Flore Benguigui speaks. A month ago, she announced her departure from the Empress. On November 23, the artist testified in a Médiapart video, recounting “humiliations”, a “control” and a “very strong feeling of isolation” which went so far as to make him lose his voice.
“Many of you didn't know enough to be able to read between the lines at that time”. These are the words addressed to us Flore Benguigui in an Instagram story, relaying his twenty-minute video testimony published on Mediapart. A video in which the former voice of the Empress, who also wrote and composed numerous pieces, recounts nine years of “ ordinary sexism » et « of humiliation » repeated within the group.
Criticism, devaluation and “Love Bombing”
His testimony first returns to the reviews of his voice by the members of the group, considered too weak for live. “ I was always told that I was a bad singer, that I sang out of tune, not loud enough“, reports Flore Benguigui. She finally agreed to be dubbed with recorded voice tracks and to take singing lessons to try to modify her voice, from ” distort“, in his words. The singer and composer then talks about a gradual devaluation. On the one hand, sudden and intense signs of affection : she talks about “gifts” offered by two of the group members, followed by humiliations and crisof these same members, sometimes in public. Here she describes a system of manipulation which has a name: the “Love Bombing”.
“I ended up thinking that I deserved to be treated like that, to be put down”
For Flore Benguigui, « I ended up thinking that I deserved to be treated like that, to be put down”. She describes living then in the fear constantthe “feeling of constantly being possibly fired.” It is this fear that pushes her to do “all the things no one wants to do” : manage social networks, merch… she will go so far as to wash and iron the stage outfits of all the members of the group. The mechanics get carried away and in 2021, Flore Benguigui says she lost her voice, broken during a studio session. “I could warm up, talk” she remembers, but when she has to sing a song from the group, vocal cords tense. The blockage will last a year and a half. The tour continues, the volume of the vocal tracks is increased to compensate, and Flore convinces herself that the playback will stop when her voice magically returns during a concert. She asserts « I was afraid that the public would discover that I was a gigantic impostor. »
An insensitive music industry focused on profit
By speaking about MédiapartFlore Benguigui does not only accuse two of the members of her former group: she also points out a music industry in the shape of a cash machine. Tours are booked even before the composition of the album that will be played there, and the priority is given to money before the mental and physical health artists who generate it. Despite Flore's apparent discomfort, she ensures that no one, not even herself, thinks about her taking a break.
The boys in the “surprised” and “sad” group
The group, who quickly replaced the singer after the announcement of her departureresponded with a press release, saying “surprised” et “sad“, ensuring that Flore Benguigui “still means a lot to us and we know what the group owes to him, artistically and on a personal level.” The musicians slice nevertheless by affirming that “the situations described by Flore do not correspond to the reality of the facts.”And to conclude: “If the investment and attention we have given it has not been enough, we can only regret it. In any case, we wish him all the best for the future..”
The group states, among other things, that “there was never any control over his speeches“, and that ” concerning the recording of the album, the launch of the tour and the promotion, Flore reaffirmed to us at each of these stages her desire to continue“. Regarding the vocal tracks, the press release states that “ the live processing of the vocals has been since the first concert in 2015 an artistic decision validated collectively, which has never called into question her qualities as a singer, composer, performer nor her place in the group« .
Symbolically, the artist recently reposted on his networks the lyrics of the eponymous title of the last album of the Empress, « Pulsar« . A title that she herself suggested to the group.
Pulsar is the dead star that still shines. Flore Benguigui's voice carries: support abounds. She adds: “I know that this exposes me to a lot of violence, and could impact the legal battle I am in to have the rights to my words”.
