Zaho de Sagazan. “There were rules in my family. “Eat right, sleep early, but above all, express yourself.”

The Olympics are just around the corner, but the French song has already found its athlete, 23-year-old musician Zaho de Sagazan, who has been on the streets of France since the release of his first album. Lightning Symphony, last spring. A record of French songs, the heart of which also beats with the rhythm of trendy Berlin techno, as well as with the lively expressions of its author, both serious and sometimes shrill, inspired by Brel or Barbara. Perfect for the stage, where Zaho de Sagazan, platinum hairdo, biker and oversized jacket give freedom to his freedom of movement.

From small venues to stadiums, showcases to festivals, Nazairienne performed concerts all summer long with a gluttony and enthusiasm that stood the test of all sleepless nights. In the 5 nominations nominated at the “Victoires de la Musique 2024” (female breakthrough, stage breakthrough, album, song and audiovisual composition), she will be at the Zénith in Paris on March 11th and 13th. Meeting this summer ahead of his tour.

In the video, “Fuck you”, Christine and the queens gossip on TikTok

Find his place

Madame Figaro .- You lead an intense tour, sometimes 5 dates a week. How are you tracking so far?
Sagazani Zaho. Everything is going very well, mostly others worry about me. The more time passes, the more I realize that I am in the right place and that my personality lends itself. I am not uncomfortable in groups, on the contrary. I don’t need a lot of privacy, I really don’t like being alone except for the piano. I like to work, I like to be tired and tell myself that I still have to go. It probably isn’t for everyone, but it is for me.

Do you take care to allow yourself moments to breathe?
This is something I’m starting to notice. I have always liked to work at night. I like to spend the day surrounded by people, but after midnight I retire and can stay up until 4:30 in the morning, dreaming. I dream a lot, I believe that it is the heart of my work, imagining. And I find we do it better at night. something you can’t do over time, especially when you’re playing five nights a week. It’s athletic work, and I’m starting to realize it. Especially for Zénith, for which I really want to get to the task, run on stage, put on the best possible show.

You have stage fright before going on stage?
I’m not a particularly stressed artist. Sometimes I feel like I will never last an hour and a half in front of all these people, but from the first song the energy is so high that the adrenaline takes me. I don’t want to lack humility, but I don’t feel imposter syndrome. I don’t think about what I’m doing on stage, I know that I want to give everything. People are extremely kind and I just want to be as generous as possible to them. My only stress is not being strong enough. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

Big family

Where does this ease on stage come from?
I was born into a family where self-expression was at the heart of everything (Zaho de Sagazan is the daughter of a teacher mother and Olivier de Sagazan, a visual artist and performer, Editor’s note) In fact, for a long time I thought this was the case with the rest of the world’s population, when in fact not at all. I grew up in a family of five girls, all very bright, very expressive. It has always been normal for us to express your opinion, you even had to have it. It was part of the rules of our education. “Kids, eat right, go to bed early, but above all express yourself.” Moreover, my twin sister and I were the youngest. Little dolls for our three big sisters who could ask us anything. do a parade, be in a short film… We shot thousands of videos of me playing Prince Charming.

Sometimes I struggle to find words. On the contrary, I have a lot of time to find them when I’m writing a song. Once I realized this, it completely revolutionized the way I communicate.

Zaho de Sagaza

Was it sometimes hard to hear among all the voices?
There were definitely negative aspects. Among the five of us, we don’t have much time to talk, and we can’t always be heard. So you need to know how to express yourself well. For a long time I believed that I was not capable of this because my sisters are older. I considered myself on their level, not realizing that sometimes being ten years younger, I necessarily have less ability, vocabulary. But it also has to do with the fact that, like any very intense and very sensitive person, it was going around in my head. Sometimes I struggle to find words. On the contrary, I have a lot of time to find them when I’m writing a song. Once I realized this, it completely revolutionized the way I communicate.

dancing queen

And what are the body and movement important means of expression for you?
There is something very generous in dancing, something less lonely than in singing, where we are sometimes in our bubble behind our piano. Sure, you can dance alone, but there is a sharing that is created instantly, like a conversation. We are not always used to it. everyone listens to music, but not everyone goes to see dance. It’s a discipline I’ve only discovered in happy situations, during hip-hop sessions in Saint-Nazaire or with my friends in class. It wasn’t about expressing discomfort, it was about enjoying, giving it your all, being free and being fully yourself. That’s something I’ve kept on stage.

As a place where immodesty is allowed…
Yes! In life, I am very modest and shy. for example, I can’t ask someone for a lighter on the street, it scares me. But on stage I have no problem calling people out, taking someone aside in the audience. Because it is my job and he authorizes me to do it.

General effect

What is innate and acquired in your concerts? What have you been working on and left raw?
What I’ve been working on, and what I’m still working on, is “letting go”. I have to repeat myself at every concert so that I don’t look at myself. I’m also learning to dance better, I’m not in my best shape. after concerts, sometimes I dance alone in my room for an hour to wind down, it’s a moment I love. And I’m lucky to have an older sister who is a choreographer (Sagazan Lorraine , Editor’s note), which inspires me immensely. And what did I keep? at first I thought I wasn’t “mysterious” enough for the job. I am an open book. between songs, when I just perform a rather sad composition, I become completely normal again, I talk, I make jokes. But I realized pretty quickly that the public likes to see someone honest. I don’t necessarily want to be an icon, unattainable. But rather to say “Look, I’m very human”.

Being on stage also means being the center of attention. What is your relationship with your character?
I look at myself too much. And I think that in this case there are many of us women, but also many men. I have a lot of trouble with my character, but I think I’m slowly learning. I can’t control the 50 stories people will create about me on social media after the concert. But I have many problems with my body. for a long time I considered myself too round and believed that I was the opposite of femininity. I love all of them, I love girls very much, I love boys very much. I feel sexy with girls. But with boys it’s much harder because there’s this barrier, this idea of ​​femininity that we’ve internalized a lot and that I don’t recognize myself in at all. I am not delicate: I speak loudly, laugh loudly, I have a deep voice, I am round and have no breasts. When I love in the room, and it happens often, I tell myself that it’s okay that I’m funny, but I don’t know how to seduce. But I think the main thing in life is to realize your strengths, your weaknesses, don’t waste your time trying to make up for the former and focus on your strengths. The great thing about being on stage is that I always let my strengths be at full strength. This may show my weaknesses, it’s paradoxical. But I believe that society gives me back my strengths, that they prefer to hear my screams, to see me say “fuck you, sadness”. I won’t be the feminine, fragile girl I want to be. Maybe I will be a strong woman, and that is already very good.

In the video, Lou Doillon talks about Madame Figaro Arles photography prize winner Hannah Daraby.