From DJ to music architect: Kemissa makes history with her first album “Fanm Flanm”

DJ Kemissa has become the first Haitian female DJ to release a full studio album, a milestone she marks with the launch of “Fanm Flanm” (“Woman on Fire”), a 10-track project that positions her not just as a selector who moves a crowd, but as a producer and songwriter shaping her own sound.

The album brings together a roster of collaborators, including Djesska, Leyla Mizik, Gab’s, Sungee, Phil, Marcoli, Davi-G, and Burning Phatass, with the closing track, “W.È.M,” featuring verses from Manno Beats and Steves J Bryan.

From Selector to Architect

For Kemissa, the album is a deliberate step beyond the role many associate with DJs: playing other artists’ records to keep a room dancing. “Just playing other singers’ songs to make people dance is not enough,” she told Faces of Haiti. “I want to be an architect, a creator of my own music.”

That ambition runs through every track on “Fanm Flanm.” Kemissa said the project is her way of telling her own story through music, rather than interpreting someone else’s. Sonically, she describes the album as a blend of Konpa, Rabòday, and Afrobeat influences, a mix she has crafted to reflect both her Haitian roots and her range as a producer.

A Legacy for the Next Generation

Kemissa is clear that the project is bigger than her own career. “I want to make a great impact and build a legacy for young women, to show them a female DJ can be as creative as anyone in a studio,” she said.

That legacy, she said, has to be built against real resistance. Kemissa was candid about the barriers women face in an industry still largely controlled by men, where stereotyping and the objectification of women remain persistent obstacles to success. “It’s difficult for a woman to emancipate herself in this industry, because the industry is mainly dominated by men,” she said, “but with hard work, resilience, and self-respect, I managed to achieve my goal as a female artist.”

Ten Tracks, one statement

“Fanm Flanm” unfolds as follows:

1. Intro – Mèsi (ft. Djesska)

2. Nan Mond Pa M (ft. Leyla Mizik)

3. Fanm Flanm (Wake Up) (ft. Gab’s)

4. Si M Te Gen Pouvwa (ft. Sungee, Phil)

5. Dezod (ft. Marcoli)

6. Nati

7. Vini

8. Alo Moto (ft. Davi-G)

9. Aga (ft. Burning Phatass)

10. W.È.M (ft. Manno Beats, Steves J Bryan)

A Call to Young Haitian Women

Beyond the music, Kemissa used the interview to speak directly to young Haitian women considering a path into entrepreneurship. She encouraged them to pursue their education, enter the business world, and approach their work with discipline and professionalism. “Believe in yourself, and be faithful to the person you really are,” she said.

With “Fanm Flanm,” DJ Kemissa adds her name to a short list of Haitian artists building a full-length body of work behind the turntables, and a longer list of Haitian women redefining what leadership in the country’s creative industries can look like.