There is also the song X which evokes academic failure. Does it speak to your own story?
“I don't have good memories of my schooling. I was clearly failing academically. I wasn't making any effort. I preferred to immediately enter adult life, as a musician, and fight to try to succeed. With music, I found a parallel path. So, yes, this song is my story but not only that. She gives hope to kids who don't necessarily do well at school but who are going to do something with their lives. It's not because you don't get ten out of ten at school that you can't become someone good later.“
For you, has music always been obvious?
“No not at all. Initially, I wanted to be a cabinetmaker. Then, my father gave us a small organ which we put in the house. We started playing there and learned how to make music. Very early on, I knew I wanted to be a musician.“
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How did this desire to make it your career run in your family?
“Announcing to your parents that you want to make music your career is not an easy thing because the profession of artist is not seen as something stable. Fortunately, I have always had the support of my family. It was a great challenge to prove to my parents that I could make a living with this passion. But, it was work!“
Always in the song Xyou mention Diego Maradona. Why this number 10 and not another?
“I could have chosen Platini or Zidane, it's true. But there is something that touches me about Diego Maradona. He was left-handed and small but he crossed the entire field, faced English or German giants and still managed to score.“
You share the title In Harmony with your daughter Nina. Was it important to you that she participated in this project?
“In my first solo album there was a song for her, Welcome. At the end of this song, we heard the sound of his bottle. She had just arrived home. Years later, we sing together on this tenth album. There is something touching in this song. It's my family so maybe I'm not objective. But when I listen to it, I find it pretty.“
Is it true that X could be your last album?
“Not the last album but it is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. I tell myself that after 10 pop albums, maybe I'll take another path. I will never be able to stop. If I stop music, I die. For me, it's vital, it's part of my balance as a man, and as a father too.“
You will be on December 12 and 13 at Forest National in Belgium (information and reservations on www.forest-national.be). Do you have a special link with our country?
“I love Belgium. I actually recorded all my albums there. I love walking in Brussels, near the Sablon or the Ixelles ponds. I can't wait to meet the Belgian public with whom I have a strong relationship, a real story. For me, each concert is a meeting, a reunion, a landmark for me but also for the public.“
You talk about transmission in this new album. Would you like to one day become a coach in The Voice ?
“I don't think I would be very comfortable in this exercise. I prefer to do my job as a singer behind my microphone, in the studio and on stage. For me, doing The Voiceit also means starting, and I have nothing against it, a career as a TV program host. And for me, cameras have always bothered me a little. I'm rather a discreet person even if I love having fun on stage.”
In Pagny by Aelthe book by Florent Pagny's daughter, we see you alongside the singer in the studio. Were you close to him during his fight against cancer?
“Florent is like a big brother to me. He was the first to trust me with Châtelet les Halles, the song I wrote for him. I don't need to call him every day to feel close to him. He is someone I find upright and honest. I regularly asked him for news with modesty and respect and he always answered me.“
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A musical in preparation
Another project currently runs Calogero. For ten years, the interpreter ofWeightless is working on his first musical which is none other than the adaptation of the Comte de Monte Cristoa novel by Alexandre Dumas, the film version of which with Pierre Niney was a great success on the big screen this year. “Once a year I go to see a musical in London with my children. And, every time I'm in the room, I say to myself: One day, I'll do one! Twenty years ago, we discussed the idea of doing the musical Le Comte de Monte Cristo with Florent Pagny but it didn't happen. It took a while for it to germinate.”explains the singer who is now at the stage of writing the musical themes for the musical. However, we will have to wait until 2027 to see the result on stage.
“Ah yes! A special bond with the Belgian public. They adopted me and I know the Belgians well. They are very creative.
