Kreyolicious: So, you were born in Brooklyn! Take me back to your childhood, and to the musical memories you will forever associate with your upbringing.
Angelle: I grew up in a very dramatic household. My parents were both funny Haitian people (characters).
My mom was the strict one, and as for my father, he was sweet. My dad was my number one supporter. He always believed in me and was my rock when was I down.
Growing up, my dad knew my obsession with , and at times, he was frustrated because I was a pure imitation. From the way Whitney sang, moved and entertained…that was all me. He yelled at me one time and said, “Who are you? Why the f** you want to be somebody else?”
It took me a year to understand the reason why my father said that to me. A year later, I found my voice and nothing has stopped me since. But besides that, both of my uncles received commercial success in the Haitian genre music.
My first uncle was T-Alex had music group in Haiti called which was primarily groovy music. My second uncle was Wilkens Laguerre who was a gospel singer. He was not the traditional gospel singer because he didn’t conform to what people think; he performed the truth and added some twist into it.
Kreyolicious: What especially drew you to singing and songwriting?
Angelle: My insecurities did. I was picked on a lot up growing up. I remember there were nights where I used to go to the bathroom and I would cut myself because I wanted a sense of relief. My father was sick throughout my childhood and teen years.
He was legally blind, a dialysis patient. He had kidney failure, and his foot was amputated. Seeing my dad go through all of that and going through my own battles, pushed me closer to music. I started with poetry, then I started writing music, sometimes six to fifteen songs a day.
Kreyolicious: I always think it’s not a coincidence that we get named what we get named. Your name is Angelle…Angel…do you ever feel the need to live up to its meaning?
Angelle: My real name is Angie and my whole name means “the Angel of War”, which defines me to a certain extent.
Angie is who I am, but Angelle is the other side of me.
Kreyolicious: When do you feel the most beautiful? When I am on stage or when I am giving back to others. What was it like putting together your first EP?
Angelle: It was a disaster because I just didn’t understand the process, and on everything [you] must be strategic. I learned the way, but I am not content.
Kreyolicious: Let’s talk about your song “Netflix and Chill”. What inspired it?
Angelle: It was a freestyle song. I actually wrote the chorus on my way to Platinum Studios.
When I got to the booth, I laid the whole track. At first me and the engineer Chris both looked at each [other] with a “What the Heck” face, but everything turned out amazing. Even in the last the part of the song I forced my engineer to jump in to add his voice to make it sound sexier.
Kreyolicious: What should we expect from you next?
Angelle: I just released my new single called “Avec Moi”, featuring Philmoore Rich. I am currently working on the “Avec Moi” music video. I am currently working with a live band and planning my next performance, which will be all live and with no performance track.
Kreyolicious: People who listen to your music say that you are among the new wave of artists bringing back R&B. Why do you think that’s important?
Angelle: R&B is actually dead. At this current moment, R&B is tithed in with hip-hop only, so most of the time real R&B songs gets lost in the wood works. And when someone tells me that I’m different and that I’m bringing R&B back, to [me] that is an amazing honor.
Kreyolicious: So in high school, you won a lot of songwriting competitions. Did those awards boost your confidence and your faith in yourself as a songwriter and lyricist?
Angelle: Yes, my last one in high school was from a program called Grammy Day. I won a new keyboard that day, and I won a certificate. That was the best day of my life.
Kreyolicious: So you majored in Sociology. Did anyone in your circle or in your family ever tried to push you towards other fields?
Angelle: My mother wanted me to become nurse. Lord knows I tried.
I took Anatomy and Physiology four times. I failed twice, withdrew once and then my teacher actually pulled me out of her room and said “Why are you wasting your time?”. Imagine, I took the same teachers twice.
My teacher actually (MS. Macsuland) withdrew from the class. Right then [and] there, I gave up on Nursing for good.
Once I graduated from Sullivan County Community College (with an Associate’s Degree), I went to the University at Albany. I fell in love with Sociology and that became my major.
Kreyolicious: And you minored in English. What’s your fave word in the English language?
Angelle: My favorite word is reality. Honestly, I never understood why, but everything always started with “In Reality”—and so forth.
Kreyolicious: Do you ever look back to past versions of you, and compare them to the woman you are today?
Angelle: Yes. I honestly I am happy with the way I love myself. The past version of me wanted a man to love me, see me but now if one comes, [he] comes.
The past me wanted everyone to love my music. My word play, but the person does what she wants, but does it the right way. The past me didn’t want to enjoy the steps of my process, but the person [I am] now is enjoying every single step.
Last Updated on December 2, 2025 by kreyolicious
