When I won Pop starswith the three other singers, Orisha, Regina and Yasmeen, I felt a lot of joy, but I also found it hard to believe. I had been fighting for years as an artist to be able to reach such a level. I also felt a little apprehensive about the future, because I knew that I was going to have to leave my life in Switzerland to go to Paris in order to realize my projects. But it’s obviously everything I dreamed of, with a lot of happiness to boot.
I was chosen to participate in this adventure after my participation in other telecrochets. There was The Springboardin Switzerland, in 2021, where I made it to the final. Then, The Voice France or even the Star Academy contacted me to participate in their castings, but it didn’t work out. Finally, last year, it was the turn of Pop stars. When they called me, I was recording my solo album, ELEVENreleased in January 2024 and I had to insist on being able to release it before filming started. Fortunately, they finally accepted and I was able to organize my opening before leaving for Paris for the castings.
Benevolent filming
My participation in this show (broadcast on Prime Video in September 2024, editor’s note) was a truly incredible experience. I was very impressed by the presence of many cameras, the fact of wearing a microphone and doing many interviews in which we talk about ourselves. I also felt a lot of stress, especially when I met the jury, made up of Louane, Eddy de Pretto and Alonzo. These recognized and talented French artists were there to choose the people who would form the winning group and they had a very imposing side.
Faced with all these elements, I told myself that I had to have fun and do what I do best, sing, and that I would see where it would take me. In terms of the atmosphere, I was afraid of being confronted with a very competitive climate, in which others try to do dirty things to you, but, on the contrary, there was benevolence and we encouraged a lot. We got to know each other, we sang together and we comforted each other in difficult times.
With the other winners, with whom we now form the group SOR4 (pronounced sora), we met during the show. Without having spent a lot of time together during the tests, each of the interactions we had was meaningful. When we found out we had won and were going to form a band, we exploded with joy. On a musical level, but also personally, we already admired each other a lot.
I remember the first evening, all four of us, after our victory. We spent the night telling each other about our childhoods, our traumas and many other intimate aspects of our lives to break the ice. There’s a good feeling between us. And that’s fortunate because we lacked time to get to know each other. Everything happened very quickly. We continued filming episodes in which we can be seen starting our new life as a group. We notably wrote and recorded our EP SOR4 released in September and met many professionals in the field.
Musical connection
We each have our own style but we experienced a real musical connection and our collaboration is going really well. We don’t put any creative limits on ourselves and during the writing phase, everyone was able to compose their part of the piece with their own sensibilities. These moments were very emotional – especially for the title SORAwhich evokes our deceased loved ones – which brought us even closer. When we found ourselves in the studio to record our songs, we noticed how well our voices harmonized and how our four universes complemented each other perfectly to form a unit.
Before the broadcast of the show, which would bring us a lot of visibility, we also took the time to discuss and defuse problems that could arise within the group. We, for example, discussed the importance of putting our egos aside and not limiting each other’s artistic universe.
Persevere in music
After the episodes came out, we watched them so many times with the girls in the group that I think we know them by heart. We expected it to work, but maybe not to this extent. Obviously, there were also negative comments, but that’s not what matters. It’s more about receiving positive messages from people who even go so far as to confide in me because my voice touches them. I am happy to have succeeded in creating proximity with the public while keeping my private life protected.
With SOR4, everything is really going as we wanted. We are obviously very tired, and we have a lot of work, between promotion and interviews, but it’s part of the job and we are delighted to do it. We want to continue composing music, doing concerts, touring. We see things big. Everyone will follow their heart and everything can only go well.
I now have a fond thought for the Mia who played guitar and drums, all alone in bars, where, sometimes, people didn’t even listen to her. In those moments, I sometimes thought about stopping everything, but I continued, thanks in particular to the encouragement of my parents. I’m glad I continued to believe and gritted my teeth through the tough times, because it was worth it.
If I have a message to convey to all artists, especially in Switzerland, it is to continue to evolve and to persevere. I hope that soon, Swiss artists will no longer need to leave the country to make a living from their music.
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