A real bombshell on stage, Lunise is however of a calm and shy temperament. A flame woman with a devastating physique, she has won the hearts and admiration of Haitian music lovers. Her inspiration and her voice have traced the path of RAM, the musical formation with a “root” tendency founded by Richard Morse, her husband. When Lunise sings and dances, the audience goes into a trance. This is his secret. This is his success.
Deeply attached to the Haitian cultural heritage, the RAM diva admits to drawing her musical inspiration and her spiritual strength from voodoo. She does not hide it. She proclaims it out loud and praises it through all her refrain. “Fèy yo”, “M pitit papa Loko”. For her, success is the fruit of her efforts. It is also the work of prayer and of spirits.
“Nothing is earned for free in life and especially in the field of art. It’s all about donation, ”she adds.
Lunise Exumé, from her maiden name, was introduced to ballet from the age of 4 by taking courses at the school of the Sisters of Wisdom. Remarkable and brilliant, she was always chosen to dance among the pupils of the upper classes, she recalls.
However, to protect this talent which asserts itself in her, Lunise must really fight. With the help of her drummer and teacher, she finds a way to take dance lessons to deepen her knowledge. She will then experience jazz for a few months with Viviane Gauthier.
Wanting to be closer to Haitian culture, Lunise embarked for good in folk dance with the help of Yves, his former drummer, who introduced him into the troop of Ella Apollon. There, it finds its true root, she says. That of the “fran ginen”, a native native heritage that bequeathed to him by his grandmother. Since then, she has started researching questions deemed taboo in her community.
“I always wanted to know why, for example, she washed houses with sheets, why she dressed them with white sheets, why she practiced a whole series of things related to voodoo when she was not mambo” , she says.
However, a career as a dancer was not really an idea shared by her mother who would have preferred to see her embark on a more prestigious or less banal profession. As much as she was under pressure, she would walk the “peristyles” with friends to better understand the world of voodoo.
Ram conquered by dance
Over time, despite the constraints, his talent began to be recognized. So, she decides to take control of her destiny. His dance troupe obtains an animation contract at the Oloffson hotel every Monday. His career takes a new direction. Its charm, its swaying, its beauty bewitch a whole public including the young Richard Auguste Morse.
Came to Haiti to carry out research, Richard fell in love with Lunise Exumé. In 1989, when she had just turned 19, Lunise harvested the fruit of her love for Richard. She gives birth to her first baby and, 18 months later, she gives birth to her second.
Lunise, Ram’s voice
Lunise, who has had a fever for music since childhood, will be at the center of the group project that Richard Morse, who has become her husband, wants to set up. With her captivating voice, she immediately seduces the public.
However, she had to work hard to satisfy herself. “The beginnings were difficult for me. Even if the audience liked me, I had to put in more effort. ”
Encouraged by Richard, she follows vocalization lessons with Fritz Jolicoeur. With RAM, Lunise will impose Thursdays at the Hotel Oloffson as an unmissable event for those who want to recharge their batteries through traditional Haitian music and dance.
Despite the difficulties the group had to face, the course of Lunise followed an ascending curve. She promises the return of the group for the carnival periods, “when things will get better”.
