By Mickael Marabou + Photos by Mackinley Madhere
As a Haitian-American artist, there is something deeply meaningful about watching another Haitian woman build a career that carries her voice beyond borders. I understand the courage it takes to put your work into the world, the discipline it takes to keep growing, and the vulnerability that comes with being seen. When I look at Rutshelle Guillaume’s journey, I see a woman who has continued to show up for her talent and who has given us plenty of reasons to celebrate her.
This Sunday, October 11, Rutshelle brings her 12 ERA concert to MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. As that night approaches, I want to give her flowers for the journey that brought her here. The stage, the lights, and the beautiful images are part of the celebration. Behind them are years of preparation, music, and persistence.
Her story began in Port-au-Prince, where she started singing at five in the church led by her father, Pastor Louis Destinval. At nineteen, she joined REL, a musical group featuring young musicians associated with Haiti’s École Nationale des Arts. Later, vocal training involving James Germain, Emeline Michel, and Stevenson Théodore helped create another opportunity: Yole Dérose noticed her talent, and Rutshelle joined Haïti Cœur de Femmes in 2011.
As an artist, I appreciate those early chapters. People often meet us when a song becomes popular or a photograph catches their attention. The learning, rehearsing, and small opportunities that came before can be harder to see. Rutshelle’s beginnings remind me how much a voice can grow when talent is given care, guidance, and room to develop.
In 2013, “Kite m kriye” helped bring her to a wider Haitian audience. Her first album, Émotions, followed in 2014, and Rebelle arrived in 2017. With Quoi qu’il advienne in 2021, including songs such as “Rete La” and “M Pa La Ankò,” she continued building a catalog that listeners could connect with across different moments in their lives.
What I admire is the willingness to keep evolving. Each release asks an artist to step forward again: to make choices, share something personal, and allow the public to respond. For women, that visibility can come with opinions about everything from our voices to our appearance. Continuing to create requires a strong relationship with your own purpose.
For me, there is pride in seeing a Haitian woman carry her artistry onto international stages. Those appearances create opportunities for audiences to encounter our music through someone who has invested years in her craft. They also give other women something tangible to look toward. A career like hers makes the possibilities easier to imagine.
In 2023, Rutshelle won Best Caribbean Artist at the TRACE Awards in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2024, she received the Prix Nuits d’Afrique pour la Francophonie in Montréal. These were significant moments of recognition for her work, and beautiful moments for those who take pride in Haitian talent.
I celebrate those achievements knowing that a public career also contains private experiences. In 2023, the year she marked a decade in music, Rutshelle faced the loss of her mother. Her anniversary song, “RGX,” offered gratitude to her family and supporters. That chapter deserves tenderness. We can applaud a woman’s strength while remembering that she is a person with feelings, relationships, and a life beyond the stage.
That is the spirit in which I want to celebrate Rutshelle: with appreciation for her talent and respect for the woman carrying it. One female artist honoring another. There is room for us to recognize each other’s work, encourage each other’s growth, and take joy in seeing another woman reach a meaningful moment.
The 12 ERA concert gives us an opportunity to turn that appreciation into presence. Boston will be a place to gather, enjoy the music, and celebrate the chapters that have brought Rutshelle to this stage. For longtime fans, it is a chance to reconnect with an artist whose songs they already know. For new listeners, it is an invitation to experience her live.
I want us to show up with that energy—with our friends, our families, and our willingness to celebrate. Artists give so much of themselves to their work. Being in the room is one way we can give something back.
Rutshelle, I celebrate the voice you have developed, the journey you have continued, and the space you are creating for your next chapter. As a fellow artist and a fellow Haitian woman, I am proud to give you your flowers.
Experience Rutshelle Guillaume’s 12 ERA concert this Sunday, October 11, 2026, at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. Doors open at 7 p.m. Get your tickets at 12ERA.com , and come celebrate her voice, her journey, and her era.
