DJ/producer Michael Brun blends EDM styles like progressive house with influences that honor his Haitian roots, such as the salsa-like kompa, and rara, a style of festival music that incorporates call and response, driving rhythms, and brass. After notching several hit releases, including 2013’s Gravity EP, Brun gave back to his community by founding the Kid Coconut label, which he intended as an outlet for other Haitian artists as well as his own music.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Brun learned to play violin and piano as a child and began experimenting with DJ software a few years later, making mash-ups and ultimately becoming a DJ in his teens. Brun initially wanted to become a doctor and volunteered at nearby hospitals, and eventually attended Indiana’s Culver Military Academy thanks to a scholarship program. The discipline he learned there helped him balance premed courses at North Carolina’s Davidson College and his growing interest in music production.

Brun began releasing singles in the early 2010s, collaborating and remixing the likes of Tiësto, Calvin Harris, Dirty South, Armin van Buuren and Hardwell. He made his Ultra Music Festival debut in 2014, becoming the first Haitian artist to perform there in the process. In addition, he released the singles “Zenith” and “Sun in Your Eyes” on his Kid Coconut label. In 2015, he released “See You Soon,” one of his most successful singles to date, as well as the Roy English collaboration “Tongue Tied July.”

Brun also became an ambassador for Paul Haggis' Artists for Peace and Justice, a charity supporting programs in education, healthcare, and dignity through the arts. One of his first projects for the organization was 2016’s “Wherever I Go,” a single he made with students at Jacmel, Haiti’s Artists Institute that benefited the school. While there, he met Lakou Mizik, an all-star Haitian roots music collective; the group, Brun, and Haitian pop star J. Perry then collaborated on “Gaya,” a song for 2017’s Kanaval celebration that also benefited the Artists Institute.

Top Song