With his 15 million subscribers, he is the most followed youtuber in France ahead of Cyprien and Norman.
Lucas Hauchard, alias Squeezie, receives us, blue cap on his head and tattoos on his arms, in a hotel in the 9th arrondissement.
The 24-year-old, laughing blue eyes and submachine gun delivery, takes a look behind the scenes of his first urban pop album, “Oxyz”, which comes out this Friday.
Since when do you want to start in music?
SQUEEZIE.
When I was younger, I didn't have that idea in mind.
The first video that exploded on my channel was a parody of
J'aime les uches
by Max Boublil.
But last year's fake hits contest on my channel was the trigger.
And I can't wait to get on stage!
It was one of the reasons for this project.
The YouTube video where you tell the genesis of your album begins with… sniper fire.
I know people are going to steer clear.
It's a natural reaction.
Some are afraid that I will deny my Youtuber side.
I was apprehensive, but the reception was more positive than I imagined.
I wanted to tell everything without hiding anything and I found it funny to illustrate this project with snipers waiting for me around the corner.
But… I sleep well at night (
laughs
).
Are you going to continue your YouTube channel?
Of course !
There will be the same number of videos as before.
During my tour, I will do others to tell behind the scenes.
This was also the condition.
It was out of the question to jeopardize the chain.
If I stopped, I would be bored.
Did you know how to sing?
I took lessons!
It's a new experience and you feel lousy… The teachers aren't kidding!
While listening to the first version of the album, the label manager told me that my voice was wrong.
I thought he was being honest.
It encouraged me to go to Japan to isolate myself and rework the album.
Even if today there are tools to modify the voice, it was important for me to know how to handle my vocalizations at least.
But beware, I stay far from an Angela ...
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The style, an urban pop, was it obvious?
At the beginning, I had planned reggaeton songs!
Making a reggaeton sound is funny, but making a whole album out of it was not a good idea (
laughs
).
I prefer to tell myself it sucks at the time than at the end.
It was my dread.
I took this album very seriously.
And today, this style suits me.
In your clips, we see you in the evening with alcohol.
An image less smooth than in your videos, right?
Yes !
In my songs, it's really Squeezie, the guy who makes videos, who tells other things.
For my clothing brand Yoko, it was different.
I had chosen to move away from my image as a YouTuber.
Is this album more personal than the videos?
Yes.
Rapper Oli, with whom I shot a video
,
told me
tells
me
things that suit you
.
It was the best advice to follow.
And it's easier to talk about yourself in music than in person in a video.
I had touched on personal subjects in some but never so deeply.
There, I approached loneliness, sensitivity to criticism… It was violent being at 15 suddenly in the spotlight.
Moreover, few people are in this advantageous position of YouTuber so we say to ourselves: am I worthy of it?
We put pressure on ourselves.
I also talk about it in this album.
Finally, in the song
Tout
, I externalize a hell of a thing because I approach my relationship with my mother.
It is by far the most intimate.
Finally, I exteriorized a lot of things.
It was kind of therapy.
LP / Arnaud Journois
What do you say to those who say that it's easier for a YouTuber to get started in music?
They are absolutely right!
I work with knowledgeable people, so the progression is faster.
And that's unfair to a talented guy who's been trying his luck for six years but just can't make it through.
I have rare opportunities so I take them.
When you propose a feat to Nemir or Gambi, are you afraid of their reaction?
Of course !
At the time, I had no idea how artists worked.
It's like when you change college during the year, you're lost (
laughs
).
Frankly, I expected Gambi to tell me no and I wasn't going to take it the wrong way.
So when he accepted it gave me crazy strength.
He liked my music!
Today, YouTubers try their hand on stage, in television shows… Are there no more borders?
Before, we stayed in our corner and were afraid of the outside eyes.
We also had little esteem for what we did.
Ten years ago, some people looked down on us.
They were like,
but are they paid to play video games?
Today, the public is more open.
We also exude a sympathetic image and we have an incredible privileged status.
We do what we love and this allows us to be financially comfortable ... It will quickly gain confidence.
It is my dread to forget this chance.
I want to keep my feet on the ground.
But if a YouTuber is on TV, he must appeal to people who are older.
They don't necessarily know him.
It is a difficult walk.
And the other way around, it's the same.
Is it hard to grow old when you're a YouTuber?
Since I started at 15, I evolved naturally at 24.
Now I may have reached my maximum renewal (
laughs
).
I land on NRJ radio from September 28 for two weeks but I have no ambition to do so over time.
Maybe one day I would go to television, I don't know… Desires change over time.
Are
you planning a second album
?
It is not success that will result in a sequel but rather if I think I can do better.
In this case, maybe.
With "Oxyz", the youtubeur lifts the veil
Far from his image as a YouTuber where he is always smiling, Squeezie lifts the veil on other less smooth facets of his personality in this album with sometimes melancholy and sometimes heady tones.
Without doing too much in terms of the voice, he manages to seduce with his universe of urban pop which is all his own.
We particularly appreciate the musical collaborations like "Cheetah" in duet with Nemir with intoxicating sounds but also the excellent "Servis" with Gambi.
As a whole, the record suffers from a certain monotony, even if we like the way it has to lay bare in certain titles like “Tout” or the very successful “Loin”, a sincerity which gives them a different dimension.
“All I can do is love you and drown your mistakes in the past […] I don't want to end your neuroses,” he hums in the song about his relationship with his mother.
One of the strongest on the album.
“Oxyz”
, released September 25.
EDITOR'S RATING: 3/5