Mikaben

The story so far.

Written and edited by Smokiller

Mikaben was the stage name of Michael Benjamin, a Haitian singer, songwriter and producer born in Port-au-Prince in 1981 and the son of singer Lionel Benjamin, known for the Christmas song Abdenwèl. He first drew notice at the televised Christmas contest Konkou Chante Nwel. When Konpa Kreyol split into Kreyol La and Krezi Mizik, Krezi recruited him as its lead singer, and The Haitian Times says his range made the band a force in the Haitian music industry. He rose to fame in the early 2000s with hits like Ou Pati and worked with Carimi, Alan Cavé and Michael Brun. His 2018 album MKBN, with 18 tracks and guests including Admiral T, Elephant Man, Kevin Lyttle and J. Perry, was led by the single Upside Down, which blends konpa and R&B. On October 15, 2022, he collapsed and died on stage at Carimi's reunion concert at Accor Arena in Paris, moments after singing Ou Pati. He was 41.