The world’s go-to hub for House Music.

Francis Mercier Debut Album Lakay Arrives July 14 With Wyclef Jean

July 7, 2026

Francis Mercier Lakay debut album out July 14

Francis Mercier is ready to share the most personal music of his career. The Haitian DJ and producer has confirmed that his debut album, Lakay, will arrive on July 14th, 2026 through his own Solèy imprint. For an artist who has spent years turning Afro house into a global export, the Francis Mercier debut album lands as both a homecoming and a statement of where he wants to take the sound next.

Francis Mercier Lakay debut album cover artwork — Album artwork courtesy of Francis Mercier / Solèy.

What Lakay Means

Lakay means home in Haitian Creole, and the title is not decorative. Mercier grew up in the Haitian capital, and the album traces that upbringing through the lens of a career that has since carried him across the world. He has described the record as his most personal project, a body of work about identity, belonging, and the many places that have shaped him. Where plenty of dance albums chase a single mood, Lakay is built to move between memory and dancefloor.

A Guest List That Crosses Genres and Borders

The Francis Mercier debut album gathers a wide cast of collaborators. The headline name is Wyclef Jean, the Haitian born Fugees founder, whose involvement doubles as a meeting of two of the most recognizable Haitian artists in modern music. The pair have been building that connection in public, sharing a stage in Paris earlier this year ahead of the release.

Wyclef Jean who features on Francis Mercier Lakay — Wyclef Jean joins Francis Mercier on Lakay. Photo: Matt Johnson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

House history runs through the record too. Robin S, the voice behind the eternal anthem Show Me Love, appears on a fresh version titled Show Me Love (Devotion), tying Mercier’s album to one of the genre’s defining vocals. Around those names sits a roster that reaches across continents, from African collaborators to vocalists working in soul, rap, and pop, which keeps Lakay closer to a world facing statement than a straight club record.

Champagne and the Road to Release

Mercier has been previewing the album across a run of singles. The latest, Champagne, arrived through Solèy and teams him with London vocalist LexBlaze and North African producer Massala. It is a melodic Afro house cut that folds African electronic influences into a club ready groove, exactly the multicultural blend that has become his signature. Each single has worked as another window into the album without giving away the full picture.

Solèy, Ibiza, and a Global Summer

The announcement lands in the middle of Mercier’s busiest season yet. He holds a Solèy residency at Hï Ibiza this summer, with additional dates routed through Mykonos, Montreal, Egypt, Lebanon, and Los Angeles. Solèy, the label and event brand he founded, keeps expanding through releases and parties around the world, and Lakay sits at the center of that push. New York remains his base, the city that hosted his recent Industry City shows, and it will also host a dedicated album release event.

Who Is Francis Mercier

Born in Haiti and based in New York, Francis Mercier has become one of the most visible names in the current Afro and melodic house wave. His remixes and originals pull millions of plays, and his Spotify audience sits north of five million monthly listeners, numbers that place him alongside the genre’s biggest touring acts. Lakay is his attempt to turn that momentum into a lasting artistic statement rather than another run of singles.

The timing fits a bigger trend. House producers who built their names on club singles keep reaching for the album format, as HUGEL did with his star packed debut album Twenty One. For Mercier, Lakay is the more personal version of that move, a debut that puts his story, his city, and his network of collaborators on record. You can pre save it on Spotify now.