“It was the…

By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist

Back on the scene for 2 years with his album “Panorama”, Christophe Willem is reassured and strong from the trials he went through that the French now know. In fact, the artist finds it increasingly easier to confide, and in particular about his greatest complex, which has led to an addiction that is particularly harmful for him…

He confides it today with honesty: when his album “Rio” flopped, he believed for a time that the beautiful story was over. However, the public was not finished with Christophe Willem, and the success of “Panorama”, enhanced with the hit “PS, je t’aime” proves it. A fair reward for the one affectionately nicknamed “the turtle” in his early days, who has not always had a laugh in life. Far from there.

In college, in fact, the interpreter of “Double Je” was the victim of harassment because of his large size, his voice, and his sexual orientation. Invited on the set of “Clique” very recently, he explained:

I was really bullied at school, about sexuality, about high-pitched voices. I never had a deep voice. I was never hyper-masculine, so I was the d*ck on the playground. I experienced this throughout college…

I spent my adolescence walking along the walls, not being noticed, I took exemptions to go to other high schools so as not to find the people who had mistreated me during middle school.

Of all the complexes he had, it was his high voice that left the greatest impression on Christophe Willem. Desperate, he tried everything to escape… even if it meant flirting with addiction.

Cigarettes as a “remedy” for Christophe Willem

Still facing Mouloud Achour, the author, composer and performer let it be known that he had started smoking unreasonably in the hope of seeing his voice become deeper. A technique that worked for Jean Marais… but not for him:

I smoked cigarette after cigarette hoping it would make my voice deeper, which never worked.

Today, it’s this uniqueness that makes people appreciate me. But that was, among other things, the cause of all the problems I had. I wanted to be short with a broken voice, so really the opposite of who I am.

Fortunately, Christophe Willem was able to overcome the obstacles and prejudices that often stood in his way, to the point of being better in his head and in his body than ever. So when Mouloud asks him if he has learned to love himself, the forty-year-old responds with a smile on his face:

Love is a big word… But, accept me! So.

Strengthened by everything he has overcome, Christophe Willem has finally accepted who he is, right down to this high-pitched voice which has long made him self-conscious, and which is in fact a significant part of his charm. In any case, let us wish him to finally manage to love himself for good, beyond accepting himself, and to continue to bring happiness to the public for many years to come!