Saturday November 9 on France 2, Laurens won the final of the Masters of Don't forget the words against Margaux. For Télé Star, he looks back on this victory which he did not expect.
Télé Star: You won the Masters of
Don't forget the lyrics for your first participation…
Laurens : It's a great feeling! I didn't come with the ambition to win. I already wanted to find out what it was, since it was my first time participating in it. It surprised me to manage to beat everyone I faced, especially Margaux! Facing him in the final, symbolically, was still something.
You are on number 2e place in the ranking of the best maestros. Why were you surprised to win against all your opponents?
In my opinion, the ranking reflects the money earned on the show but not necessarily the level of the maestros. The other maestros continue to work on songs all year round, so they have an excellent level, no matter if they are lower in the rankings! Plus, after a year of absence from the set, I didn't know how I was going to get through it. In a year, we can forget songs! I wasn't at all sure of my abilities in these Masters.
You haven't revised at all this year?
Yes, but not all year round! After my defeat in November 2023, I took a break. I had just spent months revising and only thinking about the show, so I needed to clear my head. Afterwards, I reviewed a few songs before the Maestros tournament, then I really got back into it in June, three months before the Masters. I told myself that in three months, I would have time to review the essentials.
When you started revising again, had you forgotten a lot of songs?
Enormously ! When I got back into the conditions of the same song, I made lots of mistakes! I missed at least one song out of two, it was annoying! When you know a song by heart and you have to relearn it, it drives you crazy. Especially when they're songs that we've already worked on 100 times and we're tired of hearing them… (laughs) But hey, that's how it is. We forget the songs! You have to work hard and never take it for granted.
What songs are you tired of hearing?
These are especially the classics! My Philosophyfor example, is a song that I basically love. But after hearing it, I can't take it anymore!
Laurens (Don't forget the lyrics): “My most stressful duel was against Pierre”
What was the most stressful duel for you?
I would say the match against Pierre (36e in the standings), my very first match! When I found myself in the chair and was told that Pierre had sung “the same song” in its entirety, it put pressure on me. Plus, it's been a year since I've done this test! In the end, I won in a tie, it was an extremely close match.
With this tie, you win the match because you are higher in the rankings. Do you think this is fair?
It’s true that it’s not ideal. It would be nice if we could be decided differently, especially since Pierre is 36e in the rankings so he may not do the Masters again. It's a shame for him not to have been able to win this match. Afterwards, I imagine that production faces lots of constraints that we don't know about. If this rule exists, it must be for a reason!
Back to the finale. How did Margaux react after her defeat?
One of the first things she told me was that she was really happy for me. It’s nice, she had a champion reaction. She congratulated me and afterwards we celebrated. It was great because Margaux became a friend.
Now that you have participated in the Maestros tournament and the Masters, which maestros are you closest to?
I love them all, they have all become friends, but if I had to name one, it would be Louis (10e in the ranking). We revise together very often, we discuss a lot. She's the one I'm closest to, but there's also Alessandra (16e), Jeremy (12e), I could name all 32!
A little filming anecdote to share?
During the filming of the quarter-final of the other part of the draw, we followed the match in the boxes. During “the same song”, the candidates had “There is joy” by Charles Trenet and I was disgusted! I always dreamed of having this song, so I upset everyone by saying that I would have loved to have it! However, I had just advanced to the semi-final. It was a bit of a rage when he won everything (laughs).
Laurens (Don't forget the lyrics): “With my new winnings, the goal remains the same”
You win €73,000. What are you going to do with these new earnings?
The project remains the same as with the gains from my course. I am waiting to settle down geographically to invest in real estate, but I must find a research position or a post-doctoral contract after my doctorate in mathematics. It's not easy and the opportunities are all over France, and even elsewhere! In the meantime, I'm putting the money to rest.
If you go far from Paris, will you continue to participate in tournaments? Don't forget the lyrics ?
I haven't thought about it yet, but I think I'll come back for that at least. Kévin lives far from Paris and yet he returns every year to shoot the Masters. It's a great moment, incredible emotions and I just don't want to stop
Don't forget the lyrics !
Do you have a new goal?
Frankly no. My goal is to have fun and go as far as possible every time! Each tournament, each match is also decided on luck, so I do not set a particular objective.
What is your greatest pride in this tournament?
I would say that my greatest pride is not having made any mistakes on “the same song”. I already had the handbell record before, but I'm happy with that. Out of the 10 that I sang, I never saw the red light appear and I don't think anyone had done that before! It's nice.
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