Leïla Huissoud's career is not academic but reflects the singularity of this singer. Dyslexic, she had difficulty finding her place at school and yet it was this language disorder that gradually led her towards singing. “On Wednesdays, I went to the speech therapistist while my sisters devoured big books. I was self-conscious because I couldn't read an entire book. The speech therapist gave me collections of poems. I had a one-page story. Afterwards, she made me write poems and as I stuttered she made me sing them and it worked quite well. » Whether in her songs or when she recounts her journey, we understand that there have been many pitfalls. Leila began to doubt and even lose confidence in herself. It is therefore no coincidence that his first album, released in 2017, is called Ombreand the last Clumsiness.
Chance
She was not yet 18 when chance brought an encounter on her path that changed everything. “ I went to study performing arts in Strasbourg because I wanted to leave northern Isère where I grew up. My parents didn't really understand what I wanted to do so the deal was that I got by financially. I was a waitress on roller skates in a bar with an American name. I didn't go to college much because I quickly became We take into account that it is not the diplomas which allow you to be programmed in the entertainment industry. »
Leïla will then sing in the small streets of the Alsatian capital. “ There were lots of singers at the foot of the cathedral, I tried to go there with my guitar. Luc Arbogast, who had participated in season 2 of The Voice, heard me and had me open his concert that same evening. I then went on his tour with him and opened for him at the Olympia when I didn't even know how to tune my guitar. »
That evening in the room, the casters of The Voice offer him to try the adventure. “I didn't even know what it was but at that point I was kind of saying yes to everything because I couldn't pay my rent anymore. » She is trying to cast for season 3 ofThe Voicewithout believing in it too much and without pressure. During the blind hearings, the four jurors turn around. She joins Jennifer's team and will be eliminated during the battles but it will be the start of her career. “Following the show, programmers called me for concerts as if being a singer was my job. As I didn't have another one, I went for it.»
Four years later, in 2017, Leïla released her first album and among her first dates was Langogne. “It was nice because it was one of the first times an audience came to listen to me. Before, at concerts, there were mainly little girls who had seen me on The Voice and came because they thought I had pretty hair. They were disappointed because I had cut them ».
The slide
Leïla compares her breakthrough in singing to an escape. “I have a lot of friends who dream of it and who try to sell themselves but who struggle. For me, it happened by itself; I didn't even plan to do this job. Sometimes I feel a little guilty because for me it was more of a slip-up.» She has therefore not idealized this profession and she claims that it is not ideal. “It's sometimes complicated and a little thankless, we're mostly on motorway rest areas eating sandwiches», illustrates Leïla. Not always easy but singing is what she has always loved. “French songs were part of my education and it is with this profession that I have always earned my living. A place was made for me. I received a Georges Moustaki prize and another from the Académie Charles-Cros, it’s recognition from the industry and it warms my heart. There is a kind of family in the song and then I admit that there are not that many young people who make French songs that are a bit traditional and not necessarily in keeping with the times. »
Revenge
From her past as a dyslexic, Leïla retains some complexes which she overcomes thanks to contact with the public. “When I was young I felt like I was the stupid kid in class. I was stressed about having to read a text in front of everyone. Today, I have teachers who come to my concerts and who are surprised not to see me stuck on stage. I think it's common to a lot of artists to find a space of freedom that we didn't necessarily have socially before. It's very strange but it's on a stage that I managed to be comfortable, it's the little revenge of the loser», jokes Leïla.
Following her first experience in 2017, Leïla is delighted to return with her third albumThe awkwardnessand she is already preparing what comes next. “I wrote a lot during the tour. I'm finally going to get away from the autobiography and the turmoil to take up stories, songs that I love. »
