Photo by Aimee Corrigan

Haiti-based musician Rebel Layonn uses music to blend together ideas of hope, optimism, and love. His sound is part reggae and part dance hall, with definite Haitian roots, using both Creole and English in his lyrics. He’s an inspiring, positive guy who also happens to be a core member of the Life is good Playmakers Ayiti, in Haiti. Rebel first got involved with the Playmakers in 2010 after Haiti endured a debilitating earthquake and is now their Creative Director/Trainer.

Good Vibes: Why is music such a powerful tool?
Rebel Layonn: I think it’s a powerful tool in its ability to inspire, motivate, and influence its listeners to be sensitive.  And considering the particular message that is being delivered, it is one of the greatest tools one can use in reaching out to a global audience in a creative manner.

Good Vibes: How does optimism play a part in your music?
Rebel Layonn: Through the messages of love, peace, unity, and joy in my music, optimism takes a natural flow into the vibes that are being released to people of all races, genders, and faiths.  Singing and calling out to humanity to realize that we’re one global family and reaching out to the oppressed and the neglected with words of hope empower the weak, the hungry, and the belittled.

Good Vibes: Who or what inspires you?
Rebel Layonn: I’m inspired mainly by my environment and the world as a whole and by the everyday situations around me. Being out in nature also boosts my creativity in how I write and how I express myself.

Good Vibes: Talk about your involvement with the Playmakers.
Rebel Layonn: I got involved in the Playmakers movement in 2010 after the earthquake in Haiti and began working with kids living in tent cities affected by trauma caused by the earthquake — diseases, violence, and poverty in the Port-au-Prince area of Haiti. I worked as a volunteer applying the playmakers approach under the umbrella of an NGO named AMURT Haiti for 1 year.  In July 2011, the Life is Good Playmakers decided to set up a Playmakers base in Haiti run by young Haitian Playmakers called Life is Good playmakers Ayiti (LIGPA), under the title of Gerye Jwa. I was hired by LIGPA as a Playmaker teachers’ trainer. In 2012 I was offered a new in position in the organization as the Creative Director/Trainer of Gerye Jwa, which is still my present position in the the organization today.

Good Vibes: Why is it important to bring programs like the Life is good Playmakers to Haiti?
Rebel Layonn: I find it necessary to have programs like the Playmakers in Haiti for the benefit of growth, health, and wellness on a holistic level for the children of Haiti who are ultimately the future and hope of the country. Such an approach finding its place in school classrooms is very nourishing to the educational system of Haiti in very transformative ways. Teachers, kids, and parents are all benefiting from this program and spreading the gains of it to the Haitian society and communities. It’s paving the way for a much more loving, joyful, peaceful, and creative society for the future.

Good Vibes: What do you hope to do with your music — what effect do you hope it will have?
Rebel Layonn: I hope to use my music as an instrument of change to promote universal love and compassion throughout the world, and to inspire people of all backgrounds to connect and be conscious of our oneness in life.  I also [hope] to encourage and have a positive influence on the people that hear my music. I hope it brings joy, hope, and enlightenment, that it sparks positive changes of self and changes for the betterment and well-being of our general environment.

Good Vibes: What’s next for you?  What are your plans for the future?
Rebel Layonn: I’m working to continue pushing this first album in unlimited ways, to have a local tour and to move onto an international tour presenting the album and exchanging with different cultural backgrounds.  For the future I plan to proceed with my musical career by working with different producers, musicians, and talents, learning from and exploring different cultures throughout the world, and being a model and a figure of change to upcoming youths of Haiti and the whole globe.

Check out the powerful music video below, for Rebel’s 2011 song “Tout Bagay,” that captures the essence of the Playmaker Movement in Haiti.  Learn more about The Life is Good Kids Foundation.