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InterviewAnne Sila: “It would be great one day to participate in Eurovision”
His breathtaking voice will resonate at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne on Thursday, December 15. Phone call to the winner of “The Voice All Stars”.
Anne Sila released a cover album, “Madeleines,” on November 25, 2022.
© Boby Allin
Each of his performances is breathtaking. Anne Sila masters her voice to perfection and will prove it on Thursday December 15 at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne. This is the penultimate concert of the winner of “The Voice All Stars” tour in 2021. “We will have to expect everything,” she tells us by telephone. The 32-year-old artist will take the opportunity to play excerpts from her “Madeleines” disc released last month, where she covers French variety hits. An idea that came to him following his second participation in the tele-hook of TF1.
“Madeleines”, the title of your album, does it refer to Proust’s madeleines?
Correct, but not only. My maternal grandmother was also called Madeleine. She made me discover some songs that I put on the disc and I wanted to wink at her. I was lucky to have parents who listened to a lot of music, especially the radio. I loved memorizing the pieces and learning them.
Do we find your first musical memory in this disc?
No. My first memory was Barbara… And the cello! I learned to play this instrument very young. On this disc, I especially wanted to put very popular songs.
How did you come up with the idea of a record of French variety hits?
It is following my cover of “I come to get you” by Gilbert Bécaud during my audition at “The Voice All Stars”. A lot of young people said to me: “Your song is superb.” I told them it wasn’t mine. If several people had missed this title, it meant that there were plenty of other nuggets that they must not have heard.
“At 14, I listened to Hervé Vilard when everyone swore by Metallica”
We find Joe Dassin, Dalida, Renaud or even Hervé Vilard on this disc.
I opened for Hervé Vilard when I was 14. A friend of the family was presenting the show and he suggested that I sing at the beginning. It made a big impression on me. I then started listening to his discography when everyone was swearing by Metallica. (Laughs.)
At 14, was it your first time on stage?
No. I had sung earlier at the Music Festival in front of forty people. I felt like I had done Bercy (Laughs.) I had taken over “I would have liked to tell you” by Caroline Legrand – I precisely selected her for this album. The show with Hervé Vilard was the first time I was in a concert hall. There were just over 1000 people. I had been very scared.
You cover “The Singer” by Daniel Balavoine, a title that should not be in the setlist.
Yes. I interpreted it in “The secret box” to surprise Pierre Palmade. The album was already in production and the song was not part of my madeleines. During the filming of the show, Pierre said that it was a title he often listened to and that one day it had clicked. He understood its meaning. I was backstage during these explanations and I don’t know what happened… I understood. During the interpretation, I was very touched and it must have felt. At the end of the show, several people asked me if I was covering “The Singer” in my album. The rest of the story, you know it.
In your references, you often quote Celine Dion. Why isn’t it on this disc?
Because I perform much older songs. To be honest, when I was thinking regarding this project, I almost recorded an entire album with Celine Dion covers. I gave up, because I said to myself that his music is still very modern. If you want to listen to Céline, you have to listen to Céline and nobody else.
You won “The Voice All Stars” a year ago. Wanted to win more than anything?
No way. My victory was to be able to resume the music in a more peaceful way. When the production called me, we were in full confinement. I had a lot of doubts regarding whether or not to continue my career. I no longer knew if it was what I wanted to do and I was under a lot of pressure. I only felt the stress of the job and no longer the pleasure of the music. At first I declined the invitation. After reflection, I said to myself that it would perhaps be a beautiful new chapter that was going to be written.
The Swiss Romand Gjon’s tears had gone to the semi-finals. Were you close?
I love it! Really. He has a lot of talent, and I don’t say that to please him. He has things to say and he does it in such an original way. The music needs him. He also made me laugh a lot. I got on really well with him from the start. When we were all together at the hotel, we had cocooning and mask evenings. It remains very good memories.
You have to expect everything when I come to Lausanne. It goes a bit like a rock concert.
You excel in music shows, would Eurovision tempt you?
I love that. I really have this love of adrenaline and performance culture. Having two minutes to convince someone, I have a real passion for these occasions. But it takes a lot of work. It would be great to do Eurovision one day. You just need to have a good song.
What can you tell us regarding your concert at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne on December 15th?
You have to expect everything. We’re having a blast, it’s the last week of the tour, we’re ending in Paris, at the Trianon, on December 18. We discover each other on stage, we laugh, we go into the audience… It’s a bit like a rock concert. Our goal is not to play the titles one following the other, but to have fun on stage for two hours.
