You win the semi-finals against Etienne, and you are therefore a little closer to the final victory. What state of mind were you in?
Laurens : In fact, I was already extremely happy (laughs) to be in the semi-final because there, for once, is the real bonus of the final. Either way, I know that at 9 p.m. I'm playing. It's a huge feeling. And then, whether it's Étienne or anyone in front, I do my songs without worrying about who is singing in front. But then, yes, I know Étienne's level because for now, we know each other even before he appears in Don't forget the lyrics and I appear there. We played matches between us for fun in January 2023, so six months before he passed and ten months before I did it. We know each other very well that we have a level, that we are very solid. It was a pleasure to play with him and frankly, if he won, I would have been 100% for him for the final!
Did winning this semi-final against him come full circle?
It's funny! It's a sort of consecration because already, when we're in front of our computer and we play together, it's already nice, but there, it's the real game with the real microphone, the real Nagui, the real cameras. The conditions are great. Afterwards, for me, it's the case with each broadcast where I enjoy and I find it extraordinary as a setting, but here, sharing it with a friend, obviously… It's true that after all the matches that we have done through interposed screens, being 50 centimeters apart to play, it was a huge feeling!
So heading to the final against Margaux, nice revenge to find yourself facing number 1?
I qualify for the final first and then Margaux, right after. She wins in an extraordinary way by making a completely crazy comeback! Nagui's sentence made me laugh because he said if we had rigged the show, we would have done it exactly like that to have number one and number two face to face. It's true that symbolically, this match was great. What changed me was that for the first time, I played against someone higher ranked than me. So, it wasn't me who started it. She really put pressure on me at the beginning by finding her unloved ones (laughs).
Did you discuss this match with Margaux after your victory?
She first congratulated me and told me it was inherited. Afterwards, we discussed it the same evening when we celebrated the end of the Masters. I no longer remember exactly what she said to me but I remember that she still told me that I was very, very strong and that I was going to annoy them for several years (laughs ). She told me that I was impregnable and so, it's a source of pride because Margaux when I watched her on the show, I hadn't started to revise and I didn't know any songs and I was there: “But how does she do it?”
Do you plan to spend your winnings from the Masters?
I used almost nothing of my first earnings even if I raised my standard of living a little, which was that of a student. But apart from that, I haven't really touched the jackpot I hit a year ago (laughs). What's funny is that with my prize pool won in The Masters, combined with my initial prize pool I am tied with that of Margaux. This wink is funny and it made me smile when I realized it.
Do you already have goals for the next competitions?
For the Maestros Tournament, I'm going to do like last year, come with the goal of having fun (laughs). Afterwards, for the Masters, it's too far away for me to plan yet but it will depend on the time I will have next summer to revise, because of course, there is ambition, but there is the work we put in and the time we manage to free up for that. Because if I don't have time, too bad. I've already won the masters once, now, I want to say, I'm going to go back every year for bonuses. I'm not going to aim to double it when no one has ever managed to do that (laughs). Even if I succeed, I will be very happy, but I am not going to set it as a goal because of the risk of being disappointed.
What do you remember from the Masters?
What I remember from the masters, above all, is the great atmosphere that I discovered in this environment. It's the first time I did Masters, I was told that it was a little less relaxing and that there were some who were more stressed and there, I didn't find it at all. Everyone had fun. I spent those days of filming like a child (laughs). It was really great.
