Prince Koloni

Orniel SIWO aka Prince Koloni is having two trumps: his legend and his voice. His legend is colourful – after having escaped from Surinam during the war in the interior at the age of 18, he became supervisor on a boat, which transported gold seekers at the Maroni River, and he became a well-known star in the local music style of
« Aleke » (singing and drumming), before he took refuge in another country under the pressure of mystical forces. Then a few years after, he came back in French Guiana as a hero and did an amazing performance for the TransAmazoniennes. He was awarded "world artist of the year” by "Liberation" in 2005.

Not only colourful, he is especially a vocalist of great calibre, with a naïve voice, hardly changing in tone, with extreme accuracy, and charming because of his almost childish sincerity, with original compositions in French, English, Portuguese, Dutch, and Sranan Tongo and Bushinengue, the language of the maroons. He still frequently sings the « Aleke » but his preference nowadays is Reggae & Roots Acoustic, because these styles are more universal and appropriate to carry out his message.

Prince Koloni is an amazing & talented artist, who has the ability to explore any kind of music, always mixing with his Amazonian & African Roots.
After 10 albums with Alike music and 4 with Reggae, he recently recorded a new album roots reggae in Jamaica, «Jah Is The Way», including amazing collaboration with Tarrus Riley, Dean Fraser, Leebert «Gibby» Morrison, Cegrica «Soltje» Hamilton, Duane Stephenson, Habib Koite... this album will be soon distributed digital worldwide (with «Believe» - check for the teasers below). He is now working on a full acoustic album (with among others Habib Koite), that will be distributed in Brazil, French Guiana, Belgium, USA & Canada in early 2011.