“I have just been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the lung. A not very sympathetic tumor, which cannot be operated ”, announced last week on Instagram Florent Pagny. The singer specified having to follow a protocol of six months of chemotherapy and x-rays.
The same day, chance of the calendar, TF1 announced the date of the return of The Voice, February 12, show in which the artist is a coach. The theme of the eleventh season? “And we start another story”… The title of the song by Gérard Blanc interpreted by the four coaches to open the show now resonates differently.
Shows already recorded
If he canceled the tour for his 60th birthday, Florent Pagny indicated in his video message that he will always be present in the red armchair. In fact, the blind auditions were filmed without an audience before the end-of-year holidays, while the filming for the “battles” and “cross battles” took place in January, probably before they were diagnoses the disease.
And then ? Traditionally, the program switches live for the semi-finals and the final, in the spring, when the sexagenarian will be in full treatment. “Florent is a fighter, he will be there”, confided to us this week a close friend of the program, who remains hopeful.
TF1 and ITV Studios are working on the issue. The production of the program told Tele-Leisure that the priority is “Florent’s health”, adding: “For filming, we will organize ourselves with him and communicate at the appropriate time”. If his state of health permits, he may be present in one form or another.
An “exceptional level”
As for the content of the upcoming season, it was partially unveiled during the press presentation on January 20. That day, Florent Pagny, present on the television set alongside Marc Lavoine, Vianney and Amel Bent (with a hell of a round belly at that time), stressed that this new season was still of an “exceptional” level. . “They are so good that even the ones we don’t keep, we cover them with compliments! “, he continued full of enthusiasm about the cross-battles shot the day before. “The voice is like DNA, none are the same,” he added, saying he was “blown away” and adding that he had a lot of 16-year-olds on his team.
Amel Bent, she approached during this press briefing blind auditions. “The first crush is disinterested. The feeling is animal and empathetic. You can’t intellectualize at that time.
Vianney, himself, landed for the first time in the red armchairs in 2021, had asked himself the question: “Was I going to be as happy as last year because I get bored quickly? Wouldn’t this be the season too many? » Answer of the interested party: « No, I am satisfied, I like to accompany artists ». Vianney has also befriended Mentissa, finalist of season 10, with whom he now works.
And Marc Lavoine in all this? The interpreter of She has piercing eyes said he was spoiled. “It is the talents that give us a place in this program by choosing us”.
The quartet seems to like each other. Moreover, this is the first time since season 2 that we find the same team of coaches from one year to the next.
120
The number of talents aged 16 to 71 blind auditioned this year (out of 10,000 applications!). Each coach can only select 14. “No one has met the talent quotas! “, However, Amel Bent confides to us.
Who says new season says novelties… Here is what awaits you for season 11
– Nolwenn Leroy arrives in the program as a surprise coach. “We wanted it to be a surprise for the talents and even for the barely informed coaches,” explains Pascal Guix, the show’s artistic producer. The singer will give a second chance to four talents not selected by the four other coaches during the blind auditions. The “drafted” were not notified until ten days later, the time for the singer to watch the videos – and for the end of the year celebrations to be over. “These are artists that we immediately regretted,” says Amel Bent. “It was nice to see them return to battle and continue to play with us,” says Florent Pagny.
– This season, the “block” button for blind auditions can be used twice by each coach.
– Coaches will be able to steal talents throughout the battles.
– It’s the end of knockouts: the coaches will this year have to face each other directly in the famous and dreaded cross battles.
– The arrival of… “super cross battles”. The talents still in the running will have to face this formidable test a second time. The best of the best…
The Voice, season 11, presented by Nikos Aliagas with coaches Florent Pagny, Amel Bent, Vianney, Marc Lavoine and Nolwenn Leroy, broadcast from Saturday February 12 at 9:10 p.m. on TF1. A program produced by ITV Studios France.
In the second part of the evening, at 11.40 p.m., Nikos Aliagas and the four coaches will debrief the prime time, in an American-style “Late Show”.