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Ms. Wololoy describes herself as being “very grounded and easygoing,” saying that she creates fun in everything she does. Her love of singing and performing is used to “wow” the people and her new self-titled album that promotes Haitian culture is sure to do just that.
“I am a pretty laid-back person and I enjoy life,” she said. “I love to give joy.”
Ms. Wololoy is devoted to ramping up her native country of Haiti, saying that the island nation has plenty to offer through its fantastic landscape, cuisine, music, friendly people, and love of the arts.
She was born and raised in Haiti and started her career as an engineer. She went abroad for her two Master’s degrees in Business Administration and International Business, starting in France and then moving to California for the rest of the program.
Ms. Wololoy explained that the day she was traveling to America from France was when the massive earthquake occurred in her home country on January 12, 2010, where all her family, including her husband, was living. Her husband ended up coming to the U.S. and they established themselves in Georgia, where she launched a business in financial services.
She then went into real estate investments and retail, but Ms. Wololoy has decided also to get involved in arts and entertainment. This is an opportunity to promote the beauty of her home nation which has struggled a lot more since the disaster. She said it will help people (re)discover her culture, including language and habits while bringing positive notes.
“In times of bad news, of chaos and disarray, Notes of Positivity, Light, and Joy can only do people good!” she said.
Ms. Wololoy has a store that is called “Wololoy!,” (www.wololoystore.com) which sells a variety of items and apparel linked to Haitian culture and pride.
“I decided to go back to arts with my store, and wanted to put my country and culture at the center of all this to help people throughout the world discover what we are doing, or at least be curious about us aside from what is heard in the news,” she said. “It’s a nation that people should know about: we have a rich history. We are resilient and there is a lot currently going on out there…”
She added, “I am coupling the store products with music.”
Ms. Wololoy started with her first song called “Wololoy!”, which is a Haitian Creole word meaning “wow.” It shares the name of her store because she wants people who buy the products to share their stories while holding or wearing something that reminds them of Haiti. This makes it more palpable or memorable for whoever is listening.
“Music is different from products because it goes through people,” she said. “When people sing, the word stays with them, and the beat lives through them. My first song was all about the beauty of my home country, our music, our art, our beaches…But I wanted to offer more.”
“Wololoy!” Is the first of 10 songs on the album, that she said are “very upbeat” and “once you hear these songs”, she said, "you will feel the urge to stand up and shake it”. Some even say that the first few notes are enough to catch the groove.
All of the songs have videos, with so far, 4 videos that are already released: “Wololoy!”, “Wifout!”, “Sòs”, “Nwèl Remèt Jwèt”, with 2 more scheduled to be released: “Fouyapòt” on Friday January 24th and “Bèkèkè” right on time for Valentines’s Day on Friday February 14th: “Fouyapòt’ and “Bèkèkè”.
Alongside other artists who also hold Haiti and the culture dear to their hearts, she is working to display the Haitian culture so it can be internationally recognized.
“I want to keep it alive in the ears of people, and in the heart of people”.
She said once things get stabilized in Haiti, it will be an incredible place to travel to and (re)discover.
“So, in the meantime, we need to keep Haiti alive and very vivid in people’s mind/memory,” she said. “There are hardworking people, white sandy beaches, tasty cuisine, a beautiful history, and a fantastic summer-like climate 360 days of the year.”
She called it “perfect for year-round tourism.” The goal is to make sure that the beauty of this nation is not overshadowed by the current turmoil.
“Wololoy! encourages storytelling,” she said. “Everyone who is enjoying the joy of Wololoy! are called Wololoyist. They are part of a movement: What I’m doing is a Positive Marketing Campaign for Haiti, and those people, through the sharing of their own stories, are part of growing the movement. I am doing this to invite and keep the world enjoying our culture and especially our music. Just like African music has recently connected so many people of all nationalities throughout the world despite the language and cultural differences.”
“This is the Movement that I have created and I wish to see people take it viral through their content sharing, their dancing, and their love of my songs,” she said. “I’d like to sing with many well-known artists to share the fun with a way larger crowd.
Ms. Wololoy lives by a pair of mantras: “You owe it to yourself to try. If it doesn’t work out, you will grow from it” and “If you’re not enjoying it, dig deeper or elsewhere. You need to feel joy and give joy.”
“There are so many beautiful things experienced by Haitians or people who visited Haiti,” she said. “Therefore, there are millions of us, each with hundreds of great stories to tell. Through Wololoy! I want to encourage people to share all these beautiful stories.”
The full album was released on July 2nd, just in time for the summer holiday season. It includes the following tracks, with their English translations:
Fans can listen to the album on streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Tidal, Amazon and many others, as well as on social media: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram. Physical CDs are available for purchase on the Wololoy! store website: www.wololoystore.com and on her artist website: https://mswololoy.bandcamp.com/album/ms-wololoy.
Ms.Wololoy invites everyone to connect with her across social media platforms:
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