Eighteen years ago, he had his quarter of glory by participating in the second edition of the Star Academy. Georges-Alain Jones, 44, better known by his simple compound name, was the bad boy of the show that had crowned Nolwenn Leroy that year. "It's a label of a dirty guy who stuck with me for a long time," he sighs. In an attempt to correct it, he was thrown into an improbable challenge: talking about sport on television. Today, Georges-Alain comments on Turkish football matches on Canal International, of the Canal + group, aimed at French-speaking people abroad, and ski cross, snowboard and mogul ski competitions on the channel l Team. "I don't feel illegitimate," he smiles. Soccer, I practiced it in U17 in Monaco and I could have become professional. But I preferred to go around the world with a backpack. I also worked on a cable channel, Ma Chaîne Sport, to talk about freestyle sports which are a real passion. "
In 2017, Canal + gave him tests of a football commentator. "At the beginning, Turkish football was not easy with the pronunciation of names," he smiles, "but today, I master the exercise well. It's still football. And I comment alongside two ex-PSG pro, Eric Rabesandratana and Kaba Diawara, two humanly formidable types. Our matches are broadcast in Africa. "
He doesn't cultivate nostalgia
Its arrival this winter on the L'Équipe channel is due to… the transport strike. "The usual consultants were stranded at home," he says. They put my name on the chain and everything went well. I really master these sports because it is my universe. In an ideal world, I would like to make a living from my music during the week by singing in clubs and at the weekend by talking about skiing. "
He is currently refining an album in the studio. “A mix of jazz, blues and groove. But I would not market the album. It will be available free of charge. I don't like the business side of music. "
Almost two decades after the "Star Academy", he enjoyed being recognized on the street. "My face says something to people but they do not remember why ..." And he does not cultivate nostalgia for this spotlight. "Now, I can admit, everything was rigged," he says. I had discovered that it was me and Emma Daumas who had to go to the final. It was decided even before the show! I freaked out and the producers organized my elimination in the semi-finals because I threatened to throw it all away. My problem is that I was older than the other candidates and that I understood the inner workings. A hell of a time tackle for those who now prefer to comment on them.