The 40th Victoires de la Musique, smooth, consensual, without surprises… and played out in advance?

We love to hate them. This year again, the ceremony, the broadcast of which is scheduled for February 14, should be no exception to the rule. A surprise despite everything: the Olympics effect, which perhaps changes the situation a little. Explanations.

CEvery year, it’s the same: we complain about the Victoires de la Musique, its consensual winners, its soothing presenters, its moments of self-celebration of show business that are so embarrassing that they become amusing, its long sequences where we have the feeling like we’re stuck in comedy Back to the future – propelled on November 5, 1955, its hero Marty must resolve the temporal paradoxes caused by his passage into the past, and must also find a way to operate his time machine to return to his era. And then, let’s admit it, there are always one or more moments that delight us in this great television raout – the biggest live variety show from France Télévisions and France Inter.

Last year, there was a Victory of Honor awarded to the sensitive giant of rock song Bernard Lavilliers and four Victories (Female Revelation, Stage Revelation, Original Song, Album of the Year) awarded to our darling of electro song Zaho of Sagazan. Without forgetting, after several years of ignoring rap, r’n’b and groove since the elimination of categories by musical genres in 2020, an avalanche of prizes for its representatives: Aya Nakamura, female artist; Gazo, male artist (tied with Vianney); Yamê, masculine revelation; Shay, audiovisual creation for his music video Commando ; Damso, concert of the year for his QALF Tour.

Variety Golmuths

For the side Back to the future, Here we are again served this year. So here is Zaho de Sagazan in the running for Female Artist – the reason is that she sold out her album The Symphony of Lightning at 200,000 copies. We call it flying to the aid of success. The rapper and singer Shay, magnetic at the Olympia to accompany her album As long as it rains, is named again – in the Concert category. Alain Souchon, one of the most awarded artists at the Victoires, with nine trophies won since 1986, is named “honorary president”. As for Alain Chamfort, he competes in two categories, audiovisual creation and album. Furthermore, a Victory of Honor will be awarded to Eddy Mitchell, who published his fortieth studio album shortly before Christmas, Friends. “Local production is always incredible, vibrant, diverse,” underlined Vincent Frèrebeau, boss of the independent label vite ou tard and president of the Victoires de la musique since last year. Diversified, but not to the point of depriving itself of the Golmuths of variety! Back to the future, again: the ceremony will be, like last year, presented by the essential Léa Salamé, flanked by the equally smooth Cyril Féraud. In short, on this side too, nothing that could surprise.

With all this, who will win? The consensual and acclaimed singer from Nice Santa, nominated in four categories, is apparently on course to leave with at least one prize… We would love Clara Luciani or the electro duo Justice, authors of excellent records praised in Télérama, are rewarded. But perhaps the most surprising is the nomination of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, in… the Concert category. We do not see how this (beautiful) moment of reunification of the French people could not be crowned. Our favorite Shay, who competes in the same category, seems to be off to a bad start…