Despite solid performances, the two Acadian candidates, Philippe LeBouthillier and Randy McGraw, did not manage to carve out a place among the 14 singers who entered Star Académie on Sunday, following the first Variété broadcast on TVA airwaves.
The adventure for Philippe Le Bouthillier and Randy McGraw ended with the selection of the Academicians. The host of the show, Jean-Philippe Dion, specified that the 18 aspiring Academicians were chosen from 5,000 auditions.
The two Acadian candidates found themselves among the six candidates (three boys, three girls) invited to sing to defend their place at the Academy. At the end of an extremely close vote, according to host Jean-Philippe Dion, it was Yoann Guay from Trois-Pistoles who won the prize among the boys.
Randy McGraw, from Tracadie, who gave a heartfelt performance by revisiting the song I’m leaving at the other end of the world by Paul Daraîche, said that it was a dream to find himself on the Star Académie stage. After the show, he said that even though the Academy bus left without him, he had no regrets.
“I am very happy to have been part of this adventure. I am speechless. It’s certainly disappointing, it hurts my heart. Thanks for the love and support. This is just the beginning for me,” he shared in a message on social media.
For his part, Philippe LeBouthillier delivered a powerful rendition of the song Greatest Love of all by Whitney Houston, warmly applauded by the audience. The young singing student at Lionel-Groulx College who lives with autism spectrum disorder sent a beautiful message of hope. He hopes that his time at Star Académie can inspire other young people who live with differences. All dreams are possible, assures the 21-year-old singer from Pont-Landry.
-“There’s a part of me that wanted to do it for kids who have dreams and who are like me, whether it’s autism spectrum disorder or any difference, just to believe that there There is no career that is unattainable. I do it for myself and for everyone who believes who doesn’t have the chance to do it. You just have to go for it,” he said after his performance on the Star Académie stage.
The clogged voting system
At the end of the evening, the two Acadians received a wave of encouragement and support through social networks. However, some Internet users in New Brunswick claimed to have had difficulty voting. This year, the voting system is only online. The TVA network mentioned that there was a very large number of votes during this first evening, which had the effect of preventing certain people from submitting their choice.
“Due to a very high number of connections, the voting site experienced a slowdown,” a TVA spokesperson said by email.
The show, which began in a lively atmosphere, brought together, among others, four former academicians, including Wilfred LeBouthillier, winner of 2003. During this evening which featured several artists, they paid a vibrant tribute to the work of Richard Desjardins and the lyricist Stéphane Venne, who died on January 17. This season, the producers chose a piece popularized by Céline Dion, Ne partes pas sans moi, as the theme song.
