Carimi is a popular Haitian compas band assembled in New York in 2002. Carl… Read Full Bio ↴Carimi is a popular Haitian compas band assembled in New York in 2002. Carlo Vieux, Richard Cavé and Mikael Guirand who had worked together in some area of music, almost simultaneously made the decision to further their education. Acknowledging that the state of their homeland, Haiti, was troubled and unstable, they each decided to leave and set their sites on the United States. Always driven by their passion for music, this small group reunited in New York to touch upon making their current past-time a potential career.

They soon found themselves surrounded by sound proof foam mats, extended boom of mics and a mixing board. To their surprise, each had the same desire to pursue their music and created the name for their band by the taking the first two letters of their first names Carlo Vieux , Richard Cavé and Mikael Guirand; alas, Carimi was born.

Hours and hours at the studio in the hopes of creating a new sound, one that was uncommon in the music industry at the time, the band found themselves putting on paper some profound, socially shared lyrics that encompassed the disorders of their native land. Haiti Bang, Bang, was released in the summer of 2001. Instantly, Carimi became a household name. They are known as one of the first younger generation digital bands to put out music that reflected upon the political pressures and the deteriorating security of Haiti. They had mass appeal to the Haitian diaspora who fled the country and through their allure lyrically, musically and of course sex appeal for the ladies, Carimi has thrived throughout the years.

Originated with 6, now there are 8. They included: Carlo Vieux: keyboard voice/leader, Richard Cavé: keyboard voice/leader, Michael Guirand: voice/leader, Glenny Benoit: bass guitar, Stanley Jean: tanbou, Jean-Marie: conga, Noldy Cadet: bass, Marc C. Widmack: conga, Alex Thebaud: percussion, voice.

Carimi has received accolades from the International music scene, including Best Album of the Year. Carimi has risen to the top of the charts across the billboards in Haiti, Guadeloupe, Paris, French Guiana, Canada and parts of Europe. They became the first Haitian band to come out with a konpa mobile app.

Officiel
Carimi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Comme un astre qu'on descend
Seul et sublime
Je t'imagine

Danse
Tu bouleverses tout mes sens
Toi ma divine évidence
Le jour décline et déjà je te devine

Lentement, lentement

Comme poussée par un vent brulant
Jusqu'à toi j'ai navigué
Trop longtemps, trop longtemps j'ai attendu cet instant
Ça y est je t'ai trouvé

Comme un oasis
Dans le désert de mes désirs
Comme un oasis
La plus belle source de plaisir

C'est toi mon horizon, mon phare

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Carimi's song Officiel express the idea of a love that is so intense and all-consuming, it feels like a celestial being descending to earth. The singer imagines this love interest as an "astre" (a star), who is both solitary and majestic. The person's very presence is enough to make the singer's senses go wild, and he refers to her as his "divine evidence." As the day fades away, the singer can already sense the coming of this otherworldly love.

The second verse describes the singer's journey to find this love, which was long and arduous, but ultimately worthwhile. He compares finding her to stumbling upon an "oasis in the desert," and she becomes the source of all his pleasure. She is his "horizon" and his "phare" (lighthouse), guiding him through tough times.

Overall, the lyrics to Officiel are about finding a love that is transformative and all-consuming. The singer imagines this love interest as powerful, solitary, and beautiful, and he feels completely overwhelmed by her presence. Despite the challenges he faced to find her, the love was worth the struggle, and she becomes the guiding light in his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Comme un astre qu'on descend
Like a star descending from above

Seul et sublime
Alone and sublime

Je t'imagine
I imagine you

Danse
Dance

Tu bouleverses tout mes sens
You shake all of my senses

Toi ma divine évidence
You, my divine evidence

Le jour décline et déjà je te devine
The day is ending and I can already sense you

Lentement, lentement
Slowly, slowly

Comme poussée par un vent brulant
Pushed by a scorching wind

Jusqu'à toi j'ai navigué
I navigated until I reached you

Trop longtemps, trop longtemps j'ai attendu cet instant
I waited for this moment for too long, too long