Beige hat with a wide brim on his head, denim shirt and acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder,
Clément Serra
arrived on the stage of
“The Voice”
with his look as a folk and country singer.
To everyone's surprise, the 27-year-old Girondin sang a soft cover of
YMCA
, a cult song by the Village People in the 1970s, far from the disco tones of the original version.
To discover
TV tonight: our selection of the day
A school teacher for four years, Clément Serra saw the red armchairs of Vianney, Zazie, Mika and Bigflo and Oli turn around during his blind audition.
It is with the latter that the young artist chose to continue his path in the singing competition produced by ITV Studios France for TF1.
Also read “The Voice”, his fatherhood, his withdrawal from the stage, his relationship with the star system... Vianney's rare confidences
LE FIGARO. - How did the idea for this very original cover of the Village People's
YMCA
come about ?
Clément SERRA.
-
I've been singing it this way for a very long time.
The musicians of “The Voice” improved the arrangements and made it even better.
A few years ago, I had this desire to cover slightly unexpected titles to readapt them in my own way in guitar vocals.
In the original version of
YMCA
, we tend to remember the choreography and I wanted to highlight the text more.
How did you end up on “The Voice”?
In 2018, Charles Yavo, one of the show's casters, contacted me on Instagram and he came to see me at Sherlock Holmes in Bordeaux, a bar where I play very often.
I came to Paris to take the casting but it didn't work.
I tried my luck again in 2022 without further success.
And a year later, I was taken.
What changed to make it work this year?
I suffered a professional burnout, I was on sick leave for three months and it was music that helped me get my head out of the water.
This period has changed the way I sing, I share more what I feel deep inside and I transmit emotions.
“My experience in “Nouvelle Star” was quite violent”
Clement Serra
Before “The Voice”, you tried the auditions for “Nouvelle Star”…
I never appeared on television with “Nouvelle Star” where the castings were much more intense than those for “The Voice”.
I went before a small pre-selection jury, it was quite violent and it wasn't a very good experience.
I was still young, only 16 or 17 years old.
It gave me a shock.
It took you several years before trying again for a talent show casting...
Yes, thanks to Charles Yavo who came to offer it to me.
This year, I was also contacted by the “Star Academy” teams and I passed the castings at the TF1 atrium in front of Michaël Goldman’s teams.
I was not selected but I succeeded in “The Voice” which had been a goal for several years.
During your blind audition, you seem to never open your eyes...
I'm waiting to see it again on television because I don't remember it anymore.
With the adrenaline, it's difficult to remember the details of the performance, it's like a blackout.
I know I closed my eyes to stay in the emotion but I saw each chair turn around.
I was in a state of mind of sharing my music, without thinking about the issues.
“This coincidence with Bigflo and Oli has finally convinced me”
Clement Serra
Vianney questioned your guitar and your hat, what did you think?
I've been wearing the hat on stage for a little over a year, a friend of mine from the southwest makes them and I like to showcase his work (milohats.com).
It's an accessory that I love to wear and which is linked to the music I like to listen to: folk, country and Australian music.
Two of my best musician friends, Franck and Damien, also wear these hats and gave me a taste for it.
But I didn't expect it to get talked about so much on “The Voice”!
(Laughs.) As for the guitar, it's true that we tend to hide a little behind it at the risk of having trouble singing without it.
Vianney knows what he is talking about.
Why did you choose to join Bigflo and Oli rather than the other three coaches?
I am a very big fan of Vianney and it would have been natural for me to go to his team.
I grew up with the music of Bigflo and Oli, I'm more or less the same age as them and I had the feeling that I could get along with them like I would with friends.
And that's exactly the speech they gave, that I made them want to be friends with them.
This coincidence finally convinced me.
In your presentation, you state that if it were to work thanks to "The Voice", you could stop your job as a school teacher...
It's a difficult choice because I devoted several years of study to getting there, the competition is not easy.
There is a lot of investment behind this job as a school teacher and going back is complicated.
If I leave, I will have to retake the exam.
I managed to get out of a burnout and today, I'm having a blast.
Afterwards, if I have a great offer in music, it remains my initial dream and I will want to experience this opportunity.
It will be a difficult choice and a big thought.
How did your students react when they discovered your participation in “The Voice”?
They have known for some time because I had to be absent several times.
The production was very accommodating to bring me in most often on Wednesdays or Saturdays but the filming was during the week.
I preferred to play the card of transparency with the parents of my students by discussing my participation in a TV show.
They were very understanding.
I thank my colleagues at the school where I teach.
During my absences, they were of unfailing support.
They took care of my students and that added work to them.