Kammala jumla mai zuwa: An haifi Martelly a Cote de Fer, ɗan Gerard Martelly, wani shugaban Shell Oil da Marie Madeleine Martelly ("née" De Pradines, b. 1931 <unk> d. 21 ga Oktoba 2016). A gefen mahaifiyarsa, kakansa Auguste de Pradines ya kasance mai ba da labari wanda ya rubuta waƙoƙin zanga-zangar ban dariya game da 1915<unk>34
Amurka ta mamaye Haiti. Bayan kammala karatunsa daga makarantar sakandare a Cibiyar Saint Louis de Gonzague, Martelly ya shiga makarantar soja ta Haiti, amma (a cewar Martelly) an kore shi bayan ya yi wa 'yar wani janar ciki. A cikin 1984, ya koma Amurka, kuma ya yi aiki a cikin gini kuma ya ɗan halarci kwalejin al'umma a Miami. A 1986, bayan semester daya, ya saki matarsa ta farko, 'yar Amurka, kuma ya koma Haiti kamar yadda Jean-Claude Duvalier, to, shugaban kasa na rayuwa, ya tafi gudun hijira. A cikin 1987, Martelly ya koma Miami tare da budurwarsa a lokacin, Sophia Saint-Rémy, wanda daga baya ya yi aure a cikin wani karamin bikin a Miami, Florida. Sun koma ƙasar Haiti a shekara ta 1988.