On June 11, 2024, we traveled to Biarritz to celebrate Balavoine, one of the greatest French artists. It was in this town where he grew up that the filming of the tribute show took place, the musical and artistic direction of which was given to Nach (Anna Chedid). It was in the Municipal Casino, in the heart of the city, that the cameras were set up and the artists rehearsed all day, before recording the show. The atmosphere was collegial and family, and accompanied by a setting sun.
It was at the beginning of the afternoon, just after lunch, and before she led her guests and artists in rehearsal, that Nach sat down alongside us to discuss this project which is close to her heart. : “It was offered to me, they wanted a woman to take over as musical director. I am a songwriter but also an arranger and director, and as I was on the first two shows, Brel and Brassens, they thought of me. I was honored, obviously, to carry this repertoire but also to be a woman who makes these arrangements, this repertoire, it is important to carry this project and show all these young women who have been refused things under false pretenses, that it is possible. »
Finding the right sensitivities
To create the best possible artistic and musical direction, Anna Chedid worked for several weeks with her team on the arrangements, choice of songs and artists. “It’s exciting and intense. You have to respond to your desires, to what you don’t know, and at the same time to an industry, television, that you don’t know. With my arrangements and the artists, it’s the most beautiful show I’ve done” she told us.
The choice of artists was obvious to her: “The first condition was to have artists who move me, who touch me, who I find animated by a message or a sensitivity, because we must pay homage to this very sensitive and very sincere man, so I I thought about finding the most sensitive and sincere artists that I knew around me and they all accepted. Among the lot, there are some who don’t do a lot of TV, but this spoke to them and they wanted to do it. »
Were present that day, at his side: Matthieu Chedid, Elodie Frégé, Martin Luminet, Tété, Pierre Lapointe, Jeanne Cherhal, Arthur H, Aurélie Saada, Aliocha Schneider, Fatoumata Diawara, Alex Montembault, Youssoupha and guitarist Thibault Cauvin. The latter two took up ‘Live or Survive’ as a duo in a revisited version, close to slam and poetry, with just as much power.
Artists who have things to tell
Throughout the day, and until the final recording of the show, we were able to interact with the singers and singers, between two rehearsals. Everyone was happy to be there, to carry the timeless and still relevant message of Daniel Balavoine, and to sing his songs which accompanied their lives, even without being aware of it.
This is particularly what Nach told us: “I was talking about it with my brother earlier (Matthieu Chedid, editor’s note), Balavoine it’s as if we didn’t notice him because he was so there that we didn’t even need to point him out , so he influenced us in a significant way without us realizing it. When we are asked for our references, we will not necessarily talk about Balavoine first, but by thinking about it and reconnecting with the repertoire, we realize to what extent he is present, he has influenced us. »
Balavoine, a total commitment
Daniel Balavoine represents a lot, as Matthieu Chedid explains: “It’s commitment at all levels, emotional, artistic, societal, authenticity. A very rebellious nature, but at the same time essential and all the more so in the world we are in today. He is someone authentic, whole, and talented. » And Martin Luminet tells us: “I am very happy to be there, because he was someone who never forgot his political commitments and who put them in his songs. Humanist commitments, and it’s very contemporary. We would have needed someone like that today, to speak out, artistically and socially. Balavoine is an inspiring person. »
Beyond a strong commitment and a message that speaks to everyone, the artists responded to Nach’s call, for his vision, his relevance, his musical choices and his sensitivity. “I want to salute her for what she did, she worked three months with her team to find a new setting for each song, without distorting them. And on arrival it was a delight to sing. It’s a rare comfort, because she did all the artistic direction before, with an overall coherence of the evening in its homage to the work of the artist and the sensibilities of each person.Tété told us.
-The latter sings L’Aziza, a title that Nach chose for him without knowing that it had a very special resonance for him: “Balavoine is one of those rare singers who we realize have accompanied us throughout our lives and somehow that’s how we recognize a great singer. We build memories on his music. And that’s what struck me, his best-known songs take me back to a specific childhood memory and this evening I’m singing L’Aziza, and for me it’s Christmas 85, I’m at my grandparents’ house , and they leave us three weeks later. These are songs with a particular echo and titles that never age. »
Voices that agree
Martin Luminet and Elodie Frégé sing Lady Marlene as a duo, a surprising choice on Nach’s part, but particularly thoughtful and works perfectly. “She trusts her instincts, and that will show in the broadcast. His personality is infused everywhere, even in this day of filming, in the project, the way we meet each other. It’s unlikely that I would find myself here with people like Pierre Lapointe or Youssoufa, who are people I admire, and I think it’s really beautiful, and that’s to Anna’s credit. To highlight artists who are not necessarily invited every day, and to create something new” Martin Luminet told us.
And Elodie Frégé added: “That we gave the artistic and musical direction to a woman made me enormously happy and when she told me Balavoine, I asked myself if I had the vocal abilities for that, and I thought of a song that I really like ‘Lady Marlene’ which comes from a concept album around the Berlin Wall, and this song played a lot with my parents. Anna accepted my request to sing it, and told me ‘life is crazy, because that’s the song I had written in front of your name.’ »
Opposite his name was also that of his “harmonic binomial”she says: “I really admire Martin Luminet. A thirty-year-old artist who expresses all the love and all the anger and revolt he has within him with a lot of poetry, accuracy of truth, and I didn’t know if it was going to match the level of our voices, and in fact we found the right tone, the right phrases to distribute, the right harmonies and we made this song a new version that pleases me and touches me a lot. »
The magic happens, as it did throughout this day of rehearsal where artists and technical team navigated these places in a joyful and festive atmosphere. During the recording, Nach congratulated each artist after their performance. They were all happy to be there. At the end, they all come together for one last performance, on The Singerelectrifying.
A day with Balavoineit’s this Friday, December 6 on France 3 at 9:05 p.m.
