Bernard Hyppolite – ‘American Dream’

Bernard Hyppolite shares his perspective of the ‘American Dream’ from the point of view of a Haitian American with his new single of the same name.

Deeply rooted to his heritage, Hyppolite makes use of Haitian influences, and as his previous singles, ‘Ayiti’, and ‘That Vendor’, he highlights his homeland and her people. One of his biggest influences is religion, and he makes references to faith in most of his songs.

‘American Dream’ sees Bernard narrating the story of a farm worker in Haiti who is struggling to provide for himself and his pregnant wife, and is accompanied by a music video, which makes use of both live action and animated footage. In the clip, the man stares longingly at a postcard of a city skyline in America, and while at work in the cane fields, he starts dreaming of the better life he hopes they will find there. At this point it becomes an animation, where his dream comes true. The pair head off on a boat with others to the promised land – along with 23 others including a mysterious “peasant” asleep on the floor, who later hands them “a black covered book” after first calming a storm, which takes the lives of the other people on the boat. Bernard sings in a storytelling style, recounting the story, backed by traditional rhythms. It’s both catchy and compelling.

You can find out more about Bernard Hyppolite online on his Facebook page.