A music “ spiritual » which is good for the soul. Chimene Badi hopes to recreate the magic of his album “Gospel & Soul”, sold more than 300,000 copies when it was released in 2011, with the release this week of the second volume of his project. Armed with her emotional power, the 42-year-old artist revisits classics from Stevie Wonder, Céline Dion, Amy Winehouse and even Michael Jackson, succeeding in the challenge of transporting hits known to all into the world of gospel. “ I drew on my life, my history to choose the titles because it's not that easy to choose your covers well. I didn't look for the song that could be suitable for the concept: they are choices of the heart » assure Chimene Badi In an interview to be published soon on Purechartsshe who covers “Noir c’est noir” by Johnny Hallyday echoing the duet she shared with the Taulier during her lifetime: “ When I was a kid and we went on vacation, I can tell you that I listened to some Johnny Hallyday on the vacation road! My father is crazy about Johnny ».
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READ – “I was self-sabotaging”: the touching confidences of Chimene Badi on his beginnings
The arrival of the album “Gospel & Soul, the voice and the soul” in record stores and on streaming platforms follows chronologically two discs of covers dedicated to Edith Piaf, defended on stage during a past tour throughout France. What put off some fans who were hoping to hear original songs? Asked about this risky bet, Chimene Badi assure « operate on instinct ». « Basically, I didn't want to do that. I don't like doing the same thing twice. Out of respect for myself first and out of respect for the public » confides the singer, who let herself be carried away by the pleasure she felt while recording “Les trois cloches” with a gospel choir for the “Chimène chante Piaf” project.
“As long as I do it with my heart…”
Chimène Badi, however, took care to offer a hybrid album mixing covers and unreleased tracks such as the song “Je reste là”, written by Ycare. “ If there weren't any unreleased songs, I wouldn't have done this project. I would not have made “Gospel & Soul” volume 2 as a carbon copy of the first. I really wanted there to be a step above » assures the singer of the hit “Entre nous”, who therefore retains the desire to flourish as an artist in her own right: “ I also wanted to tell my story with songs of my own. It was important. I missed it a lot. It's a compromise to please myself and ultimately perhaps get the public on board with me again. As long as I do it with my heart, it's coherent ».
Moreover, if it is his name which is written in large on the cover, Chimene Badi sees “Gospel & Soul, the voice and the soul” more as “ a collective adventure » with the Sankofa Unit gospel choir, which surrounds him on the 10 offerings on the disc (12 in the deluxe version). “ I feed off everyone’s voice. For me, they are singers, and all together, we form a choir. But we are all singers in our own right and they all have their soul to offer. You can imagine that all together, it takes on very strong dimensions! I said to myself: “This is what I want to experience on stage”. Without the scene, there is nothing that exists. For me, this is my ultimate reward » smiles the diva, who will perform on March 4, 2025 at the Grand Rex in Paris before setting off to meet the public in the four corners of France.
