“We are in a parallel universe. “When the group Alvan and Ahez join the journalists after winning, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, Eurovision France, you decide, the quartet finds it hard to realize that they have just won their ticket to the biggest music scene in the world. On May 14, in Turin (Italy), he will defend the tricolor chances with will Fulenna song entirely in Breton.
“It’s a language we’ve been ashamed of for a very long time. Now it’s a real pride to be able to bring it to Eurovision, ”says Marine Lavigne, one of the members of Ahez, who wrote the lyrics. The story of a young woman dancing to her heart’s content in the forest, at night, without worrying about the gaze of others. “’Fulenn’ means ‘spark’ and ‘pretty girl’. It’s fire, passion, dance, celebration,” she explains.
With Sterenn Diridollou and Sterenn Le Guillou, the latter joined electro artist Alexis Morvan, alias Alvan, last summer around a common project, merging their musical influences to celebrate their roots. “My great-grandmother spoke Breton but I don’t speak a bit of it. First I learned the song phonetically, then I learned the meaning. It was the girls who brought this cultural side and gave meaning to Fulenn “says the young man.
“We are going to represent our region, we are going to represent France, it’s just incredible”
“We created this song together, we sent it to the French selection for Eurovision saying to ourselves: ‘Why not? We try.’ And then we go to Turin. We are going to represent our region, we are going to represent France, it’s just incredible, ”slips Sterenn Le Guillou.
The song is came first in the votes of the jury of ten personalities – among them, Cyril Féraud, Nicoletta, André Manoukian, Elodie Gossuin, Agustin Galiana and Jenifer gave her the maximum score – but also from the public. “It was a tidal wave,” says Alexandra Redde-Amiel, director of entertainment at France Télévisions and head of the French delegation to Eurovision.
Alvan and Ahez say they did not expect such unanimity. “We knew that Brittany and regions with a strong identity in France were supporting us. In any case a part, advance Marine Lavigne. We feel a change in mentalities, especially in the jury. These big names in French song and French culture validated this song and gave France the chance to be represented by this language. It’s beautiful. I think we are heading for the best. »
It should be remembered that in our centralized country, the history of the Breton language has not been without clashes or suffering. Between the 19th and the middle of the 20th century, in particular, it was despised, fought against, prevented. In 2018, according to the public office of the Breton languageit had only 225,000 active speakers.
“Showing that Breton has its place in music”
“There are other minority languages in Europe. If there is at least one that can be heard in Turin, it’s incredible, continues Marine Lavigne. I’m happy to carry this message, to show this diversity, this richness, which is not often highlighted. »
“We want this language to live. It’s such a huge victory to be here. It’s magic, ”rejoices, with tears in his eyes, Sterenn Le Guillou, who, like the other two singers from Ahez, spent his schooling in Carhaix (Finistère) in a Diwan school – an establishment where lessons are given. in Breton.
They hope that Eurovision will act as a sounding board. “Our objective, the challenge we wanted to take up by sending this song innocently to the casting, was to show that we can mix Breton with very modern sounds, that it’s a language that has its place in the music, in competitions like that, on television, everywhere, resumes Sterenn Le Guillou. It is a language in its own right. It is a very beautiful language and it is ours. »