Alice on the Roof, who has just signed her first contract with a French label: sooner or later (Yael Naim, Mentissa, Ben Howard, Vianney, Cats On Trees, etc.) and releases her new single Change My World this September 22 . (ahead of an album in 2024 in The Girl in The Mirror mode), she assures Alice Dutoit that she is. “Spoiler alert! He had at least one or two talents, I can’t say more, he smiles. It was a very, very nice experience, especially because it was the children’s version. I, children, like them. I have a contact pretty easy. I studied to be a teacher before becoming a singer. This show confirmed to me again that, really, these little things are very endearing. And, in this case, I promise you, they are super talented!
And you also had a foolproof technique to attract them to your team!
“Yes… when I saw the others, their arguments and their exceptional speeches, I quickly understood that I was going to have to find tricks and put all the opportunities on my side. In particular, I had this (points to a jar of candy, editor’s note) and it, I swear, saved my life! I cried. I was afraid it would sound a bit like Marc Dutroux (laughs) but no, it was very good. And it was very well received on television. The children fell in love!”
Black M: “My goal is to go to The Voice Kids France”
Was everything allowed between coaches?
“Well, I mean, I had prepared myself psychologically for the idea of having to betray some of them. Especially Mateo. He is my great friend, I love him, he is good. He is almost my spiritual teacher. We made music together, so I knew we were probably going to be back and forth at the same time for a long time. That’s the game. So I had to turn against my good spiritual teacher, my Obi-Wan, and do an Anakin and sometimes fall to the dark side. I attacked him, I counterattacked him from the front, from behind. I also attacked him because of his age… Am I proud of it? No. If you had to do it again, would you do it? Yes (smiles)!”
“I was afraid that these sweets would look a bit like Marc Dutroux (laughs) but no, they went down very well on television”
How does it feel to be on the other side of the barrier?
”The first hour of Blind was very strange because I really empathized with the person who was on stage. Additionally, we can hear the small breaths. We perceive that the person is simply hyperanxious. And he was very afraid of having what I call acute buzotonitis, that is, an uncontrollable desire to buzz all the time. Because I know very well what it’s like to be on the other side. And wait with all your might for one of the chairs to turn. For me it was an ordeal not to go sometimes…”
Did you get the tissues out?
“I didn’t have any tissues, so it just came out. I cry all the time. I would like to have toilet paper as earrings, I saw that on the internet. I’m going to find out because it would be very useful to me (smiles)!”
What type of talent were you looking for?
”I dreamed of having a son with an eye patch. That way, I find them cute. But well, there weren’t any. They were all within sight of him. But what she was really looking for in this exhibition was to have natural children, paint nature and be spontaneous. And I got my share. I fought with all my heart for this because I really wanted to spend time with these kids. I love that the kids aren’t done. Their brain is still under construction, so there are many codes they don’t have. And I thought it was wonderful to play with that on the show.”
Alice in Wonderland for children
What kind of advice would you have liked to have received when you were a child?
”Our mission as a coach is wonderful because its main quality is to give confidence to the child. For me, the main mission is for the child to emerge from the show as an adult and no longer afraid. Passing a math test is nothing. It’s a piece of cake. So I spent a lot of time being that little voice that whispers in the child’s ear to encourage him. And I enjoyed doing it because, ultimately, that’s what I learned from the program. My coach, Natasha St-Pier at the time, had just reassured me enormously that what she was doing was good: ‘you sing well, that’s better, but do it to the fullest.’ And that’s what I tried to do with the children. I hope it worked.”
Before you start writing for them?
”Yes, and it also makes you want… to be a mother. No, I can’t say that because I can’t afford it financially. No, but it reinforced my idea that children are wonderful!
“If you come to my team, you will receive a candy”: we saw the first Blind candy from The Voice Kids Belgium 2
And is it easy to keep your inner child in this environment?
“Well, I loved doing this show. Especially because it’s a constant ping-pong. He really wanted to see the boy face to face, not gag him, it would be a shame. And I came out of there with tons of ideas for my own concerts. We must preserve the soul of a child when we are artists, it would even be a shame to deprive ourselves of it. The scene is made to give existence because they are things that do not exist in real life. And that’s what I like to do anyway.”
