Phantoms

The story so far.

Written and edited by Smokiller

Phantoms is a konpa band co-founded and fronted by Pierre Raymond Divers, known as King Kino. The Haitian Times lists the group among the 1990s bands of the nouvelle génération era, alongside Sweet Micky, Djakout, Lakol and Zenglen, and describes its rivalry with Alex Abellard's Zin as one of konpa's defining contests of the 1990s and early 2000s. New York fans argued over whether Zin's sensual vibes or Phantoms' energetic, provocative hits ruled the city, and the paper says the contest pushed both bands to raise their game. The paper describes King Kino's range as dramatic, clean and unpredictable, a voice that, in the words of fans, is able to open a dance and finish off a romance; he sang at Tabou Combo's 40th anniversary in 2008 alongside Isnard Douby. Stories shared at New York's first Haitian Konpa Day in 2026, where he sat on a panel, included a future Phantoms frontman sneaking out by the fire escape as a church-going teen to play konpa in nightclubs.