitian DJ: Interview". Noisey. Retrieved 28 October 2014. (February 14, 2012)
- "Michael Brun's Alicia Keys and Maxwell Mix, 'Fire We Make': First Listen". Billboard. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Bein, Kat (10 March 2017). "Independent artists Michael Brun and Fletcher unite on 'Wasted Youth' remix: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- "Give Dem (Michael Brun Remix) [feat. Kah-Lo] - Single by Diplo & Blond:ish on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- "Michael Brun & Two Fresh – Diplo and Friends – 19-APR-2015". global-sets.com. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- "Diplo and Friends". BBC. Retrieved 1 August 2019.