What has Paul Beaubrun been up to? Answering that question with the word, “plenty” would certainly do that question justice. But there must be a more splashy adjective to convey the degree of achievements he’s been piling up of late. For starters, he’s been performing on stages with artists he grew up listening to and admiring—artists like Lauryn Hill, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Arcade Fire, Brad Paisley and David Byrne. There’s a collaboration with Artists for Peace and Justice on an album that includes Jackson Browne, Jon Russell, Jonathan Wilson and Raul Rodriguez. That is to say nothing of his recent album Vilnerab that was released last year, and that topped iTunes’ World Music category.
Photo Credit: Paul Beaubrun…freestyle…John Midley
And if you aren’t out of breath by now, there’s also the award nomination for The Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Sound/Composition for the play ESPOIR/ESPWA–earned alongside collaborator Tamsir Seck. Oh, and the live performance on the highly-rated entertainment news show “Hollywood Live”, a platform that Haiti’s artists rarely get access to.
At the moment, the singer who’s also the founder Zing Experience—a reggae/roots band—is working on his next musical project—a set of songs in Creole and in English. He hopes to release it “soon”, though from the accelerated speed things are going for him, “soon” may mean next year.
Above: Paul Beaubrun as captured by David Belle.
Kreyolicious: When you look back at your life so far, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Absolutely nothing. I believe everything that you do, that happens to you, the choices you make–are all for a reason. I don’t believe in regret or to look back and wish anything had been done differently. You learn from it all. And, you always have a choice–maybe not in what happens, but always in how you handle it and what you do with the teachings. I am always thankful, regardless of whether anything is perceived as good or bad. To me, life is about learning and growing and to truly be successful you only need to be appreciative and constantly focus on your goals. Doing that, you can achieve anything.
Photo Credit: Paul Beaubrun showing off some on-stage energy. Kafe Photo
Kreyolicious: It’s rare to see a photo of you without you having a guitar on hand. Which guitarists have influenced your style?
There are so many it’s hard to name them all and feel as though I am doing them justice. Off the top of my head; Jimi Hendrix, Santana, B.B. King and Eric Clapton have had major influences on my sound.
Kreyolicious: What do you feel is the best track you’ve ever recorded in your life?
Similar to my guitars, it is impossible for me to single out any one song. They are all special to me for different reasons. I guess it may also be a personality trait of mine. I don’t think that way about anything, I don’t ever create a hierarchical system or put more meaning on one thing over another; it’s just not how I live or how I think. Every song, like every guitar, holds meaning for me. I can say that recently the song “Ayizan” was very much in my thoughts, as it was sung by a good friend of mine, Eric Charles, who passed away. It will always remind me of him. May he rest in peace.
Photo Credit: There’s no better friend than one’s guitar. Kafe Photo
Kreyolicious: You have currently on tour. How do you stay sane between the airplane climbs, and stage performances, and the like?
Ah yes, touring can definitely be tough. I am grateful to have been exposed to it young with my parents. I think often times musicians who were not exposed young get a bit of a shock when they begin touring because it is so demanding. Demanding on your body, your mind, everything. Way more then anyone really knows until they are in it.
I make sure that I eat properly. I try and run every day when I can. I meditate as often as possible and I keep in close contact with my family. I think that is probably the most important thing to do. When you are on tour, life is crazy, and in order to succeed you need to have your family there to keep you sane and support you.
Kreyolicious: Is there anyone you haven’t collaborated with that you’d like to team with for a song?
That’s a tough question. Some of my greatest idols have unfortunately passed away—[Jimmy] Hendrix, Prince, Bob Marley, B.B. King, and so on—but there are others like Eric Clapton with whom I would love to play with some day. I am so blessed and honored to already be playing with great Rock and Roll hall of Fame musicians like Jackson Browne and Sheryl Crow. It’s truly a dream come true. I remain open to anything and anyone who crosses my path. I think that any collaboration of musicians can create incredible music and can lead to truly musical nirvana. My goal in life is to spread my sound, to always be collaborating with other musicians and making music for the people.
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