Beauty, Class, Simplicity, Femininity, Determination.
Serene, generous and profound, strong personality, Woman of many challenges, she inspires Love and Respect…
In those few words, this describes the qualities of this great Lady admired by all who have crafted a place of choice in Haiti’s heart.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on April 5th, upon the sign of Fire, she started singing with the choir of her church, an obligation for every member of a religious family. She mastered the technical bases which would help her through her artistic life.
Very much attracted by everything related to “Art”, in spite of her paternal restrictions, she was looking everywhere and touching everything… Theater, modeling, pottery, design and above all, dance: the love of her youth. Aware of the beauty of her voice, she was not really connected due to the lack of opening in the artistic world. She was a rebel and a determined teenager with a head full of dreams
Yole Derose
and great projects, so she decided to fight to obtain results.
Her career took a big turn after her meeting with a great figure of Haitian Song, Ansy Dérose, at the international festival “La Super Franco fête” in Canada, who had listened to her singing with her friends, just for fun, at the lobby of Laval University in Quebec. She thought that he was teasing her, with all his compliments. Ansy Dérose, one generation older than hers! All the conditions were reunited… Shortly after this encounter, her very active youth full of turmoil ended by a wedding. She was barely 20 years old. Yole Ledan became the spouse of the most popular singer of his time, and the most prolific Artist ever found in Haiti.
Her very first big appearance in public was at the Fifth International Festival of Song and Voice in Puerto Rico (October 1979) with the song “Thank you” (Merci), which amazed the Latin-American assistance. This song consecrated the Duet and conferred to Ansy the title of Best Haitian Author-composer and interpreter.
This is how Yole made her debut as a singer. When the couple returned to Haiti, a show was presented at the Rex Theatre to introduce this new voice to the local public. She was acclaimed by a standing ovation and from now on, her presence next to Ansy was demanded on stages by her numerous fans.
Yole Derose is an iconic Haitian singer born in Port-au-Prince on April 5th, 1955 to a wealthy, but very religious family. During her adolescent years, Yole Derose joined the choir of the church where her parents regularly attended, as the lead singer. Although very attracted to music, according to her, her parents, specially her father, prohibited her to pursue a singing career. She was sent to Quebec, Canada to pursue her collegiate education. While residing in Canada she met the very famous Haitian singer who was one of the most commercially successful Haitian artist at the time, Ansy Derose, during one of his concert at the Laval Quebec University, where Yole was an alumni. Ansy was strike by the natural beauty of Yole and shortly thereafter the two embarked into a romance that resulted in quick marriage. Yole, born, Delan took the last name of her new husband, Derose. She was only 20 years old. Impressed by the singing talents of his beautiful bride, Ansy made it his mission to help Yole get into the music industry. At a concert in Puerto Rico, Ansy introduced his wife to the crowd at the Fifth International Festival of Song and Voice, in Puerto Rico, in 1979. The two interpreted their very first song together “Merci” (Thank You), leaving a pleasantly surprised crowd. The two love birds birds immediately became a media sensation in Haiti and in the Diaspora, not only for their breath taking love songs performances that followed the one in Puerto Rico, but also for their public display of affection. The two seem perfect for each other, and their countless love duets made them the envy and admiration of their fans, which continuously grew. They struggled to keep their lives private and were the subject of many speculations in the media, throughout the country.
After the death of her husband Ansy, on January 17th 1998, Yole had no choice but to engage in a solo singing career. The beautiful songstress success continued and her demand continued throughout the Caribbean, Canada, the United States and France. Yole Derose is not only known for her beautiful love song in both French and Haitian Creole, her emotionally charged songs usually directly speaking about the social struggles of Haitians and the political and economical brigandage of the country, usually bring tears to the eyes. One of the most famous of such songs is the one playing in the background, tonton Nwel (santa), describing a typical christmas of a poor child in Haiti. Although apolitical, she never misses the opportunities to slam Haitian politicians, blaming them for the demise of Haiti. Today, Yole Derose reside in Canada and has never been remarried. She retires from music, but continues to make rare concert appearances at the demand of her hundreds of thousands of fans. She also now work in the fashion industry, interior design and has recently founded a dance company in Haiti, helping young girls explore their talents. Yole Derose remains one of the most beloved Haitian Artists to this day, and has never ceased to amaze everyone with her talents and creole beauty.
Interview by Louis Carl Saint Jean in French (See English TRANSLATION below)
Unquestionably, Yole Dérose tickles all the senses of Haitian music enthusiasts. In the first place, she was a dream beauty, a disarming smile, a sweet resting place. Then she heard a fresh, clear voice like crystal clear water from a singing mountain spring. Melted or not with the ingredients of the warm and virile voice of this mythical being of song and music that was her husband Ansy Dérose, the voice of Yole, smell of bougainvillea from the Champ-de-Mars of yesteryear, will touch all hearts and all minds. Finally, at the turn of the 1980s, Yole had become a diva, better: an icon of our music scene. And what strikes her the most is the fact of singing with life, of creating with depth, of communicating with passion, of thinking with measure.
Reading Yole, you will notice that, even after almost four decades – oh, delicious! – his “heart continues to beat time.” Great!
How long have you been singing?
I entered the song very young. As a priest’s child, it was at the time an obligation to be part of the church choir. Then, I met Ms. Lina Mathon-Blanchet who found that I had a very special voice. She wanted to put it on stage, so I went back and forth for about two years in her singing lessons. Shortly after, I met Ansy and it redirected my whole life.
Apart from Mrs. Lina Mathon-Blanchet, have you had other singing and / or voice teachers?
I met others, but I did not last with them because, when I entered Ansy’s life, everything changed. Ansy was a very delicate, meticulous professional, who worked his voice regularly. He first wanted me to get into his logic at all costs, which I did for a while. He had his coach who came regularly to the house for work sessions used to develop and maintain the voice. He also often worked on classical singing with pianist Micheline Laudun-Denis.
When did you meet Ansy for the first time, and how did your duo career start?
I saw Ansy sing for the first time when I was 16-17 years old. It was at the theater of the Holy Trinity. Shortly after, I left for Canada with my school’s nursery, Collège Saint Pierre (theater and dance) at the same time as the National Folk Troupe to represent our country at the International Festival of Francophone Youth, the Superfrancofête. This is where I met Ansy for the second time. We became friends and we promised to meet again in Haiti. At that time, I devoted myself a lot to dance. This is how I was asked by Ansy to dance at one of his shows. This is how the story began.
How long did you spend in Canada?
Not very long. Maybe nine months. The formalities had been completed for me to continue my studies at Laval University. In the meantime, something happened in my family and I decided to return to Haiti. I no longer wanted to stay abroad.
When did Ansy and you go on stage for the first time to start this legendary and unprecedented career?
It was in November 1977, on the occasion of the Fifth International Song and Voice Festival in Puerto Rico. We sang the Spanish version of “Merci” and won the second prize.
What kind of music did you listen to during your childhood / adolescence? In what musical atmosphere did you grow up?
First, it was religious music, which did not hold me long. I listened to French songs, like all the young people of the time. I was also attracted by certain Haitian music, by jazz too. Let’s say, by music in general. Everything that touches me holds me back. I am an artist at heart. I am not a super technician, although I admire the technicians. But what touches me the most is what touches my soul.
What do you mean by “technician”?
I thus designate the technical buffs, those who prioritize the mechanical side of music.
Are there Haitian singers who have influenced you?
I listened to the music of Martha Jean-Claude, Toto Bissainthe, Ti Corn, Carole Démesmin, and that of all the Haitian singers who dared. You are inevitably touched by the artists and especially the best known, but I admit that I was influenced in particular by none of them. I appreciate any quality artistic production, and the list goes on.
During your adolescence, did you think that you were going to become that famous singer that you are now?
No, I never thought about it. But, I still had a very active life, because I was attracted to everything that was art. I did modeling: for example, I wore the Pericles Jewelry and her famous metal dress. I did almost everything that girls my age didn’t do at the time. I was attracted to pottery, design. I was also addicted to song and Latin dance, in particular. These were not priorities in my family. The two priorities have always been school and church.
There is one thing we do not stray from: when we voice it, we know it, even if we are not really aware of what we can do with it. Especially since there has never been any form of openness in Haiti for a teenage girl gifted with any talent. And this is true, to this day. Those who manage to break more or less are those who have left the country.
So, what did you do to devote yourself to art while you had to satisfy these two family priorities at the same time?
I did my best. I fought because I have a special temperament. For example, I would put aside all the money I was given every day for recess and I would take a dance class on Fridays at Lavinia Williams, unbeknownst to my parents. These are little things that I dared in my youth and that served me. Deep down, I felt like I was an artist and I knew I was going in the right direction.
When did the duo Ansy-Yole sing in public for the last time?
It was December 20, 1996 at HENFRASA. We said goodbye to the stage and publicly burned the clothes you wore during our first show.
What did you do afterwards?
After Ansy’s death, I edited “Les Productions Yole Dérose”. To achieve this, I used all my experience with Ansy and with other local and international artists. “Les Productions Yole Dérose” represents a platform for exchange with artists of diverse origins. They also serve as a base for production, but more as an author and director. My first production was “In the name of Atlantis”, followed by many others such as: “Woman”, “Haiti, Tierra del Fuego” …
How does this business work?
“Les Productions Yole Dérose” are doing well. The multiple creations and shows presented over the past 15 years which bear the stamp are there to testify.
However, nothing is never easy with us. The financial aspect remains the major problem. Art work is not one of the country’s priorities, since there are so many. But, fortunately there are some patrons who somehow help our creations. This is how we manage to survive.
You are undoubtedly one of the greatest Haitian singers, all generations combined. Why have you only made one solo album so far? Do you not think of publishing a new solo album to succeed the exquisite “When my heart beats time”?
It is a question that I am often asked …
I started in the song in duet with Ansy and the public immediately fell in love with it. In fact, I did not have a solo career, except solo interventions in the programming of the duo. I made a personal album because of the public insistence and the circumstances … It was not as easy as it is today. There would probably have been others, if time had allowed … But this duo was essential for us too: it was a unique symbol in Haiti.
What if I have to do another album? I don’t know … Me too, I dream of publishing an album, because the one who does not dream no longer lives. We will see. Maybe one day it will happen. You should never say, “Fountain, I will not drink your water.”
What is your most recent project?
I do a lot of other things right now. I created “Haiti Coeur de Femme” about three years ago to compensate for this lack of female voices that cannot seem to emerge. It is a platform of a dozen young singers who have a beautiful voice. This activity absorbs my time and calms my frustrations a bit. It is very hard to live in Haiti and to see that time is passing and that we cannot reach the end of our dreams. In any case, I am good at what I do.
You talked about the “end of your dreams”. What is the “end of your dreams”?
The end of my dreams is to see art become a priority in Haiti, to see it taught in all schools, so that it is no longer a “trick” in parentheses; make it part of the curriculum for schoolchildren and students. As we teach mathematics and other disciplines, there must be lessons in song, music theory, music, dance. By our very history, we cannot depart from art. I believe that to remake the Haitian, it must be put back on its feet in this way, that is to say by its art, by its culture, by what is fundamental.
What observation do you make of the current situation of Haitian popular music?
Haitian popular music is today a cocktail of all genres. This is not surprising, because nowadays, thanks to the internet, the world has really become as we say a small village. We are not going to go through a thousand paths to see that everyone is doing what they can. The result of what we produce is always a function of what has been absorbed.
In the same vein, we go so far as to criticize quite often, rightly or wrongly, certain Haitian artists who imitate foreigners a little too slavishly. What do you think?
It is true. We went over it earlier. By dint of looking for what they think they do not have, some young artists get lost, deviate from their real identity, from their culture, quite simply from their creativity. There is a tendency to go towards products which work financially, and which proliferate through social networks. If you are an artist, you must be able to create. We can also create something beautiful, unique from all the genres that we have assimilated.
Do you think this situation will improve? Are you optimistic?
I am a naturally very positive person. I don’t dwell on what I can’t change. I try to do a little better what I choose to do. It is my stone in the pyramid. Sometimes it can happen that I am frustrated, a little worried, but not discouraged.
How can we ask young people without support, training, education or family support to do otherwise? What happens most often is that the parents find themselves in a situation where they have to fetch daily bread. So they cannot give what they do not have. Thus, many of these young people find themselves adrift and improvising their lives.
Nor can we blame young people if they lack conscience, confidence and conviction, because the solution does not depend solely on them. It takes thinking heads, crazy people like these who try to straighten the boat. We need trained people who can serve as a guide, a model in an adequate structure. My leitmotif is: “Through art, all miracles are possible.” In any case, I remain very positive, despite everything. That’s my nature. When you are not optimistic, the light goes out; however, it must be kept.
Do you recognize yourself in the new generation of Haitian music?
For me, music, like any artistic creation, is timeless, and I don’t place myself in a specific period. However, there are great outings from this new generation and often I recognize myself.
What kind of Haitian music do you listen to these days?
I listen to a bit of everything. So-called retro music, as well as the new Haitian wave.
Do you listen to the successes of Yole and Ansy?
Laughs … No. Not often.
Do you have favorite songs?
Yes. Since I was the one who always put together the programs for the shows, there were songs that kept coming back, and that still today. For example, for Ansy and me, there was “Si Bondye”. However, “Chanson pour Haiti” and “Chante l’oiseau” remain essential.
Do you think the artist has a social mission? Do you think that he should denounce certain faults in society?
I think a lot of artists have done it. Some are more subtle than others. The fact remains that an artist must be a messenger. It transmits what passes through it. If he lives in an environment where everything is upside down, he becomes the messenger. If it transmits the opposite, there is a current which will not pass and its public will not respond. Obviously, we can transmit with elegance, with passion, with madness, depending on the circumstances. It’s always a choice. There must be a balance between the artist and his environment.
Without a doubt, do you like poetry? Are you teasing the muse? Who are your favorite Haitian poets?
I write at my spare time and I love poetry. I love almost all Haitian poets. However, there is one last big wave, that of my generation, which appeals to me deeply.
Do you think that in this 21st century, our society treats Haitian women in a way that allows them to free themselves, to fully emancipate themselves?
It’s always a lot of work, of struggle in a society as macho as ours. I think that Haitian women must continue to work for their emancipation and impose themselves more and more, as many have managed to do in several fields in recent years in order to serve as a beacon, a model, for the coming generations. It is not in the “hing-hang” “Man-Woman” that we will make things happen, but by the acceptance of real values and their harmonization in the sense of balance.
When you think of your wonderful time on stage, what is the most beautiful memory that emerges?
There have been many highlights during my career, but I was particularly marked by the loyalty of the public, during a concert which was to take place at Carnegie Hall, in New York. It was September 26, 1982. After several months of negotiations and preparation, finally, D-Day arrived! Like a student who was going to receive her admission form, I was in my dressing room, upstairs, trying to master the emotion I felt on the occasion of this great first. In addition, it was feared that the public could not make the trip because of bad weather announced the day before. To top it off, it was for the first time that a couple of Haitian singers walked the boards of Carnegie Hall… I was divided between stage fright and the fear of an artistic and financial failure; it started to rain heavily. For me, it was the final blow: the public would not make the trip! Every five minutes, I looked out of the window that overlooked the main street as far as the eye could see … Still not much … I stopped torturing myself, telling myself that there was nothing we could do. A moment later, when the stage manager who helped us manage the stress knocked on the door with excitement, I thought of canceling the evening. On the contrary, he exclaimed: “All the streets are blocked! We never saw that at Carnegie Hall… We exceptionally delay the show by 30 minutes. ” And he opened the window to let us know. It was unthinkable: I saw an endless line of people waiting patiently in the rain, with a multitude of umbrellas of all colors, as if they came from all the nooks and crannies of Manhattan. A fairyland of colors … Haiti was present, and this image remained forever engraved in my memory. Obviously, the evening took place in a complete euphoria … A real success. But, for me, it was much more than that.
What musical instrument do you play, if so?
I obviously did music theory. Very young, I touched the guitar, I strummed, I played the traditional drum too, but I do not play any instrument professionally. My favorite musical instrument is the voice; it is precious, unique, irreplaceable, and cannot be bought.
If you weren’t a singer, what other career would you have taken up?
I might have been behind the scenes of a theater, taking care of the training of artists. I would stage. And that’s exactly what I’m doing today. I can’t imagine myself doing an activity unrelated to my artistic life.
We consider you as one of the most beautiful Haitian women, an “Anacaona”, a “Choucoune” of our time. Is it easy or difficult to live the iconic status you enjoy with the entire nation day after day?
We say it, we affirm it. I say thank you. We don’t see you like that in a few years. That takes time. This iconic status is rather flattering, but I live it with ease.
On a desert island, what are the three or four Haitian and foreign musical works that you would bring with you?
If the island were deserted, I would have no support for listening to musical works. I would preferably bring something to sail to a more welcoming land. (Laughs)
Who is the Haitian hero who marked you the most?
I was marked by the heroes who gave us our independence, and it is to pay tribute to them that I mounted the blockbuster “Haiti, Tierra del Fuego”. However, I always have one more emotion when I evoke the story of Henry Christophe, of Dessalines too.
In real life, who is the character who impressed you the most?
Ansy Dérose was my mentor, the one who convinced me to pursue a career in song after listening to me sing just once. In addition, he was my husband for over 20 years and the father of my only daughter. He was an exceptional man and I learned a lot from him. This is how it all really started for me … I could have mentioned other names, but it keeps the first rank.
What is your message for young Haitian girls who would like to one day become an icon, an idol, like you?
I would tell them to dare to have dreams, to work hard to achieve them despite the uncertainties, and to always believe in the miracle of art.
Interview with Louis Carl Saint Jean
louiscarlsj@yahoo.com, 2015
