Haitian artist Stephanie Saint-Come brings a poem about love at first sight to life with “Palpitations,” a sensual Afrobeat and Dancehall ballad rooted in Caribbean rhythm, romance and desire.
The song began as a poem written by Haitian author Ronald Painson, originally from Pétion-Ville, Haiti, and now based in Canada. Saint-Come took his words into the studio with Grammy Award-winning Jamaican-American producer Major Seven, based in Atlanta, transforming the written work into a richly atmospheric musical expression of the physical and emotional rush that comes with falling for someone.
The creative journey took an unexpected turn when Saint-Come initially believed the poem was titled “Mon Corps,” meaning “My Body.” The title seemed fitting for a song centred on love and desire moving through the body. It was only later that her uncle Ronald revealed the poem’s actual title was “Palpitations.” The discovery proved almost serendipitous, as the word perfectly captures the racing heart and involuntary physical response at the centre of the song while carrying the same meaning in both English and French.
The story continues through the song’s visual world. During pre-production, award-winning Miami-raised director Gil Green conceived an elevator sequence representing a portal between the monotony of everyday working life and Saint-Come’s immersive journey through limerence. An elevator set was specifically constructed at Greynolds Park, transforming an ordinary transition into a threshold between reality and desire.
The visual journey then moves into Miami’s Hurrem Hammam, where the lush surroundings of a Turkish bath become a physical manifestation of the fantasy at the heart of the song. Cinematographer Joe Labisi, ASC, captures Saint-Come within a world that is sensual yet refined, translating the intimacy of Ronald Painson’s original poem and the physical rush of “Palpitations” into a cinematic visual experience.
With “Palpitations,” Stephanie Saint-Come creates a meeting point between Haitian poetry, Caribbean rhythm and contemporary visual storytelling. What began as a poem about love at first sight becomes a multidimensional exploration of attraction, desire and the unmistakable physical sensation of falling deeply into the moment.