Behind The Lens: Prophete
How would you describe your music to a first-time listener?
I’d describe my music as Afro-Caribbean with Latin influences, with the guitar usually at the center of everything I do. If I had to paint a picture, think of a sunny day on a Caribbean or Costa Rican beach, relaxing with a piña colada in your hand. That warmth, rhythm, and ease is what I want the music to feel like. I pull from sounds I grew up around, especially Haitian music, but also from different styles I’ve picked up along the way. So if you’re hearing me for the first time, expect a lot of rhythm, melody, and guitar, with different cultures naturally blending together.
You're celebrating a major career milestone with a trip to the ice cream shop. What's your go-to flavor and why?
Definitely rum raisin. Growing up in Haiti, my parents used to take us to this ice cream spot, and I remember the rum raisin being so good. It’s one of those flavors that instantly takes me back home. And Haiti is also home to Barbancourt, one of the most iconic rums in the Caribbean, so I guess rum was always destined to be my answer.
What do you want fans to take away from your music?
I want people to walk away from my music remembering that we’re all human beings just trying to figure this life thing out. Be a little kinder to yourself and to others, take a break when you need one, live your life, follow your dreams, and be grateful for what you have along the way. We put so much pressure on ourselves to have everything figured out, and sometimes you just need a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and enjoy being alive.
What about making music makes it fun for you?
Making music is like a puzzle to me. Sometimes it’s clear as day and everything just fits and falls into place, and other times you really have to work your brain, collaborate with someone else, or find a middle ground to make the best music you possibly can.
That’s what keeps it exciting for me. I get bored pretty easily, but with music there’s always something new to learn. There’s a new direction to go in, a new genre to explore, or a collaboration that takes the song somewhere completely different from what you originally envisioned. Even just meeting new people and learning how they think or how they approach their creative process keeps me curious. Music never really gives me the chance to get bored.
How do you know an idea is worth developing into a song?
Ouff, that’s a loaded question lol. I actually feel like every idea is worth developing—it’s more about whether the timing is right. I hate wasting ideas. But usually I can tell pretty quickly when something is worth pursuing because it excites me. If a melody stays stuck in my head, or I play something on guitar and can still remember the pattern without having recorded it, that’s usually a pretty good sign that there’s something there.
Ideas also come to me at the most random times. I’ll be in the shower and a melody will come, and I’ve literally had my wife grab my phone and record me singing from the shower so I don’t forget it. Or the second I put my head on the pillow to rest, suddenly my brain decides it’s time to flood me with ideas. Other times, I’ll just sit with my guitar and noodle around until I find a progression or a lick that makes me stop and go, “Okay, what’s this?”
From there, I’ll record a rough idea on my phone, figure out the tempo and the key, and sometimes intentionally choose a key that pushes me a little vocally. Then I’ll start building an 8- or 16-bar idea around it and scat melodies until something sticks. A lot of times, random words will come out while I’m scatting, and those words end up pointing me toward what the song wants to be about. Then the writing really begins.
When do you decide to shelf an idea that isn't going to work?
If I start working on something and I don’t like the direction it’s going, I get stuck, or I’m just not feeling inspired by it anymore, I’ll stop. I don’t really like forcing an idea just for the sake of finishing it.
But shelving something doesn’t necessarily mean I’m done with it forever. From time to time I’ll go back through old ideas, and sometimes I’ll hear something and think, "Damn, why did I stop working on this?" Then I’ll pick it back up, figure out what was working and what wasn’t, and maybe take it in a completely different direction.
And then sometimes I revisit something and I’m like, "Yeahhh… no, I see why I stopped working on this." That happens too, but thankfully, it’s pretty rare.
Did you think a song was going to be less successful than it actually became?
The first one that comes to mind is Good Vibrations. That song was actually a turning point for me as an artist. Around that time, my cousin told me, "You sound like every other Afrobeats artist," and as much as I probably didn’t want to hear it, something clicked. I realized I needed to figure out what my sound was instead of trying to fit into one.
That’s when I started experimenting with creating something that felt like mine, where I could pull from Afrobeats, reggae, bossa nova, Caribbean music, or whatever else inspired me without feeling like I had to belong to one specific genre.
The funny thing is, I don’t think I promoted "Good Vibrations" even once, and it ended up getting over 7,000 streams organically. There are songs I’ve actively promoted that haven’t done a quarter of that. It was one of the first signs that maybe trusting my own musical instincts was the direction I needed to go.
What's one lyric you find fans repeating back to you?
Honestly, I don’t know if I’m at the point yet where there’s one particular lyric that a bunch of people repeat back to me lol. But there is a melody from my song On Top that people love to hum back to me, which always makes me laugh. I think that’s just as cool, though. Sometimes people connect with a feeling or a melody before they even connect with the words, and as someone who naturally thinks in melodies, I love that.
You're creating a song for an Olympian. What would you call it, and what would it sound like?
Ouh, nice question. I’m definitely hyping them up lol. I wouldn’t want to make some generic motivational anthem, though. I’d want to know who I’m making it for first. I’d research where they’re from, the music they grew up listening to, their culture, what they listen to before they compete, what motivates them, and why winning means so much to them. I’d want all of that woven into the record.
Sonically, it would be fast, energetic, and inspiring—something that makes you feel like you can run through a wall when it comes on. Lyrically, I’d tell the story of what it took for them to get to that moment, but also where they’re trying to go next.
For some reason, the first title that came to me was This Is It. I like the idea of that moment right before they compete where all the training, sacrifices, setbacks, and preparation come down to this one moment. This is it. Now go get it.
If there was a museum dedicated to your life and career, what would fans find in the gift shop? Where can fans connect with you?
Ouuh, the gift shop would be all over the place lol. You’d probably find some of my favorite video games and movies, a guitar pick or two, and definitely something inspired by my song Konekte. There’d be postcards from some of my favorite places I’ve traveled to, a little book of restaurant recommendations because I love good food, and probably a guide to places I think everyone should experience at least once.
I’d also have cards or little posters with reminders about not giving up, following your dreams, being grateful, and trying to do something with your life that can make someone else’s a little better.
Basically, you’d leave the museum wanting to eat something good, book a trip, play a video game, listen to some music, and go after whatever dream you’ve been putting off.
And if you want to connect with the real-life version of the museum, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and everywhere you listen to music as Prophete.
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