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Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michaël Brun Talks Bringing BAYO Fest to Barclays Center Amid Trump Travel Ban & Increased ICE Presence in NYC
From Buju Banton to Vybz Kartel, Caribbean artists have been reaching new heights in the live music entertainment sector this year, with several of the biggest names across reggae, dancehall, soca and konpa graduating to arena-headlining status. With his forthcoming ninth edition of BAYO Festival on Saturday (June 28), Latin Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Michaël Brun is looking to join that esteemed group. Born out of a free, impromptu street party in his home country of Haiti, BAYO is an annual block party that has steadily grown in popularity and turnout each year. Translated to English, 'bayo' means 'to give,' a worthy title for an event that trades on gifting diasporic communities a night of generation-bridging musical performances and beloved local vendors. Last year, Brun's festival took over Brooklyn's Prospect Park with a lineup that included J Balvin, Oxlade and J. Perry. One key element of BAYO is that the lineup is kept a closely guarded secret until the show begins; revelers may not know who will be soundtracking their night ahead of time, but Brun has garnered enough trust from them to properly serve as master of ceremonies. This weekend, BAYO will yet again graduate to an even larger venue: Barclays Center. More from Billboard Machel Montano & Ludmilla to Close Out Summer by Headlining Inaugural Planet Brooklyn Music Festival John Morgan Takes a Grown-Up Look at Regret With 'Kid Myself': 'There's a Lot of Details of My Story in This Song' Ariana Grande, Brandi Carlile & Andrew Watt Among 534 People Invited to Join Motion Picture Academy 'Around 2019, we started almost doubling [attendance] every single year, that's when the idea to move to arenas came up,' he tells Billboard over a chai latte in Downtown Brooklyn, less than two weeks before the show. 'That year, we hosted BAYO for about 1,800 people at Brooklyn Steel, so we felt that we could scale it up in the right way. [Grammy-winning R&B star Maxwell also made a surprise appearance that year.] We stopped for two years [during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic], but I kept doing it online, which was really helpful. When you start something for 20-30 people and see it grow into the biggest stages in the U.S., it's insane, incredible and a little bit scary.' Though this year marks his ninth time mounting BAYO, it's also Brun's tenth year personally throwing events. From debuting as a self-taught electronic DJ at house parties in his teenage years to playing major festivals like Coachella and Tomorrowland, Brun has used his music skills to consciously and intentionally build communities around the globe. 'All the EDM stuff taught me how to do Caribbean-specific events,' he says. 'I'm really grateful for that trajectory because even though I didn't know where I was going at the time, in retrospect, it taught me a lot.' This year's BAYO Fest also serves as a tribute to Brun's late mother, Sharon Andrea Lee-Brun, who passed late last year after a battle with cancer. 'This was one of the last things we spoke about before she passed,' he reflects. 'There's a moment for her in the show that's gonna be really, really special.' BAYO's Barclays moment also comes amid an upswing in Caribbean touring acts at the arena level. Dancehall king Vybz Kartel sold out two back-to-back nights at Barclays in April, and Long Island's UBS Arena has hosted five sold-out, $1 million-grossing shows across four Caribbean genres in under a year. As UBS has emerged as a formidable competitor to iconic NYC arenas like Barclays and Madison Square Garden, Brun couldn't resist the gravity of finally bringing BAYO to the very venue he walks by every day in his second hometown of Brooklyn. Nonetheless, mounting a show in a roofed arena is markedly different from a summertime showcase in a public park. With a new venue comes a new vision for the festival, and Brun has taken careful consideration to strike a balance between honoring the essence of BAYO while translating the show to an arena stage. 'What's really cool about the arena — and maybe complex for some artists — is that it's a blank canvas,' he explains. 'Inherently, when you [throw] a block party, there's an element of a lot of things happening at once. In the arena, it's all about crafting a spectacle. In smaller scale shows, there's less distance between the stage and the audience, so we're thinking about how to ensure that every moment of the show makes you feel as if you were in the first few rows.' With a concert capacity of 19,000, this year's BAYO lineup will have access to a much larger and more intricate venue than past iterations of the festival. While he's intent on keeping the stage design as much of a secret as the lineup, Brun does tease that he's teamed up with Haitian artist Steven Baboun for a stage anchored by a theme of transportation. 'Transportation is important,' he muses. 'How does that build and inform identity?' Brun's alluding to immigration, a particularly prickly topic in a city like New York. Caribbean immigrants are a vital part of what makes NYC such a culturally rich city, and increased ICE presence in neighborhoods densely populated by Caribbean people (like Flatbush or Crown Heights) has only made their relationship with their city more contentious. What's more? Brun is mounting BAYO the very month President Trump's travel ban, which includes Haiti, goes into effect. It's one thing to bring a Caribbean festival to an arena in less than ten years, but it's an entirely different thing to do during one of the most precarious political moments of the decade so far. How do you coordinate security? What does that look like when ICE seems to be arresting, detaining and deporting before asking questions? Is it even ethical to knowingly bring these groups into the same space? 'I'm creating safe spaces that show the beauty of life,' Brun says, choosing his words carefully. 'I think the most powerful way to share your experience and perspective is through something like a concert, because it's very subtle. It creates a curiosity that's genuine, and an attraction to something that's different. On the one hand, you're creating a safe place for the people of the culture, but you're also opening up a route for adversarial people, who might be operating from a place of fear. Hopefully, [those adversarial people] come to the show and their minds will be changed. That's my view. I want to be a positive ambassador for the things that I love; in the process of that, you create bridges.' The Billboard-charting artist also stressed that BAYO has 'the support of local government and parts of NYPD,' which he hopes will 'create a safe environment where people feel comfortable going out.' Rumors continue to swirl about this year's performers — Brun confirms 'there will be some shaking,' but whether that's 'to the max' is yet to be determined — but the ever-evolving multihyphenate is keeping his DJ skills at the center of his growing BAYO empire. Over the last sip of his latte, Brun proclaims: 'When I'm bringing people out at BAYO, I see it as me DJing people instead of songs.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Pon De Replay: How Rihanna's Digital Age Debut Made Caribbean History
GERMANY - AUGUST 18: Photo of RIHANNA (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) At just 17, Rihanna made her professional debut with her single 'Pon de Replay,' becoming the first female Caribbean pop star to ignite the digital era. Our Bad Gal Riri was only 17-years-old when she busted onto the scene with this Caribbean riddim and dance club mix of a song. In May 2005, 'Pon de Replay' was a global smash hit that turned up nightclubs throughout the diaspora, decorating nightlife all over, including New York, Kingston, and Lagos. Its reverb was undeniable. Respectively a polyrhythmic movement, 'Pon de Replay,' skyrocketed the Barbadian-born talent to meteoric stardom with chart-topping positions and notable award nominations. Today, the world joins the beloved Rihanna to commemorate the infancy of her legendary career. 'Come, Mr. DJ, son pon de reply / Come, Mr. DJ, won't you turn the music up?' This is the lyrical cadence that ultimately branded the song. A fusion of Bajan Creole, Rihanna's native tongue, and Jamaican Patois, the official language of dancehall music. 'Pon de Replay' dropped during a time when the music industry was still adapting to the evolution from CDs to iPods. Pre-Spotify. No TikTok amplification. And iTunes was in the infancy of locating its footing, having launched just two years prior. Yet, in this transition moment, 'Pon de Replay' became one of the first digital era juggernauts. This was an early signal that a hit could be born purely through online downloads. It soared to the top of the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart in July 2005 and lowkey became a case study in how digital consumption could crown a newcomer. HOLLYWOOD - AUGUST 31: Singer Rihanna arrives at the 2005 World Music Awards at the Kodak Theatre ... More on August 31, 2005 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by) On the Billboard Hot 100, where Mariah Carey's seismic heartbreak anthem 'We Belong Together' held court, 'Pon de Replay,' boldly held the number two spot and reigned in the top ten for 12 straight weeks. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts, standing as unshaken proof of Rihanna's global appeal. It became the official party jam of Summer 2005, a feat the Bajan-born singer would repeat across multiple eras of her ever-evolving career. And having sold over 2 million digital units on iTunes, 'Pon de Replay' ultimately went RIAA certified platinum times two. Immediately, a then teenage Riri became an international sensation. It was rare to see a young Caribbean singer on the cover of a mainstream publication, as she unforgettably graced the cover of Seventeen and went on MTV's TRL and BET's 106 and Park, also rare opportunities. Not only did this prove that she had global appeal, but it proved that indeed a young Caribbean singer is marketable and can tremendously resonate with an American audience. WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JULY 14: Roc-A-Fella recording artist Rihanna is featured at the Teen People ... More Listening Lounge hosted by Jay - Z at the Key Club on July 14, 2005 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by) The song was fitting for a range of genres, that of pop, R&B, dancehall and club music which are all genres that stand adjacent to hip-hop, making hip-hop heads grand consumers of the song. It was sensible. She was the newest signee to Def Jam thanks to Jay-Z, having wowed the hip-hop mogul along with L.A. Reid in February that year, and three months later made her solo single debut with 'Pon de Replay.' Her debut album Music of the Sun launched later that year in August, making Rihanna an instant artist to watch in the pop arena. Rihanna's ability to dominate the pop arena without compromising her Barbadian hertiage certainly served as a breakthrough for Caribbean artists. She picked up and carried out what Caribbean predecessors such as Patra, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, and Diana King has accomplished throughout the '90s—a successful fusion into American music genres, hip-hop and R&B, where it was proven that the Caribbean cadence can withstand aural satisfaction. Just one year prior, the world was on their feet with Sean Paul's trifecta of dancehall hits, 'Gimmie the Light,' 'Get Busy," and 'Like Glue,' and then there was the soca-crossover party bangers, Kevin Lyttle's 'Turn Me On' and Rupee's 'Tempted to Touch.' Now, with Riri's 'Pon de Replay,' the Caribbean cadence was officialy welcomed into the pop world. NEW YORK - MARCH 24: Recording artists Rihanna (L) and Sean Paul pose for photos backstage at Sean ... More Paul's "The Trinity" World Tour at Nokia Theater March 24, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by) While artists like Paul, Lyttle, and Rupee brought Caribbean likeness to early-2000s charts, Rihanna arrived with something distinctly new. She was the first female artist to debut in pop's digital age. Where others opened doors, she stepped through with a hit that was born and raised in the iTunes era, proving that an island girl could drive the global sound, during a time where diasporic Black cultures were seeking global representation. And while female acts like Lady Saw, Alison Hinds, and Destra Garcia were regional powerhouses in dancehall, reggae, and soca, as well as genre-defining legends in their own right, they never crossed into the U.S. pop market on a digital scale. That had less to do with talent and more to do with timing, global marketing, and possibly a disinterest in conforming to the pop formula. By the early 2000s, they were already established icons, celebrated by Caribbean and diasporic audiences worldwide. Rihanna, by contrast, emerged as their modernized little sister who was young, polished, and strategically backed and ready to channel this island swag through the lens of a rising global pop star. CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 19: A$AP Rocky and Rihanna depart the "Highest 2 Lowest" red carpet at the 78th ... More annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) Our Bad Gal Riri has been an undeniable force since her professional debut and has likely surpassed even her own expectations, now standing as a bonafide business mogul thanks to her beauty empires, Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. Nearly a decade after her Anti album and three years since her last single, 'Lift Me Up,' fans are grateful for her new track, 'Friend of Mine,' tailored for the Smurfs Movie soundtrack — which also served as confirmation of the coming of her new, as of now, genre-less album, R9. And let's not forget her solid romantic bond with rapper, A$AP Rocky, the father of her two sons, RZA and Riot, with baby number three currently in the oven. It is history of this caliber, and, more recently her entry into motherhood, that gives Rihanna the license to withhold her precious tunes until the timing is right. She knows exactly what will hit. Let the Bad Gal rock.
