A few weeks ago, Angèle was doing the show on the stage of Coachella, in bra and crystal skirt. Here she is this Saturday, May 20 on France 2 against the Papotins, these "atypical journalists" who interview personalities since 1990, and for a few months on television. During these meetings, the rule of the game is simple: "We can say anything to the Papotin, but, above all, anything can happen", as psychologist Julien Bancilhon, editor-in-chief of the paper publication, likes to remind us each time, in front of an Angèle still on the reserve. Somewhat intimidated by the fifty "journalists" with autism spectrum disorder, whom she meets for the very first time. That's the goal. "At Angèle, we see it well, there is a questioning, a certain apprehension at the time of starting the show, observes the producer of the show, Clément Chovin. It is precisely this vertigo of the meeting that we try to preserve as much as possible and it is for this reason that the guest meets the Papotins only at the last minute. "
In video, "Les rencontres du Papotin" with Angèle, the trailer
Behind the scenes of glitter
Drowned in her white sweatshirt flocked with a "love, hate & danger", Angèle barely settles in her seat when the questions are already flowing: "How old are you? When is your birthday? Can I call you by your first name? (...) Are you married? Would you rather I talk to you or want to? What is your last name? Are you French or not?" bombards Arnaud, one of the oldest of the Papotins.
The interrogation continues. "Balance your what, it's an angry song, isn't it? I would have suspected that you would have used it against something harmful: when men are interested in buttocks...", says Etienne. The Belgian's response: "It's a song that makes a serious observation: that women, for a long time and still today, are not respected and that they are not listened to."
There are many people who live badly this job because we are made to believe that it will be eternal
Angèle
On the subject of social networks, and the drift related to it (at the center of his second album released in 2021, Nonante-Cinq), Matthias asks: "Do you feel invaded by your demons that haunt you?" "Yes all the time. What I call my demons are my anxieties, my fears, my insomnia... And as long as we do not look them in the face, we can not really get rid of them, "replies spontaneously the young woman. What does she think about during those long nights? "I think a lot about my job and what it causes me as a mistake or as a hassle: the fear of being published, of being criticized, of being in danger, that my entourage will be affected by my choices, of no longer being inspired... My insomnia is as if all my anxieties are screaming at the same time." Her anxiety, she says, is rooted in overhype. Also in fear of no longer being successful, of returning to anonymity. "I am sometimes afraid that I will be forgotten, that people will lose interest, that they will be missing the point, that I will be cheesy. I'm afraid of getting old, of being ridiculous, of being laughed at. And at the same time, if it ever happens, that's life! You have to accept that everything only lasts a while and that one day I may be cheesy, and it doesn't matter (...) There are many people who live badly this job because we are made to believe that it will be eternal. And sometimes it's just fleeting."
" READ ALSO Angèle : "I look like a little princess who makes politically correct music"
When privacy is stolen
As addictive as it is, fame is not without consequences. The impact on privacy is there, omnipresent. "My personal life, unlike my professional life, I can not always control," admits the multi-awarded singer, who has no less than 3.7 million followers on Instagram. We think of his coming out stolen by Cyril Hanouna in 2019. In his show "Touche pas à mon poste", the host had revealed that Angèle had found love in the arms of the actress Marie Papillon.
"This should no longer be a subject," says the interpreter of Your Queen, an ode to homosexual love, in front of the Papotins. It was difficult because I didn't necessarily want to spread my private life and force her [Marie Papillon, Editor's note], to be exposed. I made the choice to be a singer and accept concessions (...) For some time now, I have been doing everything to protect people who have not asked for anything." For this reason, Angèle kicks in touch when asked if she is now in a relationship. "I learned to keep it a secret." On the other hand, she readily admits to being "pansexual". "I can fall in love with a boy, a girl, a non-binary person, a transgender person. I don't choose who I fall in love with, it's just someone," she sums up. "But why didn't you tell your grandmother right away that you were bisexual?" later asks Rudy. "Already, because I didn't know it right away," the Belgian said. Between what we feel and what we admit to each other, years can pass. I waited until I was 23 to admit to myself that I was really in love with a girl (...) So I wanted it to be a secret. At first, when I was a kid, I didn't necessarily want to dwell on the feelings I had for girls because I felt like it wasn't normal."
Zero tongue of wood
At the end of these three hours of interview without wooden language (only 30 minutes are broadcast on the screen), Angèle comes out moved. Troubled, but serene. "This show questions a lot our relationship to others, to humans," explains producer Clément Chovin. The psychologist Julien Bancilhon, who hosts the show and distributes each of the speeches, abounds: "This is the strength of the Papotins. Since there is no ulterior motive or unhealthy curiosity among them, the guest gradually opens up, as was the case with Angele whom I found intelligent and generous. And finally, although they carry a difference that we spot quite quickly, we perceive a very strong similarity through their exchanges. "