Montreal’s darling, hyper-productive and prolific, Wesli always has a musical idea swimming around in his head. His magnetism draws him to any singer who believes as he does that only one world is possible. And he has been making it happen for decades.
Seen as a star across Canada, recognized as far afield as Africa, this singer-songwriter-guitarist has a will made of steel and an inner magic that gets us dancing to the traditional music of his Haitian homeland. Before adopting the guitar, Wesli got his feet wet singing in a gospel choir. His determination, commitment and daring quickly opened doors to the greater music world. Early on, he performed with the Afro-root quartet Jazz4ever as well as the group So Kute in various music venues across Haiti and later left his island to tour abroad with the Kreyol Mizik company.
When this artist with a thirst for adventure moved to Montreal in 2001, he was quickly brought into the fold of the large Productions Nuits d’Afrique family, and made a huge splash at Montreal’s Francofolies and International Jazz Festival. His mastery of the guitar has earned him a prominent place among other major Caribbean and African artists. His biggest breakthrough came when he opened for Tiken Jah Fakoly and Magic System at the Olympia as well as for Alpha Blondy at the Metropolis. Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is thrilled to welcome Wesli! Let’s hear if for rara, what Wesli calls “the rhythm of resilience.”