Her 60-year career, the disco queen is celebrating with an anniversary tour and the release of a new best of*. Confidences of an eternal passionate.
Sixty years of career, what effect does it have on you?
SHEILA:It’s confusing, I haven’t seen the years go by. But I don’t take them as such. It’s sixty years of love with people. We lived an incredible story. We grew up, had children, loved, cried, divorced together.
Your first record was released when you were 17, in 1962. What memories do you have of your debut?
It was crazy stuff! I auditioned and eight days later I was in a recording studio trying out my voice and discovering it for the first time. I found it horribly sharp, it was unbearable. And then I found myself on television singing Sheila. Everything happened so fast! I didn’t really realize.
What would you say today to the Sheila of yé-yé, with hindsight?
Congratulation ! I would tell him that I held up well despite my hectic life. I am an artist and I love it so much that I manage to overcome things that any human being could not overcome. I am bound by a respect for this profession, for people, and a desire to do well.
You have indeed faced hardships, such as the loss of your son Ludovic (who died in 2017 at the age of 42 from a drug overdose). How do you recover from such a tragedy?
It is not surmountable. Either we walk or we die. Me, I try to walk. I am supported by the group of musicians H-Taag, who I work with and who are great boys. They carried me at the time of the tragedy. Through my songs, my writings, my life, I comfort other mothers who, like me, have lost a child. I stand for Ludo. My son, he is in my house, he is there. I am talking to him.
What will your show look like for this anniversary tour?
It’s a show that’s going to be long, around 2.5 hours, because even when sorting, there are a lot of unmissable titles. Some will be re-orchestrated. bang bang,for example, that I sing for the thousandth time, will be treated differently. And then there will be new ones, those from my album come from elsewhere, which I have never sung on stage. I tried to put my heart into it, as usual. For the outfits, I worked with a seamstress. They are both chic and a little crazy!
How are you preparing for this show?
I talk like a sportswoman! But I have to be careful, I had surgery only eight months ago on the neck of the femur. I rehearse my songs, I work on my memory to know everything by heart. And I pray in the morning hoping that I’m fine. It’s like marathons, you have to keep going.
Where does your freedom of tone and speech come from?
It’s my temperament, I’m like that. I believe that there is nothing better than the truth in life. I hate tackling. And with age, it doesn’t get any better, I don’t make a lot of effort anymore! (Laughs.)
*Best of 60e anniversary (Warner Music France) in digital and four physical editions (single CD, 3 CD, Double black vinyl, Double vinyl DtoC).
Find all the dates of her event tour on her official website: www.sheilaofficiel.com
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