Before the celebrity, Loana was a fixture in the nightlife of the French Riviera, especially in Nice and Cannes.
In the late 1990s, she performed as a go-go dancer in nightclubs between Nice and Cannes. It was in this environment that Stéphane Morjane, the artistic director of Studio Nice, met her. “She was working in many establishments. We knew each other from the nightlife scene,” he recalled.
At that time, her future stardom was not yet foreseen. However, Loana stood out. “She had a presence, a way of being, and she was always polite, respectful, and smiling. In that environment, it mattered,” Morjane said.
In 2001, everything changed with the casting of “Loft Story” at the Beau Rivage hotel in Nice. Morjane, asked by the casting director, contacted Loana to join as a contestant.
On the day of the casting, she made a lasting impression. “During the Loft casting at the Beau Rivage hotel, she outshone all the other candidates,” Morjane added.
Quickly, she grabbed the attention of the selection teams, impressing them with her natural and spontaneous responses.
Behind the facade, a vulnerable reality emerged. Morjane later realized that Loana was fragile, possibly struggling with addiction, due to her experiences as a young go-go dancer in the nightlife scene.
Post-“Loft Story,” Loana’s fame skyrocketed, leading to chaotic scenes in Nice. Eventually, she retreated to a familiar clothing store amid a crowd of admirers and detractors.
Reflecting on the whirlwind of fame, Morjane noted the challenges faced by fragile individuals in the show business world, highlighting the pitfalls of sudden celebrity.
Years later, Morjane encountered a noticeably changed Loana in Nice, contrasting with the vibrant memory of her early days as a go-go dancer at the Studio.
Today, upon hearing of her passing, Morjane chooses to remember the kind and luminous side of Loana, portraying her as a rare kindness lost in a trajectory that surpassed her.
