Professional to the end, Pascal Obispo postponed his entry into the studio by half an hour, where he is rehearsing the songs from his new tour, to grant an interview to the NR. The songwriter is embarking on a new marathon tour, following on from the one he began in 2023 to celebrate “30 years of success”. It will be on December 13 at the Palais des Congrès in Tours (Indre-et-Loire) and the next day in Niort (Deux-Sèvres).
Accompanied by six musicians, he performs his emblematic songs such as Its reason for being, Lucie, Fanbut also all the hits he created for his friends Florent Pagny, Johnny Hallyday, Zazie or even for The Ten Commandments.
You are going back on the road for a big tour with a new show that you describe as “intimate”…
“I want each concert to be a connection with the public, in a warm, friendly, more acoustic atmosphere. The repertoire has been changed 50%, keeping the songs that people want to hear, of course. We adapted the staging, the show, the costumes, for smaller venues, after having played in festivals in front of 20,000 or 40,000 people. I'm going from twelve to five musicians for this new tour. »
Is the stage a driving force, a vital need?
“On the one hand, there is the desire to respond to the public's interest and, on the other hand, it is still more pleasant to be on stage than to stay at home watching the newspapers over and over again televised. Entertaining people, going from town to town to give a little pleasure, in this gloomy world, that's just doing our job as acrobat. »
You come across as a workaholic, you never stop creating, composing, writing…
“When you love music the way I love it, making an album every two or three years, that excites me… I work every day and, if I could, I would release a song every week. Besides, that's what I do on my Obispo All Access application with covers, original songs, instrumentals, remixes. Next January, there will be eighty albums available on the application in four years of activity. »
You define yourself as a music lover, a dream creator…
“Making music is an opportunity and I would find it almost insulting not to work as much. It's just a question of respect for people who have much more complicated jobs. As long as I have the energy of inspiration, I will continue to make music. But I won't make too many records. »
On November 15, your new album, “L’Archipel des sequeles”, is released, where you sing a duet only with women…
“In these difficult times, I felt the need to make a transitional album, which is made up of soft ballads with pretty female voices. Eight magnificent voices. I sing with Zazie, Élodie Frégé, Isabelle Boulay, Nolwenn Leroy, Anne Sila, Carla Bruni, Sharon Laloum and Nawel Ben Kraïem, a young Tunisian singer. »
You'll be 60 next year, how are you going to mark it?
“The year I turn 60 will be busy, very active, I'm preparing a lot of projects, including a triptych album for October 2025, and then I'll give people a little peace…”
Do you mind being 60?
“Honestly, no, I don't mind being 60, with all the experience I've gained. Naturally, we would all like to be 20 years old, enjoy life a little better, not have physical problems. But I'm not here hiding my age like many who dye their hair or have their skin pulled. Everyone does what they can with their suffering, I stay natural and deal with it. »
You are going to a desert island for three months, you are allowed to take a CD, a book and a film. Which ones?
“A record would be the complete Beatles. A book, an encyclopedia in several volumes to continue to cultivate yourself, to keep your mind sharp. And a film would be the trilogy of Godfather. »
Pascal Obispo will be in concert at the Tours convention center on Friday December 13, 2024 at 8 p.m. and Saturday December 14 at the Acclameur in Niort at 8 p.m. Prices from €62.
