Sometimes life stories particularly touch you. This is the case of Eva, 13 years old, from Saint-Genest-Malifaux (Loire). His passion is singing. This is also what allowed him to fight all the battles that his young age has already presented him with. So when she walks on stage France has an unbelievable talent, it’s to make your dream come true, but also to send a message. Does not insist, she sings. In his mouth, the title of Camille Lellouche takes on its full meaning. She who found herself paraplegic at the age of 6following a surgical procedure, spent months, years, in rehabilitation. Today she walk again using a cane. In the interview we had with her, she tells us all this. And also what drives him, more than anything else: singing.
Current Woman: Your participation is a little special since you had the surprise of going on stage when you came to watch the show in the audience. Did you expect that?
Eva: No, I absolutely didn’t expect it. It’s true that my parents, I don’t know how they managed to organize this surprise so well. It fell during the summer holidays, they hid well, so I saw absolutely nothing.
FA: What feeling went through you at that moment? It must have been something to find you there, in front of the cameras?
E.: It was obviously very special. Already being on TV, knowing that there would be a broadcast that would be made. But it’s true that at that moment, I was very happy to be on TV, and then also a little stressed, since, as it was a surprise, I was able to work on the song very little. So, it put a little pressure on me, but at the same time I said to myself “it’s your moment, make the most of it!”
“She said yes, but not because I had a disability”
FA: What memories do you have of your time on the stage of France has an unbelievable talent ?
E.: I have very good memories of it. I also remember that even if we don’t see all the people who work upstream to make the show happen, everyone was very nice. So I have very good memories of it. Even though I was able to work on the song very little, I was still happy with what I did.
FA: Among the jury’s remarks, which struck you the most?
E.: I would say it’s Hélène Ségara. In my daily life, when I do a lot of artistic things, I am often reduced to my disability, I am told that I was lucky because I am disabled. And there, Hélène Ségara made it clear that she had said yes, but not because I had a disability, but because she found that what I had done was rather good. It’s always nice to be told that the work paid off and that our performance was good.
“I wanted to send a message”
FA: Your performance left an impression on the viewers. How do you feel about having an impact on so many people?
E.: I am very happy. During the show, I also wanted to send a message and I am delighted that it will be broadcast on television, because that is the only way for the message to get across.
FA: You have been singing for a very long time, and you yourself say that music has been a real refuge in your life. Where does this passion for singing come from?
E.: In fact, I had a surgical accident in 2016, so when I was 6 years old. And I was in rehabilitation for 5 months. During these 5 months, the hospital organized a Christmas party and different people came to sing. At that time, I was with a friend in the hospital and we had the same favorite artist in common. So, we decided to perform one of this artist’s hits, and I think that was what clicked in my head. I said to myself “this is what I like to do, this is what I need to have a lot more energy in my rehabilitation.”
“It makes me unique and today I couldn’t see myself living without it”
FA: Do you want to make it your career or does singing remain a hobby, a passion?
E.: Obviously, I think that, like all people who sing, I would like to make it my career. I would be ready to surpass myself to the point of being a singer and perhaps performing in Zenith. But I also know that there is nothing without nothing, so that’s not why I work a lot, not only the singing but also the technique behind it. It’s less fun, because it’s not necessarily what we’re looking for in singing, but I know that in any case, if I want to achieve this ultimate dream, I have to go through that.
FA: You spoke about your journey on the stage of France has an unbelievable talent, from the operation, paraplegia… Few people your age have experienced that. Today, how do you view the challenges you went through?
E.: I am very happy to have gotten this far. I tell myself that if this surgical accident happened, it was not for nothing. There are always signs in life and maybe if it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have done France has an unbelievable talent, I might not have found this passion for singing. Sometimes I tell myself that maybe I’m happy to have that, because it makes me unique and today I couldn’t see myself living without it.
“I was made fun of a lot”
FA: By sharing your story with viewers of France has an unbelievable talentdid you also want to show people that our weaknesses can become a real strength?
E.: Yes, it’s a message that I intend to convey because although I have a disability, there are many other little girls or boys, or even adults who have a weakness, and I think that we all need to have a role model. My model is Grand Corps Malade. I tell myself that he does Zenith and yet he has a cane, and so do I. So I tell myself that it’s not impossible. If I can serve as a model of strength for people who are in weakness, I would. I find it super important to have someone who can give us strength, it’s incredible I think.
FA: Are you out of trouble today? What does your daily life look like?
E.: Today, we have reduced re-education a lot, because, like the message I wanted to convey in France has an unbelievable talent, I was a little fed up. So we reduced the rehabilitation, but I continue to see the doctors several times a year to make sure everything is going well.
FA: Have you ever been made fun of by your classmates because of your disability?
E.: I suffered from it when I was in CM2. I had just participated in Don’t forget the words, so it was my first experience in the professional world, if you like. I was made fun of a lot for the fact that I sang and that it was thanks to my disability that I managed to do the show. Obviously, today, I’ve grown up, I still get teased, but I manage to get past it, but when you’re in CM2, it’s much more complicated.
“It was a magical moment that all three of us experienced”
FA: We see that your parents are extremely moved by your journey and proud of you. How did they experience this extraordinary experience?
E.: They experienced it very well. We talked about it a lot afterwards, since with the surprise we couldn’t plan in advance. They were very happy that I didn’t guess anything too, because it put a lot of pressure on them. It was a magical moment that all three of us experienced, and my two sisters will also experience it through TV, and through everything we said to them following the recording of the show.
FA: And did you tell your school friends that you had participated in France has an unbelievable talent ?
E.: I told them, yes, as soon as I had the right. When I told them, the first thing they did was take out their diaries to write down the date and time, and they went to all the teachers to tell them. It was pretty funny though.
FA: Eva, what are your dreams today?
E.: Today, my dreams are to one day be able to do a performance, a somewhat American show, therefore with dance, etc. Today I’m working a lot on my body, because with my leg, for the moment, it’s quite complicated to dance. But I’m doing everything to get there! And also realize my dream of going abroad for a year, to Greece or Japan. I like these two countries.