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Jean Michel Daudier was born in Les Cayes, Haiti. He was born into a family of musicians and poets like, Jan Mapou, a famous Creole writer, who Papa Doc Duvalier put in jail because of his Creole radio show at Radio Caraibes. Jean Michel was 15 years old when he learned to play guitar. His first guitar was a broken one that was left behind after a night out of serenading by his half brother Carlos Placide ( a troubadour).
Jean Michel became famous in 1986 after he wrote a protest song called “ Lem pa we soley la” (When I don't see the Sunshine). The song was written for the Catholic radio station Radio Soleil, which supported the fight against the former dictator Baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti. The song was distributed clandestinely on a small tape cassette and no one knew the singer. People were arrested for singing this song in the streets of Port–au–Prince after a charity concert. In 1997, his work was documented in the book “A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey”, by Gage Averill.
Over the past twenty years, Jean Michel has expanded his musical style. He is writing songs in English and has included these lyrics to his repertoire. Living in USA since 1989, he has performed in many cities and travelled all over the World. He has been favorably reviewed in major newspapers and magazines in the US, Canada and Haiti.
In contrast to his four previous CDs and albums, “We Are From Africa” represents a new approach to his music. This album has a Tropical flavor with acoustics, blended with Haitian, Reggae, Jazz, R&B and Brazilian sounds. Most lyrics are in English, Haitian Creole and French.