The music scene is buzzing with excitement as Cleo, the newest addition to the band Hangout, debuts her first single since joining the group. Fans have eagerly awaited her solo venture, and Cleo did not disappoint, bringing fresh energy and her unique flair to the table. In this exclusive interview with Opa Music, Cleo opens up about her decision to join Hangout, her musical journey, and what fans can expect from her in the near future.
Opa Music: What is your full name?
Cleo: Cleona Pierre
Opa Music: When is your birthday?
Cleo: July 26, 1978
Opa Music: What does music mean to you?
Cleo: I believe that music defines me. I was born the same day as Konpa, July 26th.
Opa Music: Who are your influences?
Cleo: I pay close attention to Oriol, Orlane, and Cassandra. Cassandra deserves much more credit than she has gotten, but I think she’ll get more attention sooner or later.
Opa Music: Can you recollect your very first performance and the venue where it took place?
Cleo: My very first performance was when I was 5 years old in Haiti. I wanted to see Jacques Sauveur Jean, one of my favorite singers. My grandfather said if I could get 3 gourdes, he would take me. So, I put on a show with my cousins, playing some musical instruments. I was the lead singer and dancer. The fundraising was very successful. After paying all the musicians, I ended up with 4 gourdes. I also did a commercial for a juice company in Haiti, “Tropic,” when I was 7 years old. It was a contest with many contenders, and I ended up being the winner.
Opa Music: Why did you leave Desire?
Cleo: D’sire was my baby. I started the group in 1996 from scratch. D’sire became a pain in the butt. The girls were not getting along, and they used to fight. I invested all my life savings in that project. I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone else: I came very close to losing my house because of D’sire. I decided not to disband the band but instead let the girls take the lead on their own. I believed in that project so much; I wanted the girls to continue working on it because I was burnt out, but unfortunately, things did not go as I wanted.
Opa Music: You recently became a Mom, right?
Cleo: Yes, sir.
Opa Music: Is it hard to be on the road knowing you left your child behind, wondering what’s going on with her?
Cleo: At first, it was. Remember, I went back to Hang Out a month after I gave birth. But as she gets older and she’s with my mom, I know that she’s in good hands and that she’s very safe, but I’ll call every minute checking up on her.
Opa Music: What is the hardest part of the music business?
Cleo: Well, when the fans are being too harsh and not too appreciative of the artists’ work. After spending many sleepless hours at the studio, working hard, and for the fans to just be so inconsiderate and bashing the artist is very discouraging. It’s like I spend all my time in the kitchen cooking dinner for you, and you show no appreciation just because the taste was not to your liking. But at least show appreciation for the effort. And the bootleg situation, which is getting out of control, is also discouraging. Watching someone else reap the profit of your hard work.
Opa Music: How did you get involved with Hang Out?
Cleo: Hangout, Maestro Tiness, contacted me for Dzine because of a video he saw me in that I did with D’sire. He wanted me to get involved with Dzine. I refused because I was still in the middle of my project with D’sire. When Dzine broke up and they started to build Hang Out, the guys went to Ritchie to ask for a suggestion on a female singer. Ritchie again referred them to me. Tiness called me for a meeting with management, and that was it. I was hired on the spot.
Opa Music: What is it about Hang Out that keeps you plugged in?
Cleo: The vision from the beginning. For a moment, we lost focus because of all the drama surrounding the band, but I think we are getting back on track. Slowly but surely.
Opa Music: What are your goals with Hang Out?
Cleo: Well, hopefully, on the next album, I’ll get to lead a couple of songs then I’ll take it from there.
Opa Music: You just released a single, what was that like?
Cleo: OK…this single we took time working on it. Ronald…Ti-Reggie and I started working on it since January. I always wanted to put this single out to shut the critics who always say that I cannot sing. It was getting annoying so I was very determined to put something out and Ronald approached me and asked me if I wanted to work on the single with him since he already had the track almost ready. After a performance in Haiti, Ti-Regi asked me when I wanted to put my single out. I said whenever he decides to help me jokingly, and he said that he would contact me when he gets to Miami the next time. He did, and here we are with the single.
Opa Music: When you were in the studio recording the single, did you find that you often end up doing a lot of takes, or did it go pretty smooth?
Cleo: It was easy because I knew what I wanted to do. But Ronald also had his vision as well. We ended up clashing at times; he’s a straightforward guy who did not want to alter whatever his vision was. So I had a little problem because I wanted different things. He was reluctant to accept.
Opa Music: Did Ronald have a lot of control over you as to what pitch to take?
Cleo: He had a lot of control, total control. That sometimes it annoyed me, but I accepted his advice as the producer.
Opa Music: If you had a choice of picking 3 other Haitian bands to perform with, which 3 would you pick?
Cleo: Zekle, Magnum Band, it’s a tie between two bands, either Tabou Combo or Carimi.
Opa Music: What is the reason for wanting to do a solo project…is it because you have materials that you think that does not fit Hang Out?
Cleo: I just wanted to do a single at first. After the single, some producers approached me and were interested in producing a whole album, so now I start to focus on a whole album.
Opa Music: -Now that your first single is out, your ride is just beginning. What can we expect from Cleo in the future?
Cleo: You going to get a video in the middle of next month, and I will be going back to the studio to release another single within a month or two because some people are still not too sure about my singing ability, and I will try to shut them up. I’m still getting a lot of critics so I need to go back to the drawing board…
Opa Music: Looking back, what is the most important thing you’ve learned so far about the (HMM) Haitian Music Market?
Cleo: You gotta be a bit** to survive, especially if you’re a woman. Go get it yourself and don’t listen to the critics too much. You have to be persistent, and never give up.
Opa Music: Tell us about your experience working alongside Georgie?
Cleo: I was hoping to get a better experience from her. I was looking to learn a lot from her, given the fact that she has been in the business for 20 years or so. I was looking at her as a mentor to learn a few things from her. But all I got was drama, so there is no good experience to talk about, only bad, and you all know what they are.
Opa Music: What’s the most bizarre thing you can think of that happened to you while performing on stage?
Cleo: Ok…I was performing while wearing those fake boobs, and they were changing space. The left one was going right, and the right one was going left. I was trying to hide it both from the audience and the guys from the band. because I knew they would make fun of me afterward.
Opa Music: Why did you decide to wear those fake boobs?
Cleo: Because I was wearing that sexy top, and I needed to show some cleavage to make it look sexier given the fact that I don’t have much (giggling) so I decided to wear those That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my career.
Opa Music: You did many interviews, what’s the weirdest question you can remember being asked in an interview?
Cleo: This guy asked me if I was sweet. I thought he was referring to my singing, so I said, of course, I’m sweet then he asked if I could demonstrate to him.
Opa Music: Where is your favorite place to perform and why?
Cleo: Paris, the people over there are really appreciative of musicians and they give their full attentions and respect to the artists.
Opa Music: What is your idea of success in
