Singer Rachelle Jeanty performs in a myriad of styles, from pop to jazz, and she has worked with artists such as Celine Dion and Johnny Halliday. But she says regardless of the type of music she sings, her Haitian heritage is always an influence.

Jeanty was born in New York and grew up in Montréal, Canada, where she spent her childhood performing in a Haitian dance troupe ran by her father. As Haiti was the first independent nation in the Americas, Jeanty says she is especially proud to be performing at a United Nations concert on Tuesday honouring the victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Dianne Penn caught up with Rachelle Jeanty at rehearsals for the concert to find out how Haiti and meditation have influenced her life and her music.

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