Dominica’s Cultural Ambassador and Creole advocate Leroy “Wadix” Charles has been named a Recognition Award Recipient at the 10th Annual Haitian Music Awards (PHMA), scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Lipman Performing Arts Theater in North Miami Beach, Florida.
Charles will be honored with the Kompa Recognition Award, celebrating more than four decades of unwavering commitment to cultural exchange and the promotion of Creole heritage. His work has been instrumental in strengthening ties between Dominica and the Haitian kompa community, and in elevating the shared rhythms and traditions of the Creole world.
“I am elated and deeply honored to receive this recognition,” Charles said. “This award is dear to me because it represents a journey of unity, one that connects Dominica and Haiti through music, language, and shared cultural identity.”
The Haitian Music Awards is a premier event recognizing excellence in Haitian music and culture. It celebrates the achievements of artists, cultural leaders, and visionaries who have significantly contributed to the global promotion of Haitian music, particularly the kompa genre.
Charles joins a distinguished group of honorees, including Robel Shalu of Top Vice—who nominated him—Cubano of Scat, DP Express, Jacot Serge Rochelle of Schlesler, Tat Lacoll, and other legendary figures in kompa music.
Throughout his career, Charles has actively fostered connections between Dominica and the Haitian community. He has served as Public Relations Officer of the Dominica Haitian Association, promoted Haitian Flag Day in Dominica, and championed initiatives that celebrate Creole language, music, and identity across the Caribbean and its diaspora. His contributions through Creole Heartbeat, the World Creole Music Festival, and various cultural collaborations have helped amplify Creole culture on a global scale.
“I extend the heartbeat of thanks to Kirby Lavier and the PHMA Committee, the City of North Miami Beach, committee members, cultural leaders, Francisole and Wanikoli, WCMF, DBS Radio, and the Creole family in Dominica, Martinique, and Guadeloupe who have walked this journey with me,” Charles added.
As he prepares to accept the award, Charles remains committed to his mission of uniting Creole communities through music, language, and cultural pride.
Founded to honor excellence in Haitian music, the PHMA has become a cornerstone of cultural celebration for Haitian communities across the Americas and beyond.
You can’t ignore the comparison between Wadi-Cole Sound System, once managed by Wadix, and Jamaican legacy sound systems like Stone Love, Killamanjaro, and Bass Odyssey.
Stone Love, for instance, carried Jamaican sound system culture on its back for decades. It evolved, stayed current, mentored generations of DJs, and built a global name. Wadi-Cole, by contrast, faded out — it didn’t last or build that kind of legacy.
So why now hand over accolades as if that short-lived sound system effort is on par with lifelong dedication to a genre like Kompa? Again, it seems more like a political or symbolic gesture than a musically grounded one.
From bands like T-Vice, Nu Look, Carimi, Djakout Mizik, System Band, Skah Shah, and others — these are the names that define Kompa. Their lives are deeply intertwined with the rhythm, the lyrics, and the struggle of building Kompa into what it is today.
And yet, some of them have not been properly recognized. Meanwhile, who Wadix, again???
Wadix is respected for his work in promoting Creole unity, Creole language, and regional festivals like the World Creole Music Festival. He has played Haitian music on his radio programs and given platforms to Haitian artists. He’s served in roles like Public Relations Officer for the Dominica Haitian Association and has spoken up for regional cultural connections.
Those are valuable contributions — no doubt. But they’re not the same as creating, producing, or innovating Kompa music.
Receiving an award that specifically honors contributions to Kompa music — a genre with its own deep traditions, creators, innovators, and standard-bearers — comes with expectations. When that award goes to someone who didn’t contribute to the musical development of the genre, it dilutes the meaning and takes attention away from those who truly did.
Take a bow, Wadix!!!
Totally deserving! Who would DARE disapprove ?? Just keep on fanning the Kompa flames, brother.