Yanatha Desouvre: From New York And Paris, To Miami With Love

Yanatha Desouvre had relatively a rough childhood. However, he has no problem sharing his road to success with his surroundings. He is an educator, writer, husband, father, and a big fan of “Lambi”. As he has been very involved in several undertakings, he shares with us his latest project in this interview.  

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Yanatha Desouvre. I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I can say that I grew up in some humble conditions during the 80’s crack/cocaine exposure in New York. I survived a barbershop shooting at 9 years old and then moved to Philadelphia two years later. In Philadelphia in the ’90s, where I walked through a potpourri of crack bottles on my way to school every day, I was and still am enriched with cultural values gained through the Haitian communities in New York, Philadelphia and now South Florida —from West Palm Beach to Miami.

Tell us about the things you are currently working on.

I have recently published my latest novel, Revelations: Roads to Redemption that does not only pays homage to Wyclef’s Jean‘s 20 plus years discography (where every chapter is a Wyclef song), it is to honor timeless Haitian proverbs. This publishing is considered as an action-adventure novel series, and readers have described as James Bond‘s meets Idris Elba‘s Luther mixed with Mission Impossible, X-Men and a dash of Haitian pikliz. The novel was adapted as a screenplay by Harry Jeudy, the great writer behind A Great Day in Harlem executive-produced and directed by Samuel Ladoucer and executive-produced by Amos Ladoucer M.D. Nonetheless, I will be releasing a posthumous project this April titled, World’s Finest featuring the late Haitian classical guitarist Daniel Coulanges.  

The project is something I like to call: From, New York and Paris to Miami with Love.  Back in April 2016, my uncle world renowned Haitian classical guitarist Amos Coulanges told me there was a video recording of his baby brother —my late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges performing on his guitar. My late uncle/godfather Daniel whom I spoke about earlier died of HIV/AIDS on April 30th, 1989 only two years before Magic Johnson made his announcement. Uncle Amos shipped me the VHS footage converted DVD from Paris to Miami with love, and I started crying. I am humbled and excited that we were able to bring to life my late uncle/godfather Daniel Coulanges‘s music which we discovered existed back in April 2016.

Through, Indiegogo, I was able to raise enough funds to produce, manufacture and get my late uncle’s music mastered. On April 16, 2019, 30 years after Daniel performed 18 songs at a college in Staten Island, New York, the World’s Finest: Live in New York album will be released on April 16, 2019, on iTunes Music, Google Play, Spotify and everywhere else one enjoys listening to music. The World’s Finest is an album 30 years in the making with a profound message of hope and love.

With excellent guidance from Chris Palowitch, of the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, I have been fortunate to be able to record a duet with my late uncle Daniel Coulanges of Ne Me Quitte Pas, where I play the piano accompanying Uncle Daniel. Jacques Brel’s Ne Me Quitte Pas, (Don’t Leave Me) made famous in the United States of America by the incomparable Nina Simone and recently covered by Wyclef Jean.

This is an unforgettable duet similar to what Natalie Cole did with her father Nat King Cole with Unforgettable, but with a twist for 2019. That duet will be available for sale on April 1 as well.

What inspires you to reproduce (or create) the album of your uncle?

Sadly, my uncle/godfather Daniel, died at the age of 28; he never had a chance to record his own music. I believe I was given the video recording of his —perhaps the last performance before he died— to accomplish something bigger than myself. This project of creating this album is a way to bring my late uncle’s music to life and to allow his legacy to live on. In Daniel Coulanges’s classical guitarist renditions of Andrew Lloyd Webbers’s Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Haitian folklore songs like Nan Fon Bwa (In the Deep Woods), Killing Me Softly, which was made into a mega-hit, sung by Lauryn Hill of the Fugees, you will find yourself transported to moments that bend time itself.

With Daniel Coulanges’s musical masterpieces, you will find yourself immersed in France, South America or in an intimate cafe in San Francisco, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Pétion-Ville, Port- au-Prince, London, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Tokyo, or some other places in the world. The late Daniel Coulanges’s timeless classical guitar music with a global, upscale, and exquisite sound will be available for everyone worldwide to experience.

What message do you hope to share with the world through your uncle’s story?

The message I hope to share with the world through my uncle’s story is that you never know when your last moments on this earth is going to be, so I encourage you to live your life to the fullest. Live your life on purpose and with purpose. You never know how the light that is within you, unknowingly, will spark the light of someone else to shine, and not only to survive but to thrive in whatever darkness they are maybe encountering. I often say: success comes with support; we only fail in this life when we fail to uplift one another.

Tell us about the scholarship program and which type of students or background it will be supporting.

I am an educator and lifelong student. All of the proceeds from the sale of the album and the Indiegogo campaign will start and fund the “Daniel Coulange Memorial Scholarship Fund”. The purpose of this scholarship will be to lessen the financial burden for those artists, (musicians, writers, or painters) who are committed to pursuing higher education. The students who are in dire financial needs and have a GPA of 3.0 are eligible to receive a sum between 500 to 1000 U.S. dollars in scholarship at least twice a year. It is not much for now; nevertheless, it is a start, and I am committed to building on it to distribute the scholarship with more funds and to more students. There may be an essay as part of the application process as well.

What would you say to someone in the music industry waiting for his or her big break?

Stop waiting. Just start. There is a hashtag at Drexel University, where I earned my Bachelor Degree, which says #ambitioncantwait. That is true because AMBITION CAN NOT WAIT. To that artist waiting for that big break, you must put in the work.

Shout to Phyllisia Ross, she handles her businesses as she mentioned in an interview with Chokarella, and she controls a lot of the back end of her business. One day I hope to work with Ms. Ross and Wyclef Jean —I have a plan.

Generally, why do you think it is essential for a musician to know about music, business, and technology?

It is essential for a musician or an artist to know about the music of their art. A “starving artist” should no longer be a thing. Understanding and putting into the practice the foundational pieces of the business side of your art puts the artist in a position to be able to make a living doing what he or she is called to do. When it comes to technology, it is nothing to be afraid of. Technology is a tool, like a hammer; you either use it to build or destroy. Use technology to enhance your reach, your connection with your potential fans, fellow artists, and so much more.

How do these three elements correlate?

It’s the trifecta approach. Like earth, wind, and fire. Your art, the business, and tech must work together for you to be fruitful in your endeavors. A seed does not grow on its own. It needs water, the sun, and dirt. To live out your dream as an artist it must be financed. To live it out for a long period it must be enhanced through the use of technology

Based on your experience, what are your top best practices (or tips) for professionals to serve their communities?

• Engage: Listen to others so you can identify the need for growth
• Encourage: Recognize the strengths the communities already have, partner up with that community and build up on that.
• Empower: Encourage compassion. Empathize with others. Plant seeds of courage around you. Learn to get back up and stay committed to trying again to reach the goals you have set for yourself and never give up.

How do you stay connected to your Haitian roots?

My Haitian roots are embed in everything that I do —from every book that I’ve written to the bedtime stories I read to my little ones. The older that I’ve gotten, the more I am committed to speaking exclusively in Creole with my parents and practice a Creole phrase of the week with my little ones.

Finish this sentence: Your favorite Haitian food/meal is … Lambi! (conch in English) Best place I’ve had it recently is at Le Lambi in Miami West Kendall. Chef Yole makes mouthwatering Lambi like nobody’s business.