Music student gifts bride with original love songs

Since the first time I saw you
…I could see you were the one,
The woman of my life

 I used to say never
Now am saying I DO
This is now forever,
And am glad it's with you.

Ketler Macome doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. An introvert by nature, he doesn’t talk much about his deepest emotions.

Instead he makes music about it.

The lyrics above are part of Macome’s love song to his fiancée – the one he wrote as he prepared for their wedding last year.

Enchanted by his muse (now his wife), the music education major and talented saxophone player decided to create an entire album to celebrate his love and capture the whirlwind emotions he was feeling, from falling in love to preparing for the big day. Fittingly, he named the album – and its main song – ‘I Do.’

“I got inspired by my fiancée to write the lyrics,” Macome says of the titular song. “This was all in my dreams. This album will tell you everything about my feelings. You think these things [falling in love] might not happen to you, but then they do happen. Since the first time I saw her, I knew. You want to build a foundation with someone. I found that in her, and we’re in it together.”

He says music allows him to pour his soul into his songs.

“I’m an introverted person, but once I have my saxophone and I’m writing songs,” he says. “I’m open to saying what’s in my heart, to expressing my feelings, who I am and to tell somebody what I’m feeling. Music gives me this opportunity."

Music, he adds, allows for a particularly rich medium to keep special moments in your heart.

"When I listen to this album 10 years from now, it will take me back to October 2019. I’ll have those memories with me. It’s like you have this story and you wrote it somewhere or you have a picture and you printed it. And it stays with you forever.” 

The album features nine songs, all composed by Macome, and many showcasing his own lyrics as well. The songs offer an eclectic mix of styles ranging from slow jazz to a combination of Caribbean-style music and modern music.

From the upbeat ‘Celebration’ with its Caribbean undertones to the smooth, classical ‘When you love,’ the album has something for everyone – including songs featuring poetry and spoken word.

The album is also an ode to Macome’s native Haiti, featuring several songs in the kompa style, the biggest Haitian pop music genre.

Macome says his album is exactly the kind of music people are craving. Not only is it about love – but it also sheds light on a vibrant style of music.

“People are looking for diversity, things that are different,” Macome says. “It’s time to show the world the kinds of songs we have in Haiti. I want everybody to come to my album and find out which styles they like.”

Macome is no stranger to the power of music.

His father, a Haitian entrepreneur started a music school back home with the goal of helping curb juvenile delinquency in his hometown.

“To take guns away from kids, give them something. Why not a saxophone?” Macome shares his father’s philosophy. “This is his way of contributing to Haiti. And it’s where I started my music lessons. It changed my life. Music gives me the opportunity to spread the Haitian message. People listen to a song, and they will feel your message. A melody can have a lot of impact on someone.”

Macome, who has also been writing Christian music for years, says he sees his faith as foundational to his life as a musician – and as a person who can make a positive difference in his community.

“God gives me the gift of music,” he says. “If God gives you a gift, it’s for a reason. I’m studying music education to go back to the same vision my dad had to help men, women and children find themselves through music, to save their lives through music. It is my motivation now. I want to be a model for the upcoming generation, for the young men and women in Haiti, specially. As a Christian, I believe this is my way to spread joy to my community, my people.”

What’s Macome’s message in this album?

Simple. It’s love.

“If you love someone, tell that person that you love them,” Macome says. “We need to express that love. We never know what the future is going to be. Whether you write a song or text that person, we need to accept that love. This album is a message of love, peace and celebration.”

This Valentine's Day, share the gift of a love song and check out Macome's music on Youtube.