Women who took to the konpa stage and stole the show 

NEW YORK — For years, rumor had it that a big part of Zin’s fanbase back in the 1990s wasn’t just about the band’s smooth grooves or lead singer Alan Cavé’s sonorous lyrics. Marie Georges Métellus, aka ‘Princesse Georgy,’ was the big draw for the female base who loved seeing a woman present—and for men, who openly ogled her every sashay onto the stage. 

With her talent for harmonizing hooks in her signature treble, Métellus not only turned heads as she brought a new type of star power to the konpa bal scene, but she also drew fans to the shows.

Along with fellow singer Magguy Foreste, the duo became a staple of Zin’s unforgettable Jeudi Saint, Jeudi Zin soirées, those epic Thursday night bals that packed dance floors in New York and Miami. Zin wasn’t just riding the wave of the konpa “Nouvelle génération” movement. The band was shaping it by putting women front and center in a genre that was then bursting with men.

During the three prior decades, women were present on the scene as vocalists, dancers and mega fans who flocked to the orchestra pit for their favorite bands. Zin’s addition of Métellus and Foreste further signaled a turning point for fans eager to see a more visible, consistent female presence in the industry. 

Like the Zin women, many others in konpa went from behind the scenes to become instrumentalists, lead vocalists, songwriters and maestros in their own right. The all-women group, Riské, had a mega hit—“Zanmi—which was on the lips of music aficionados and schoolchildren alike for years. But more than being popular, such women artists became not only fan favorites, but models of female empowerment for new generations of konpa lovers. 

Here are some women artists who came, who saw, and conquered the hearts of konpa fans—and left a mark on the genre.

Haitian Times Senior Reporter Juhakenson Blaise contributed to this report.

Image credits

Marie Love Bedjine David. Artist Instagram (@bedjineofficiel/)
Darline Desca. Artist Instagram (@darlinedesca)
Misty Jean Dufresne. Artist Instagram (@mistyjeanmusic)
Magguy Foreste. Sylvestre Production / Planet Malibu Diva Night via YouTube 
Rutshelle Guillaume. Artist Instagram (@rutshelle)
Sandra Jean, Sabrina Kolbjornsen, Gina Rouzeau and Maguy Limage. Kerby Leveille via Facebook
Daphne ‘Queen Dada’ Jean-Louis. Opa Foundation via YouTube
Farah Juste. Opa Music artist page
Virginia “Nia” Mahotière. Artist Instagram (@niamusiq)
Marie George ‘Princesse Georgy’ Métellus. Georgy Metellus- KOK via YouTube
Anna Pierre. IndieHD artist page
Marjorie Pierre. N/A

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