Taking childhood ambition and putting it on display for a crowd may seem scary to anyone no matter their age.
As a fourth-grade student, Marlounsly Dolcine performed at a school talent show — it was her first time she sang on stage. From the first note, any stage fright she may have had was silenced and there was only music.
From that moment on, she knew what she wanted to do with her future.
“I was brave enough to do it and it led to so much support and that led to wanting to pursue a passion I had since elementary school,” she said.
Inspired by artists such as Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Keyshia Cole, Dolcine was born in Haiti but moved to South Florida when she was 4. The 23-year-old West Palm Beach singer-songwriter who graduated from Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington is known for her sultry-smooth, R&B, neo-soul-type music. Dolcine’s music is somewhere between the coffeehouse and slow jams genres.
Even from a young age, Dolcine said she realized music mirrors our personalities and identity. Even though people are more complex than just a playlist and exist inside a larger construct of family and community, she finds inspiration from her Haitian roots, creating a mashup of sounds, words and images.
“My parents play a lot of Haitian music in the house,” she said. “Even though I came here very young, people see it in my certain styles and certain sounds. Like for one of my music videos, we were on a tiki boat and I want the style to still have some island feels and vibes because that does feel like home to me. All kinds of music and culture can help you with your craft.”
An example of tropical influences would be Dolcine’s song “Berry” that drips with sweetness and sunshine that make up her sound.
Even though she has been doing music since she was a child, it wasn’t until June 2016 that she wanted to hit the South Florida music scene. Before 2016, Dolcine would share her music on social media such as Myspace and Facebook. She eventually started getting invites to studio sessions, writing lyrics and poetry in her phone, and her friends and family inspired her to showcase her talents.
“Even when I was in school, I was always writing songs,” she said. “Every day it was school, music, school, music, and, in 2016, after I put my first song on SoundCloud and Twitter, people noticed.”
In 2018, she opened at Miami’s Best Life Festival and a year later, her music videos for “Lowkey” and “Dreamboat” went viral on Twitter. Last year, Dolcine performed for a live crowd at Soul Era’s music club Voltaire in downtown West Palm Beach after the club manager saw the singer on Instagram.
“I looked around and all I remember was it was packed,” she said. “A lot of people say they can’t get love from their hometown. But it’s been the opposite for me and the city has been very good to me.”
Before her days as a musician, she worked in hotel hospitality services at the Hilton Garden Inn and DoubleTree Hotel. But during her time there working at the front desk, she wanted to stay consistent with her motivation and music.
She would always think of songs and lyrics.
“Time is very important to me,” Dolcine said. “I feel like a lot of artists fail or don’t go for their dream because they can’t make the time. But in my time there and at school, I wanted to find a way to balance my music and I want that time to be used to grow with other people through the messages of music.”
With millions of views and streams across all streaming platforms, Dolcine uses her music as a message. She released her song “Honey” on Mother’s Day weekend to help people during the quarantine. Dolcine has also been vocal about the injustices faced by women in the healthcare industry and she uses these platforms to raise awareness and create conversation.
“Even with COVID and the quarantine, I want to grow my craft and find ways to connect with people,” she said.
During MTV’s #AloneTogether Instagram Live video, Dolcine had the opportunity to sing on the MTV social media platform for its over 12 million followers. She had 20 minutes to live chat with viewers, do a Q&A and perform her songs “Dreamboat” and “Honey.”
“I would say it was the most rewarding experience so far,” she said.
Dolcine also discussed turning her childhood ambition into a career on the new streaming network Fox Soul via Zoom video.
“One thing I’ve learned from the coronavirus pandemic and music is that it’s pushed people to become more innovative,” she said. “People have learned you can’t stop trying to better yourself no matter the obstacle.”
Dolcine is looking to continue her education by possibly studying music and education at a school or university. She also wants to get back to live performances soon.
“Since that talent show at school, I’ve always loved performing music,” Dolcine said. “It’s a connection to our culture, history, and this year has shown us that any moment there’s a connection, it’s appreciated and can help our futures.”
