The artist, Jean Roody Delpé known as Roody to some and Delpé to others was born on May 28th, 1984 in Limbé, close to Port Margot in Cap Haitien where his parents are from. Raised in Port-au-Prince, he attended Petit Seminaire Collège St Martial where he completed his primary and secondary education.
Jean Roody Delpé’s musical career began at a very early age. Growing up in a family where music has always been valued, it was inevitable that music would play an important role in his life. His father, Jhonny Delpé, played the guitar in a local band, Nouveaux Astres de Port Margot in Cap Haitien and as a young boy, he sang in a choir there during summer vacations. All through his adolescence, he became involved in the youth choir of the Charismatique group of the neighborhood Church in Port au Prince at Sainte Croix de la Croix des Missions Church. With his involvement in the youth ministry at the Church, he began solfège lessons with the priest Father Gilles as his mentor. In addition to the Church’s musical teachings, Jean Roody Delpé expanded his musical knowledge through solfège lessons given at his school for three years.
As he began to play the keyboard (piano) at the Church, he began to put into practice his acquired knowledge and became even more passionate about music. As a senior in High School, he was involved with Excess, a local band where he played alongside Jean Richard Bien Aime (Maestro Ricky), Judes Deslouches and some others. In 2006, he relocated to the United States and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Since being in New York, he has assisted several neighboring Haitian bands with their music. In 2007, he finally found refuge as a “gigger” with the renowned Haitian orchestra, System Band.
Jean Roody Delpé’s very first professional musical experience was with System Band. He had the opportunity to share the stage with some of Haiti’s musical elites such as Isnard Douby, Reginald Benjamin and Lucien Cerand. As a young upcoming musician, working with musical veterans that had been part of the music industry for over 25 years, he became inspired to leave his footprints in the Haitian music industry. In his efforts to do so, he joined musical groups targeting a younger generation. While in System Band, he became a part of a local group in New York, U-turn as their maestro and even produced some of their songs. Towards the end of 2010, Jean Roody Delpé parted ways with the musical group and was soon asked to join Karizma, another neighboring upcoming band. He remained with Karizma for a year and helped produced their debut album. In 2012, he resigned from the group and began to focus on his solo career.
Looking back at his journey in the Haitian music industry, Jean Roody Delpé believes his biggest accomplishment thus far has been representing Haiti and its music in other countries across the globe. He dreams of a structured musical industry where musicians can be proud of their career and be valued in society. Today, he looks forward to a new adventure as a solo artist. One of his favorite quotes by Erica Jong says “Ne rien risquer est un risque encore plus grand” when translated means “Risking nothing, is an even greater risk” and as a solo artist, he is ready to take all the risks and face any challenge. In 2015 Delpé joined the band Cruz La.
