A few hours before the first prime broadcast on TF1 on Saturday, the identities of the academicians were revealed. While we expected to have several Belgian candidates, there is ultimately only one and it is a female candidate. This one comes from Namur and is called Maylis. Aged 23, she has the formidable task of succeeding Héléna, which is no easy task given the aura of the latter since her appearance on the TF1 show.
“She sends serious”
During the prime, Maylis didn’t get her solo moment like most of the other participants. Internet users were quick to point out that Héléna had also shared a first title with Pierre Garnier during the first bonus of the previous season.
Maylis sang, with the sparkling and sunny Ebony, the hit “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Belgian fans can breathe: with her charming accent and her taste for electro, the Namuroise has already melted hearts. On X (formerly Twitter), the comments poured out: “Incredible”, “She sends serious”. However, in our eyes, her performance was eclipsed by that of Ebony.
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However, be careful of the competition which is not left out. Notably Ullyse who made everyone melt with… her grandma Georgette, mascot of the season, before performing “La symphonie des éclairs” by Zaho de Sagazan. Masseo also made a strong impression with his energetic cover of “Beggin” by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons brought up to date by the crazy Maneskin, winners of Eurovision in 2021.
A middle finger live
Maïa, with her broken but powerful voice, also set the bar high by covering “Nightcall”, Kavinsky’s hit performed by Angèle during the closing ceremony of the Paris Games. As for Maureen, a fan of Grégory Lemarchal, she received praise from Internet users after tackling “All the cries, the SOS”. It’s also our favorite at the end of this first bonus, with Maïa and Franck who covered “Ne partez pas sans moi” by Céline Dion.
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In short, there is competition. The level of the academicians is already quite high and the evening took place without (too many) false notes. All this bodes well for a first-rate edition, despite a few “technical” hiccups. Notably Nikos Aliagas who confused the anthem of season 10 with that of the last promotion, and especially the middle finger of the Belgian candidate live from the bus en route to the castle of Dammarie-les-Lys. A moment that the presenter preferred to ignore despite a small smile betraying his reaction.
Promising talents, moments of emotion, a few rather nice little hiccups, the tone is set for a season which promises to be anything but a repeat of the previous one.
“All my love, all my strength”
Before the start of the new season, Héléna Bailly spoke to the new academicians. “I just wanted to tell you to be kind […] to leave room for others”, she wrote on Instagram while sending them “all my love, all my strength and support.” Then she addressed the fans of the show: “Don’t comment negatively.”
