5 Questions
In 2007, we sat down with the actress/singer Cleo (Cleona Pierre)
for the issue # 7-23-3 of Boyo Magazine, and asked her five specific questions about the HML (Haitian Music Landscape).
Here are her answers.
Boyo Mag: How did you get your start as an actress in the movie industry?
Cleo:Well, the way I started as an actress in the movie industry was through a friend of mine. I played his wife in a Haitian TV sitcom called Pikliz. When he was cast as the lead character role in Les Voleurs, he told the director about me. The director gave me a call, and like they say... the rest is history.
Boyo Mag: I know that your CD is now ready; can you tell us more about it?
Cleo:Yes indeed. The CD is completed. I have a total of ten (10) tracks on the CD, plus an Intro and an Outro. The album consists of different types of feelings to satisfy every music lover. The album will be released for the Kompas festival on May 19th (2008)... but I am releasing my new video for the title of the album "Lanmou deziem Men" this April.
Boyo Mag: Do you think that women in the HML receive the recognition that they deserve?
Cleo:No, not all... But I don't think us, as female artists, take enough charge of our career and demand the recognition that we fairly deserve. Don't wait for the haitian Music Industry; you as the artist should instead have the creative and musical control over your career. In rturn you will receive the recognition from the fans.
Boyo mag: What do you think should be done in order to make more Haitian females interested in a musical career?
Cleo:I think that's a hard question to answer because of the fact that the females that are already here, in the music business, are not in the best shape possible. So, how are we supposed to bring any new ones in to join the mess. I think we, as female artists, need to clean out our mess first and then show a united front in order to bring a new female into the industry.
Boyo mag: If you had the power, what would you cange in the HML?
Cleo:I would definitely change the bootlegging situation for which we are dealing with. Imagine an artist spending countless hours in the studio; spending so much money and energy to create their craft. And after all the blood, sweat and tears for someone to just sit behind a computer and make copies, sale the CDs and ends up making more money than the artists himself... That's just unfair, no matter which way you look at it.
