The President of the Republic was filmed singing a traditional Pyrenean song in the streets of Paris, after his presidential address on Monday evening. The video was widely shared on social media.
Emmanuel Macron was filmed Monday, April 17, in the evening, singing alongside several people in a street in Paris, after his speech, confirms the entourage of the head of state to franceinfo. The scene took place in the 6th arrondissement of the capital, on a private time of the president, specifies this same source.
Still according to these same sources, Emmanuel Macron and his wife were walking when they were stopped by a group of young people singing. They offered him to sing “Le Refuge”, by Edmond Duplan, a Pyrenean song that Emmanuel Macron has already sung in public, his grandmother being from the Hautes-Pyrénées.
Emmanuel Macron then sings while reading the lyrics on a smartphone. One of the videos of this moment was published on social networks by the “Canto” association, claiming the use of its mobile application, a directory of popular songs from France.
“Canto”, a controversial application
According to the entourage of the Head of State contacted by franceinfo, “Emmanuel Macron could not know at that time the background of each person with whom he discussed” on the video. This clarification from the Elysee Palace refers to the controversy surrounding this “Canto” application: an investigation by the newspaper Release (article subscribers) indicated in November 2022 that one could find songs of the Third Reich there.
One of the singers filmed, contacted by France Inter, indicated that she was part of the Saint-Longin choir, which presents itself on its site as “a Parisian vocal ensemble” whose members, all men, “regularly sing their faith through a sacred repertoire” And “their love of the country through regional songs”.
He also says that the scene relayed on social networks occurred “around 10 p.m.”shortly after a rehearsal. “As we were leaving (…), we saw Emmanuel Macron and his wife walking with a fairly determined step, surrounded by their bodyguards”. “We put ourselves at their pace”he continues, “and we sang a song called Ninon, which is a hunting song” to which the president “was quite insensitive, and then afterwards we sang ‘Le Refuge’, a song he knows”.
“With a smile, he turned around, he just approached us”he adds. “First, he asked us nicely how we had known this song. One thing led to another, after talking with him for a few minutes (…), he offered to sing the first verse with a chorus, possibly”. “What we saw afterwards was that we were able to sing the entire song”he recalls.
“It’s completely spontaneous. I think it only happens once in a lifetime to be able to sing, to share this completely suspended moment with the President of the Republic, in the middle of the street, on a Monday evening, with the choir”, he says. The video was later relayed by Canto. “It was distributed massively between groups of friends first. Unfortunately, I would be unable to tell you how it got into Canto’s hands”says the young man.
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“Very concretely, our link with the Canto project is rather synergies in terms of interest in the singing repertoire that we can offer”, he explains. The choir uses the mobile application “when we meet in a cafe” and sing songs “of the popular register”. She “propose” In effect “all this kind of directory in one place”.
In a press release, the founders of the Canto application welcome the buzz created around the video. “We are very happy to see that this choir uses the Canto application. We are also very happy that the President of the Republic has used our application”details the association, before launching: “Do like the President and like our thousands of users, come sing with us! Long live the song, and Long live the Republic!”