It is a service that the coaches of The Voice are not regarding to forget! This Saturday March 19, 2022 during a new session of blind auditions, Louis, a talent from New Caledonia upset the coaches. Resuming For realthe tube of Vianney, the singer in a wheelchair moved the young thirty-something to tears. For Télé-Loisirs, Louis looks back on this extraordinary experience and confides in the drama he experienced a few years ago.
Télé-Loisirs: Coming from New Caledonia to pass the blind auditions of The Voice, it’s a journey. Why did you accept?
Louis : I always wanted to do The Voice. Even before I was in a wheelchair. I did quite a few castings before being selected for the blind auditions. At one point I wanted to quit everything but in the end I persevered and it worked. It’s a hell of a great experience that I’m living right now.
Why did you think of stopping everything?
Compared to what I experienced medically. Health blocked me a lot, prevented me from enjoying my passion, from making music, castings or even concerts. Once recovered, I finally told myself that I wanted to continue and I did.
“After my first operation, I withdrew into myself”
In the show, you do not hide having lived through very difficult times in your life. What happened ?
I was the victim of several herniated discs that I did not treat. I was afraid of operations so I lived with the pain for a very long time. The situation worsened over time. If the first operation allowed me to eliminate the pain, it led me to the armchair. There followed several days of rehabilitation to try to regain walking. Unfortunately, it got complicated, I chained the operations, the rehabilitations but nothing worked.
What has music changed in your life?
Making music allowed me to open up. I am a shy person, withdrawn even. After my first operation, I withdrew into myself. I even had trouble seeing my family and loved ones. I felt trapped, blocked. I felt a lot of embarrassment. The music lightened me up. It allowed me to break down the barriers that I might put on myself.
You are The Voice’s first wheelchair talent. Did you hesitate?
When I was told that I would be the first talent to come in a wheelchair, I was surprised but I didn’t hesitate. My darling pushed me so that I might live this extraordinary adventure. I thank him today.
So how does it feel to be on the stage of The Voice, to see those seats flipped?
It’s stressful, like all castings. In my case, I said to myself ‘Louis, you’ve made this long trip, it’s not to block now’. I had prepared the song well and I wanted to live this moment to the full.
You have decided to take over a title from Vianney. It’s always a risk in The Voice. Why this choice ?
It is true that we had to dare. The first time I heard For real, she made me think regarding my life. I saw myself through the lyrics. I saw my family life with my little darling, in my home. It’s a very beautiful song, the text is strong. I wanted to respect the original but adding my personal touch.
“It was a magical moment to see Vianney’s chair turn around”
Are you proud to have succeeded in turning Vianney around?
It’s a source of pride for me to have made this long journey, to have sung a title that is close to my heart, by an artist that I love very much. I like his universe, his texts, his melodies, his personality.
Amel Bent said you had come “to look for Vianney”. It’s true ?
As Amel Bent said, it is true that by coming to The Voice, I hoped that Vianney would turn around. It was a magical moment to see his chair turn around. It was a lot of emotions. It will remain engraved in me.
We see you moved to tears leaving the stage. What happened ?
Coming to The Voice, I asked myself a lot of questions, I had a lot of doubts. In the end, to see my darling on the screen, to see her proud as she was, it moved me. It was wonderful.
What is your dream by participating in The Voice: to make an album?
Making The Voice is a way to project yourself into this environment. I want to create, collaborate with people from that world. I hope The Voice will help me with this.