“Children, eat well, go to bed early but above all, express yourself”»

The Olympic Video games are nonetheless a great distance off, however 2023 has already discovered its athlete: Zaho de Sagazan, a 23-year-old musician propelled on the roads of France for the reason that launch of her first album, The symphony of lightningin spring. A disk of song French girl whose coronary heart beats as a lot to the rhythm of classy Berlin techno as to the colourful phrasing, each critical and typically grating, of its creator impressed by Brel or Barbaric. Good for the stage, the place Zaho de Sagazan, platinum hair, bike owner and outsized jacket, provides free rein to his freedom of motion.

From small venues to stadiums, from showcases to festivals, La Nazairienne performs live shows all summer season lengthy, with a gluttony and an enthusiasm that stands the take a look at of all sleepless nights. Interview on the stage, between two summer season dates, earlier than a primary consecration to OlympiaNovember four, and two Zénith subsequent 12 months, March 11 in Nantes and March 13 in Paris.

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Discover his place

Madame Figaro .- You lead an intensive tour, typically 5 dates per week. How are you maintaining thus far?
Zaho of Sagazan.- Every thing goes very effectively, it’s particularly the others who fear about me! The extra time passes, the extra I understand that I’m in the correct place and that my persona lends itself to it. I am not uncomfortable in a gaggle, quite the opposite. I do not want loads of privateness, I do not actually like being alone, besides on the piano. I really like working, I really like being drained and telling myself that I nonetheless need to go. It is in all probability not for everybody, but it surely’s made for me.

Do you’re taking care to spare your self moments of respiration?
It is one thing I am beginning to concentrate to. I’ve at all times favored working at evening: I wish to spend my day surrounded by individuals, however from midnight, I retire and I can keep up till four:30 within the morning, dreaming. I dream quite a bit, I believe it is the guts of my job, to think about issues. And I discover that you simply do it higher at evening: all my life, then, I’ve allowed myself to not sleep a lot; one thing you possibly can’t do over time, particularly if you play 5 nights per week. It is an athlete’s job, and I am beginning to understand that. Particularly for the Zeniths, for which I actually need to be as much as it, to run on stage, to placed on essentially the most lovely present potential.

Learn additionallyZaho de Sagazan: “I did not decide to be an artist, this choice was imposed on me”

Do you’ve the stage fright earlier than happening stage?
I am not a very harassed artist. Typically I really feel like I am by no means going to final an hour and a half in entrance of everybody, however from the primary music, the vitality is so nice that the adrenaline carries me. I do not need to lack humility, however I do not really feel impostor syndrome. On stage, I do not surprise what I am doing there, I do know that I need to give it my all. The persons are extraordinarily good and I simply need to be beneficiant to them. My solely stress shouldn’t be being thorough sufficient: I do not need to disappoint anybody.

Huge household

The place does this ease on stage come from?
I used to be born right into a household the place expressing oneself was the idea of all the pieces (Zaho de Sagazan is the daughter of a trainer mom and Olivier de Sagazan, visible artist and performer, editor’s observe). I’ve lengthy thought that this was the case for the remainder of the world’s inhabitants when the truth is, in no way. I grew up in a household of 5 ladies, all very brilliant, very expressive. With us, it has at all times been regular to present your opinion, you even needed to have one. This was a part of the principles of our training: “Kids, eat effectively, go to mattress early however above all, categorical your self”. Furthermore, with my twin sister, we have been the final two kids; little dolls for our three large sisters, who might ask us something: to placed on a parade, participate in a brief movie… We shot 1000’s of movies wherein I performed the function of Prince Charming!

Typically I battle to seek out the phrases. Conversely, I’ve loads of time to seek out them once I write a music. Once I understood it, it fully revolutionized my approach of speaking.

Zaho of Sagazan

Was it typically troublesome to be heard, amongst all these voices?
There have been positively downsides. In the course of 5 individuals, you do not have loads of talking time and you may’t at all times be listened to. So you need to know the right way to categorical your self effectively. For a very long time, I believed that I used to be not able to it as a result of my sisters are older: I considered myself on the similar degree as them, with out being conscious that with typically ten years youthful, I essentially had much less vocabulary. However it additionally has to do with the truth that, like every very intense and really delicate particular person, it was effervescent in my head. Typically I battle to seek out the phrases. Conversely, I’ve loads of time to seek out them once I write a music. Once I understood it, it fully revolutionized the best way I talk.

dancing queen

And what are physique and motion vital technique of expression for you?
Within the dancethere’s something very beneficiant, much less solitary than in music the place you’re typically in your bubble, behind your piano. In fact you possibly can dance alone, however there’s a sharing that’s created immediately, like a dialog. We aren’t at all times used to it: everybody listens to music, however not everybody goes to see dance. It is a self-discipline that I solely found in comfortable conditions: in hip-hop classes in Saint-Nazaire or courses with my girlfriends. It was not a query of expressing one’s discomfort however of having fun with, of giving all the pieces, of being free and of being absolutely oneself. It is one thing that I saved on stage.

Like a spot the place shamelessness is allowed…
Sure. I’m very modest and shy in life generally: for instance, I’m unable to ask somebody on the street for a lighter, it scares me. However on stage, I’ve no drawback calling individuals out, taking somebody aside from the viewers. As a result of it is my job, and he permits me to.

Complete publicity

What’s innate and purchased in your live shows? What did you’re employed on, and depart uncooked?
What I’ve labored on, and what I’m nonetheless engaged on, is “letting go”: at every live performance, I’ve to repeat myself not to have a look at myself. I am additionally studying to bop higher, I am not at my greatest: after live shows, I typically dance for an hour alone in my room, to come back again down, it is a second that I really like. And I am fortunate to have a choreographer large sister (Lorraine of Sagazan , editor’s observe), which evokes me enormously. As for what I saved: At first, I assumed I wasn’t “mysterious” sufficient for the job. I am an open guide: between songs, once I’ve simply carried out a fairly unhappy piece, I change into fully regular once more, I discuss, I make jokes. However I understood fairly shortly that seeing somebody honest is one thing that the general public likes. I do not essentially need to change into an icon, out of attain. However fairly to say “Look, I’m very human”.

Learn additionallyZaho de Sagazan, Jeanne Herry, Nakache and Toledano: the Twin Sisters Festival passes the third

Occurring stage additionally means exposing your self to the gaze. How do you relate to your picture?
I take a look at myself approach an excessive amount of. And I believe we’re many ladies, but in addition males, on this case. I’ve loads of bother with my picture, however I believe I am studying, little by little: I am unable to management the 50 tales that individuals will make of me on social networks, after a live performance. However I’ve loads of bother with my physique: for a very long time, I discovered myself too spherical and I assumed I used to be the alternative of femininity. Me, I like everybody, I like ladies quite a bit, I like boys quite a bit. With ladies, I really feel attractive, myself. However it’s way more troublesome with boys as a result of there’s this barrier, this concept of ​​femininity that we have now internalized quite a bit and wherein I don’t acknowledge myself in any respect. I am not delicate: I discuss loudly, I snort loudly, I’ve a deep voice, I am plump and I haven’t got breasts. When I’ve a crush within the room, and it occurs usually, I inform myself that it isn’t proper, that I am humorous however that I do not know the right way to seduce. However I believe the primary factor in life is to pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses, to not spend your time making an attempt to compensate for the previous, and to focus in your strengths. On stage, what’s nice is that I permit my forces to be at their fullest, on a regular basis. It may deliver out my weaknesses, it is paradoxical. However I consider that the general public brings me again to my strengths, that they like to listen to me scream, to see me say “Fuck you, disappointment!”. I cannot be the female, fragile lady that I’d have favored to be. I could also be a robust girl and that is already superb.