In January 1991, a new group appeared on the Haitian konpa scene. Fourteen musicians decided to form Riské an all-female orchestra in a male-dominated field. At a time when women are rarely present behind the instruments in konpa bands, this initiative represents a major breakthrough in the organization of the Haitian music scene.
The project is the brainchild of two singers, Sandra Jean and Sabrina Kolbjornsen soon joined by Gina Rouzeau and Maguy Limage. Around them, ten instrumentalists complete the ensemble: bassists, keyboardists, drummers and percussionists. From the outset, the objective was clear: to demonstrate that female musicians can perform all the functions of an orchestra, from writing to interpretation, and not be confined to the role of singer or chorister.
Sandra Jean sums up this ambition in an interview with the newspaper La Presse in 1992: Riské was created to encourage Haitian women to break out of the traditional roles often assigned to them in the music industry.
The birth of an original musical project
At the time of the group’s creation, female instrumentalists were rare in konpa. Sandra Jean already had several years’ stage experience, notably alongside Hans Peters and the Caribbean Sextet in the 1980s. She then imagined a project involving only female musicians.
The first person to join the adventure is Sabrina Kolbjornsen with whom she had already worked. Sabrina had previously made a name for herself with the song “Ti Boy“ in the band Skandal. The two artists take on the musical direction of the project and become its main leaders.
Gradually, the band formed around a full ensemble of instrumentalists. Bass, drums, keyboards and percussion were all played by women, a configuration almost unheard of in the Haitian music scene at the time.
The Alfabê album, the first step on the recording ladder
The band’s first album, Alfabê was released in 1991. Compositions by Sandra Jean and Sabrina Kolbjornsen form the core of the musical project. The album is clearly in the tradition of konpa while highlighting a plural vocal identity. The songs reflect the diversity of the group’s voices. Sandra Jean performs “Alfabê”, “Celebrated”, “Lanmou” and “Di Fé” while Sabrina Kolbjornsen signs titles such as “Zanmi”, “Madam Marie” and “Kité Yo”.
On her side, Gina Rouzeau an experienced pianist and singer, provides both keyboards and vocals on several tracks. Maguy Limage and Valérie Cayo also contribute to the album’s distinctive vocal harmonies. The release of Alfabê quickly established the group on the konpa circuit and caught the public’s attention.
An international tour
Following the album’s release, Riské embarked on a series of concerts that took him to several regions where konpa has a loyal following: Haiti, the West Indies, France, Panama and North America.. The band’s performances leave a lasting impression. On stage, the collective energy and all-female line-up capture the attention of an audience used to seeing male orchestras.
At a concert held in a stadium in Port-au-Prince. Several thousand spectators attended the band’s performance. The event illustrates the interest aroused by this singular musical project in the konpa landscape.
Internal tensions and the first departures
Despite the visibility gained in a short space of time, the group’s trajectory soon became complicated. Disagreements arose between certain members and the management team. Internal tensions added to the difficulties of running an ambitious artistic project. Sabrina Kolbjornsen left the group after less than a year. She went on to play with a number of leading Haitian bands, including System Band and the New York Superstars and collaborates with major konpa figures such as Dadou Pasquet, Robert Martino or Claude Marcelin.
Two years after the creation of the group, Sandra Jean also withdrew from the project. She would later refer to the machismo in the Haitian music industry, believing that this climate undermined the Riské experience.
An overhauled line-up in the 1990s
Despite the departure of its founders, Riské continues its recording career. In 1994 the band released the album Joyeux Noël. This eight-track album is inspired by the traditional repertoire of Christmas carols. Songs include “Tropical Christmas”, “Klosh Noël”, “Christian Midnight”, “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night” in a konpa-sounding adaptation.
Two years later, in 1996, Riské released a final album entitled 20th Syek featuring nine tracks, including “Do the Kompa”, “Respect”, “Saturday Night” or even “Fem Dous”.
Women in konpa: a still fragile presence
Before the creation of Riské, the female presence in konpa remained marginal. However, from the 1980s onwards, a number of individual artists made their mark, such as Danielle Thermidor, Anna Pierre, Jacqueline Denis or Emeline Michel whose album Flanm has left its mark on the Haitian music scene. After Riské, a number of initiatives were launched, but it was often difficult to sustain them over the long term. Projects such as Konpa O Féminin in 2013 or the group Siromiel created in 2018, bear witness to a persistent desire to strengthen the presence of women in this musical genre.
At the same time, some artists, such as Rutshelle, Darline Desca, Bedjine or Fatima whose titles regularly dominate digital platforms and social networks.
A pioneering experiment in konpa history
More than three decades after its creation, Riské remains a landmark in the history of Haitian konpa. The group’s experience demonstrated that a female orchestra could make its mark in a musical universe long structured around male formations. Even today, Sandra Jean expresses the wish to see the emergence of new female formations capable of extending this dynamic. In her opinion, cohesion and solidarity between female musicians remain essential elements for success in a demanding artistic environment.
Thirty-four years after its debut, Riské remains a benchmark when it comes to evoking the place of women in konpa and the gradual transformations of the Haitian music scene.
Riské was founded in January 1991 by singers Sandra Jean and Sabrina Kolbjornsen, joined by several musicians and singers, including Gina Rouzeau and Maguy Limage. The group brought together a total of fourteen musicians, all women – a particularly rare configuration in the konpa world at the time.
The group’s first album, Alfabê, was released in 1991. This recording marks Riské’s recording debut, and includes several tracks performed by the group’s different female singers, including “Alfabê”, “Zanmi”, “Madam Marie”, “Lanmou” and “Célébré”.
After Alfabêthe band continued their musical journey with Joyeux Noël in 1994, an album devoted to Christmas carols adapted to konpa, followed by 20ème Syek in 1996, the last album released by the group.
