Worldwide superstar Wyclef Jean is readying his first release in seven years. Announced this morning on Rolling Stone, the Haitian native will be releasing his EP J’ouvert onSeptember 30 via Heads Music. The highly anticipated J’ouvert, meaning the official start of Carnival, comes in advance of a full length album aptly titled Carnival III: Road To Clefication dropping next summer on the 20th anniversary of Wyclef’s critically acclaimed debut The Carnival. The LP has already created quite a buzz with confirmed appearances from Afrojack, Emeli Sandé, and multiplatinum DJ/recording artist Avicii.
With Wyclef’s new tracks “My Girl” and “Hendrix” already in heavy rotation, he most recently released a “Hendrix” Spanglish Remix featuring recording artist Farina, 18 year old rapper Bryant Myers, and mysterious producer Anonimus. The remixed version is a new take on the danceable, insightful original track. Wyclef says of “Hendrix”, “This speaks to the neighborhood I grew up in and how it didn’t look like much. The devil, or the streets, offered drugs and cartel and I chose music. Some homies chose the NBA, or we would see people like Shaq who are from Newark and see how they made it out the danger zone.”
As the man who penned Whitney Houston’s “My Love is Your Love”, Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and countless others, Wyclef Jean’s grammy winning reputation precedes him. After the Croix-des-Bouquets born musician announced his campaign for the presidency of his home country, Haiti in 2010 many assumed he had switched career paths. However, Wyclef says he has never stopped making music. “Every day when I wake up, I go into the studio and record,” he says. “There’s always a guitar and a piano nearby. I’m always writing, that’s my survival. I don’t go to a therapist. My therapy is when I pick up my guitar and sing.”
Wyclef is known for his wealth of musical influences from jazz to classic rock to reggae. With his critically acclaimed, Grammy nominated debut The Carnival, he launched himself as a producer and solo artist whose work drew from elements of pop, country, folk, disco, Latin, and electronic music. As a solo artist, Wyclef Jean has released six albums that have sold nearly nine million copies worldwide, including 1997’s The Carnivaland 2000’s The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book.
Check out Wyclef’s latest track “Hendrix” Spanglish Remix, the original “Hendrix”, and the charming music video for “My Girl”. Be sure to keep an eye out for J’ouvert this September.
Tracklisting:
1. Party Started
2. Holding on the Edge
3. For a Man
4. Wonderful
5. Camels to Ferraris
