By Christine Jean-Pierre

 CSMS Magazine Staff WriterWe can call the great Konpa aritst Alan Cavé, or Garcia Delva, or Jacques Sauveur Jean, but Jude Jean has always been the distinction, the stand-alone singer with an imposingly filtered voice. He is without a doubt one of the shining stars of the now internationally renowned Konpa music genre. But to many music watchers, Jude Jean is also the artist who does not seem to find his way to the elusive success. To others, he is the perfect artist—true to himself to the deepest fibers of his soul—but appears to have paid the price for not enshrining in himself the relentlessness often necessary to conquer the “Big Break.”            “I like him. He is my favorite singer, but he seems to be overlooked, shunned and bypassed for more aggressive singers who don’t even come close to being as good as Jude Jean,” said Elizabeth Duchaud, a young fan from suburban Atlanta.            Indeed, Jean’s trajectory as an artist has everything that brings fame to a singer thriving toward success and perfection. He is tall, handsome, charming, and he’s got the voice to put music producers to their knees. We don’t know for sure why he has not yet made the giant leap to the boulevard of fame.            But critics say that Jean is the quintessential prince who always misses the train to the river of fame, trapped by his own conviction, by the scope in which he is performing and by the ruthlessness of those who hold the key to success.            Thus one must pose this question: Has Jean ever had the chance to compete in a leveled, playing field? He made his debut with the now defunct group called K-Dans in early 2000 along with Richard Cavé and Carlo Vieux who now lead the group Carimi. Carlo and Richard left K-Dans shortly thereafter to settle in New York where they founded Carimi, one of the most influence groups of the new generation.            After the lost of Carlo and Richard, K-Dans went on to produce some great albums with Jude Jean as the lead singer. However, despite their unmistakably sweet melodies, these albums made little headways in penetrating the great wall of fame. But Jean himself gained international status, attracting fans from across the globe.            By late 2005, rumors had it that the band managers got rid of Jean because of his tan, and it was the band tradition to put forward people with fairer complexion in order to maintain its traditional base—the petit-bourgeois from in and around the wealthy suburban town of Pétionville. It did not take long to confirm Jean’s removal as the lead singer of K-Dans, as he was swiftly replaced by a little known Marcendy Talon.            Jean also went on to create his own venture.  By the summer of 2006, Jude Jean rockedCabanne Choucoune—a major nightclub in town—when he debuted his band called Chill in an unforgettable August night. According to the news media, the room was jammed beyond capacity where well-wishers, musicians from various local groups and die-hard fans came out in force to support Jean. Jean, who dressed in a white outfit and who looked the like the forgotten prince turned conquistador in a stunning wild twist.                 Chill accompanied Jude Jean in several projects, noticeably the 2006 release with marvelous songs like Bonita, Aprann etc…            The album, which produces clean and impressive melodies and which featured impeccable musicians like Fabrice Rouzier and Nickenson Prud’Homme, did not make much headway, and Jude Jean dropped out of sight. Despite repeated calls from our readers to know about Jude Jean’s new projects, CSMS Magazine has been unable to get a hold of Jude Jean. But we are sure Jean will certainly resurface, someday, with greater and sweeter melodies, for we can’t imagine Jude Jean disappointing his fans.Also see Kenedy: La nouvelle princesse of zoukMilca: New Haitian diva crowned in Paris while Konpa is breaking new groundsDwindling record sales forces Zouk producers to call Konpa to the rescueZouk music producers have turned into Kompa to boost record sales