Wyclef Jean Headlines Florida Tech’s Homecoming Fest Oct. 14 in Melbourne

Adam Lowenstein August 24, 2016

Fugees Founder an Accomplished
Solo Artist, Grammy Winner

MELBOURNE, FLA. — The iconic and influential artist Wyclef Jean, who exploded onto the American music scene in the mid-1990s as a founding member of the hip hop group The Fugees before establishing a dynamic and creative solo career as a writer, performer and producer, will headline Florida Institute of Technology’s 2016 Homecoming Fest Friday, Oct. 14, in downtown Melbourne.

The free outdoor concert event on New Haven Avenue, presented by the Florida Tech Alumni Association and Mainstreet Partners, runs from 6 p.m. to midnight. In addition to music from Jean and opening acts The Shadowboxers and Boxelder, it will feature street vendors and food and drink for sale.

“We are very, very excited,” said Bino Campanini, Florida Tech’s vice president of alumni affairs.

A three-time Grammy Award winner, Jean has worked with some of music’s larger-than-life figures, including Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Kenny Rogers and Bono. His six solo albums have sold more than 9 million copies worldwide, and his seventh, Carnival III: Road to Clefication, is due out later this year. (In the meantime, a five-song EP, J’ouvert, is set to drop Sept. 30.)

The new songs will sound like the 1990s meet the current era, Jean said via his website, wyclef.com. “It’s very authentic and all about the vocality, making people feel and reminisce off of that sound they love but combining it with new sonics.”

Jean was last on the Space Coast in 2015, when he appeared at the funeral of fellow Haiti native Fidgi Haig. Haig, who coached Florida Tech’s women’s soccer team for 10 seasons, passed away from natural causes on April 16, 2015. Jean and Haig were working together on initiatives to improve their beloved homeland at the time of Haig’s death.

Jean’s concert at Homecoming Fest will serve as a tribute to Haig.

For more on Homecoming Fest and all of the exciting events of Homecoming Week at Florida Tech, visit http://homecoming.fit.edu/.

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