Hélène Ségara: “‘Incroyable Talent’ Nurtures the Childlike Spirit Within Us”

Hélène Ségara: Singer Hélène Ségara was a guest on “Sud Radio Média” on October 31, 2023, with hosts Valérie Expert and Gilles Ganzmann on Sud Radio.

Hélène Ségara: “It keeps the childlike aspect alive within me. I’m an advocate for wonder. I believe people don’t marvel enough these days. I’m not criticizing them; I think we’re gradually extinguishing our dreams. But it’s essential to have positive influences around us. When we go through challenges, we strive to maintain this outlook. Therefore, this show nourishes that childlike spirit within us, allowing me to fully immerse myself in my emotions, be it humor, melancholy, admiration…” remarked Hélène Ségara.

Hélène Ségara also shared two touching stories about children participating in ‘Incroyable Talent’ that deeply moved her. “The example of Ryan, for me, is ideal. People have no idea what he has been through. He’s a young man who found himself in a home for very personal and far from amusing reasons. But he doesn’t tell us any of that. He simply says that a year ago, I discovered the piano during a particular phase of my life. He used to go to a station every day to practice, and he learned through YouTube. However, we only discovered why he turned to classical music afterward.”

“This year, we have a young girl who arrived with a cane. Her father surprised her; he was in the audience and stood up. She had no idea that she was going to come on stage. This young girl, this thirteen-year-old teenager, has undergone extensive surgeries. It’s a miracle that she still has any mobility left. Her father had her come on stage to sing, and it’s certain that, since she wasn’t prepared at all and is extremely nervous, she may not measure up to some of the other contestants. But, for me, I still want to encourage this girl. Firstly, because she had no rehearsal, no psychological preparation, and I can hear in her voice that she has great potential. But what’s going to happen? If I encourage this young girl, people will say it’s because there’s a story or something. So, in essence, that’s the challenge. You have to try to be fair. I always try not to hurt people, but I do try to be honest and, above all, honest with myself.”

“We must stop believing that we can speak about conflicts about which we don’t have complete knowledge.” Hélène Ségara was born in France to a French father and an Armenian mother. With the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza and the war in Ukraine, is Armenia being forgotten? “You know, I was discussing this with my mother the day before yesterday. I told her that one conflict replaces another and smothers another. Of course, Armenia is a tiny country, and I believe that many people simply don’t care. Recently, I made a post on my Instagram where I explicitly stated things. I said that we must stop demanding artists to take political stances. We must stop taking people hostage, believing that we are political experts and can discuss conflicts about which we don’t have complete knowledge. The only thing that pains me today is realizing that people suffer in all camps, and our humanity is being violently disregarded. Regardless of the camp, for me, people are human beings. I remember one day when I was in Turkey, and they told me, ‘Don’t ever mention that you have Armenian origins.’

One day, I was swimming, and someone came up to me and started speaking to me in Turkish. I said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t speak Turkish.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I thought you were Turkish.’ And I replied, ‘No, but I have Armenian origins.’ At that moment, my friends looked at me as if it were a huge taboo. The person looked at me and said, ‘Oh, but I’m half-Turkish, half-Armenian.’ For me, it was a summary of all of that,” replied the singer.