Overview:
In Mexico Metropolis, Haitian singer F-MACK is chasing a dream sparked by watching Selena as a child in Port-au-Prince. Mixing gospel, jazz, R&B and Latin sounds, he’s constructing a reputation with assist from mentors, collaborators and followers. That includes insights from engineers, musicians and cultural leaders, this story charts his rise from church choirs in Haiti to headlining phases throughout Mexico.
MEXICO CITY— When Fermilus Mackenson Fils Lenor watched the film “Selena” as a baby in Port-au-Prince, he knew he wished to be an entertainer. One scene stayed with him: Jennifer Lopez, portraying the late Mexican-American icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, takes the stage at a packed Mexican pageant early in her profession. The gang is skeptical at first, however as Selena begins to sing “Como La Flor,” she wins them over. “‘Como La Flor,’” the Haitian star sang softly from his Mexico Metropolis house whereas talking with The Haitian Instances.
“I noticed it and stated, ‘I need to be that.’”
That childhood dream has taken form in sudden methods. Now 35, Lenor—identified professionally as F-MACK —performs throughout Mexico, the place he’s constructing a loyal viewers with a definite sound that fuses R&B, soul, gospel, funk and Caribbean influences. His debut album, Gatear— Spanish for “to crawl” is anticipated later this yr.
“I used to be proper about my dream,” F-MACK stated. “I simply wanted to good it.”
F-MACK is a Haitian voice that has been reshaped in Mexico.
He moved from Haiti to the Mexican state of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave six years in the past to check on the prestigious Centro de Estudios de Jazz at Universidad Veracruzana. He now lives in Mexico Metropolis and has carried out at main festivals, together with Bahidorá in Las Estacas and Remind GNP in Guadalajara.
A lot of his songs seamlessly change between English and Spanish; some earlier ones are in French and Haitian Creole. His prolonged play (EP) RENACIDO—Spanish for “reborn”—options two rising tracks and is a part of what he calls his inventive evolution. “Now the infant is crawling,” he stated of his album provisionally named Gatear, which shall be launched this yr, persevering with the metaphor.
I used to be proper about my dream. And I simply wanted to good it.
Fermilus Mackenson Fils “F-MACK” Lenor
The brand new album incorporates extra Latin and rock components however stays rooted in his signature soulful fusion. “My songs enhance as I enhance as an artist,” F-MACK stated.
His collaborators additionally embody Mexican musicians and writers. One crowd favourite, “A Huevo,” makes use of a slang time period loosely that means “let’s go!” to seize the spirit of F-MACK’s cultural crossover.
“I simply make a tune, truthfully. That is my Spanish, that is my English—do you prefer it?” F-MACK stated.
From Port-au-Prince church buildings to the stage in Mexico
F-MACK grew up in a modest family in Port-au-Prince, the place his mom owned a restaurant and his father labored in development. His musical basis got here early—he was singing earlier than he may speak, his mom stated, and discovered to harmonize with pals within the Haitian capital to Celine Dion ballads.
At 17, he joined a Christian choir after auditioning with Britney Spears and Mariah Carey songs. Gospel music taught him vocal self-discipline and showmanship.
When he was older, the maestro of the Haitian group Hallelujah Gospel found F-MACK throughout an occasion and informed him to audition. It was a efficiency that even shocked him.
“Out of the blue, I used to be discovering I used to be particular,” he stated, recalling a breakthrough efficiency of “Jesus, You’re Every part to Me” at age 19.
After failing to get into Haiti’s École Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) in 2001, he tried once more—and was accepted the following yr to check classical music. That self-discipline would form his skilled path.
He needs to be a frontman. When he steps onto the stage, he turns into any person else.
Diego Zumaran, F-MACK’s sound engineer and manufacturing supervisor
In 2012, a bassist invited F-MACK to entrance a combo on the PAPJAZZ pageant, Haiti’s annual jazz celebration gathering numerous international celebrities of the music world. There, he noticed Haitian jazz singer Mélanie Jean Baptiste Charles carry out a scat solo, and after connecting along with her after the present, she gave him his first scat lesson.
“I used to be in love along with her [artistry]. I wished to do what she was doing,” F-MACK stated.
That very same yr, he met conventional musician Camil Meseguer Rioux of the Mexican band Sonex. Years later, F-MACK reached out, on the lookout for a approach to go away Haiti and broaden his music profession. Rioux welcomed him to Veracruz and launched him to the jazz program that may change his life.
Rioux nonetheless remembers the primary time he heard F-MACK sing. “He hit an extremely excessive whistle observe,” the founding father of Sonex informed The Haitian Instances.
Constructing a stage presence—and a model
Adjusting to Mexico wasn’t simple at first. F-MACK didn’t communicate Spanish and located skilled tradition extra formal than what he’d skilled within the U.S. and Europe. However he tailored, rising from backup gigs to headlining smaller venues.
Rioux, recalling the constructive interactions between Haitian immigrants and F-MACK’s mom in Québec Metropolis, Canada, agreed to assist. F-MACK and his pals arrived in Xalapa, the place Rioux helped them settle. They have been within the backyard of Rioux’s cultural heart when he heard F-MACK sing for the primary time. “I keep in mind it completely…and I stated, ‘Wow, this man is unimaginable,’” he recalled.
His summer time 2024 look at Les Escales Pageant in Saint-Nazaire, France, marked a profession spotlight and a supply of pleasure for him. He shared a stage with famend artists like these of the British band Jungle, based by London-based producers Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. F-MACK’s efficiency on the event acquired glowing reward from the newspaper Le Monde, which referred to as him “the revelation of the thirty second version” of the worldwide music occasion.
“I felt the group’s power,” the Haitian singer stated. “It’s like I knew what they wanted.”
That potential to learn and reply to the viewers units him aside. “There’s a distinction between a singer and an entertainer,” he stated. Entertainers like Prince or James Brown—whom he loves—convey “spontaneity,” he defined. They react to the second.
He ventured an extremely excessive whistle observe, and I stated, ‘Wow, this man is unimaginable
Camil Meseguer Rioux, founding father of Mexican band Sonex
Right this moment, F-MACK is enhancing his stardom, amassing followers and over 10,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify.
On stage, F-MACK turns into simply that. In April, sporting outsized sun shades and a jumpsuit, he carried out on the Mexico Metropolis music venue and bar Tonal. When he sang “A Huevo,” followers sang alongside. One interrupted mid-set for an autograph. Others jostled towards him simply to the touch his hand.
“He needs to be a frontman,” stated Diego Zumaran, F-MACK’s manufacturing supervisor. “When he steps on stage, he turns into any person else.”
Although quiet and reserved offstage, F-MACK lights up when performing, channeling charisma and management into each set.
“Mexico wants a showman,” he stated. “I need to present each Haitian it’s potential.”