Meet Nodrant Lēchacha | Haitian Drummer (5LAN) & Entrepreneur.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nodrant Lēchacha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nodrant, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I knew with my career that I ultimately wanted to give back to the Haitian community. However, most times when working for companies that do that type of work, it is really difficult to generate income and generational wealth. With this business, I’m able to make a comfortable living for myself while doing what I love and giving back to my community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Pointe-des-Mangles (Anse-Rouge) is a small town within the city of Gonaives, Haiti which is where I was born and raised. My father is a pastor, so I grew up in a strict Christian household. My love for the drums began by playing every Sunday at my father’s church. At that time, I had no idea where this talent would lead me nor the people that I would get to meet. My father recognized my skills and love for music and enrolled me into music school. There, I was able to learn techniques and perfect my craft. In 2007 there was an album titled “ Yo Remele” by Richie & Gracia that ignited my love for Konpa. This album was significant for me because two of my favorite songs started off with the drums. It also made me realize how beautiful the style of Konpa is and what an important part the drums can play in a song. The Producer/drummer of the album was Richie and that was when he became my favorite Haitian artist. Fast forward to 2013, where I was able to finally witness Richie live and in action. I snuck into the club with the intention to talk to him and get him to sign my cymbal. After speaking to him about my goals and love for music he invited me to his next show where he gave me the opportunity to play on stage with him. I took up the offer to play with him and the next day following the performance, my life took a turning point. I woke up to hundreds of messages and friend requests after the video of me playing with him went viral. A year later, I was offered to be the drummer of a new band, X-TASSY. I was able to travel and build a fan base. In 2018, I joined another band, 5LAN that I am still active with. During my time with these two bands, I realized that the fans do not know much about usHaitian artists and are rarely known in the mainstream media. In order to create a platform where both up and coming and well established Haitian artist/influencers can let their fans know about their personal life and background, I joined with LUX TV REZO and XMD PRODUCTIONS to create a show known as XPOZ and so far it has been an awesome experience. This show airs every other Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Facebook Live and YouTube (Xpoz The Show). I am Nodrant Lēchaha; Host of XPOZ, Drummer of 5LAN, working to promote the Haitian culture. I believe that nothing comes easy in life and with every journey there are ups and downs. What I try to do is focus on the positive side of things to keep me going. In other words, nothings have not always been a smooth road. I have had several motivators to get me to where I am today, and I am sure there will be plenty more as I try to achieve other things. I enjoy learning new skills with my free time and because of that I consider myself a jack of all trades. Besides being a musician, I am a photographer, graphic designer and computer technician. Lēchaha/LechaFoto is a brand that provides a variety of services and that is what I am most proud of. I am a one-stop-shop for most of your needs. I would consider myself an unconventional drummer. I enjoy entertaining and interacting with the crowd by any means necessary. I am the drummer that’s not afraid to move away from behind the drums. During my performances, you can find me dancing on whatever is within arm’s reach, stools, speakers, etc. What gives me the most pleasure is stepping into the crowd and doing my infamous “SLiiiDE”, where I lead the crowd with my sticks moving side to side. You will always find a smile on my face when I am drumming.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have so many favorite spots.. this is one hard question..

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Big shoutout and thanks to Maestro Richie from Klass, my X-tassy brothers, 5LAN, my family, my friend, my fans and my whole support system.

Website: YouTube.com/MrNodrant

Instagram: Nodrant_lechacha

Twitter: Djg509

Facebook: Nodrante Lechacha

Image Credits
Amazon Pro (BMG), Jodny Foto & SB Fotograf.