Faithful to The voice, you inevitably know the noise that sounds when a coach presses his buzzer so that his chair turns over. This sound effect is added during editing. When filming, the seat swivels discreetly so as not to distract or destabilize the candidate who has come to try his luck. “Usually, the public around the stage applauds, which still gives it an indication,” explains Bruno Berberes, the casting director of the TF1 telecrochet. But like the blind auditions of the eleventh season, to which 20 minutes attended Tuesday, take place without spectators or spectators in bleachers or in a pit, “a lot of talents do not even realize that it is turned around. The health situation in France convinced the production to remain cautious and to establish this quasi-closed session, almost a cocoon.
To access the Lendit studio, in Saint-Denis, (Seine-Saint-Denis), you must show a white leg, or rather health pass and antigen test of less than 48 hours. A handful of candidates, tested positive for Covid-19 before their arrival, will have to wait for a next edition to try their luck. “We feel the pressure of the Omicron variant,” says producer Matthieu Grelier of ITV Studios. We are trying to prepare a space that will be able to entertain the public in early 2022. We are going to need it. Viewers will see something very fresh, almost everything will be broadcast in real time. “
“Florent Pagny opens his chakras”
This year, the filming schedule begins later than usual. Usually, in November, blind auditions are already in the club. This time, they were scheduled at the end of December – they started on Saturday and end on Thursday – in order to allow the coaches, and in particular Vianney and Florent Pagny currently on tour, to be reunited.
This is the first time since season 2 that the same quartet has officiated two seasons in a row. In season 10, the chemistry between Amel Bent, Marc Lavoine, Vianney and Florent Pagny, worked particularly well. “The four of them wanted to be together. It’s like a family coming together, emphasizes Matthieu Grelier. There, they surprise, they try to find other talents. Amel Bent, for example, turns to rock and pop. Florent opens his chakras. “
Without an audience to observe them, the coaches have the debate or the chambering easy, whether the cameras are rolling or not. “Vianney and Marc Lavoine really met last season and their bond is evolving this year,” notes the producer. Amel Bent fights gently with the former to have the last word on a song by Ben Mazué that she would dream of proposing to the battles. Each moment of pause is a small theater where the repartees fuse. Like that stolen moment when the interpreter of My philosophy is reluctant to the idea of a spiritualism session to communicate with Dalida. Pagny replies: “Where she is, we all go.” And that seems to be good: no one has ever come back. “Vianney raises with:” Yes: Jesus! The arrival of a new talent on stage cuts short the mystico-theological debate.
More French musicians and songs
125 candidates passed the stages until these blind auditions. “People think we pick a lot of pros. It’s wrong. This year, we don’t have more than twenty. The others have very varied professions: farmer, business manager … “” We have more musicians than usual, slips Olivier Schulteis, the musical director of the show, quickly crossed behind the scenes. The younger generation is more musician. We are seeing more and more talents who are not just performers. “Matthieu Grelier, he notes a strong comeback of French song. “We are leaving the usual French-speaking repertoire,” he explains. There has been a revival in recent years thanks to Pomme, Clara Luciani, Juliette Armanet, Julien Doré, Louane or Orelsan… ”And this is reflected in the choice of titles.
This Tuesday, Vianney was the one with the least stocked team. “The duty of honesty sometimes costs us,” he says to a singer who has not convinced him. You went strong on this song, it bothers me. The coach confided a little earlier to his acolytes that he intended to turn around only if he is fully enthusiastic about a voice. We sometimes see him hesitate. Then bite her fingers for not looking back. What to question its strategy? Answer soon on TF1.