In Astaffort, we are far from the spotlight of Star Academy, the reality TV show which featured young artists in search of fame. In this small village in Lot-et-Garonne, the association Voix du Sud has been helping artists to reveal the best of their talent for 30 years. But here, no cameras pointed at singers or composers who are looking for something new in their way of doing things.
In this training space, created by Francis Cabrel, novice or experienced artists meet constantly. They come to rub shoulders with other musicians or get the critical eye of speakers with solid CVs. “We had artists who had their name on the facade of the Olympia. They came here to recharge their batteries or broaden their skills. At some point, you have to look elsewhere”says Pascal Bagnard, the director of Voix du Sud.
That week, six students on their way to professionalization undergo a three-day training. “We work with people we don’t know at all. It’s really getting out of your comfort zone, exploring other worlds to enrich your own world. That’s what I came here to look for and it works “, says Deborah Reboul, author and performer. For Matthew Aigle, Voix du Sud nourishes the artist’s creative process. “It’s learning to write, learning to create. I have an EP coming out soon. I’m constantly evolving”says this young voice of French song.
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Two artists involved are in support to supervise composition and writing sessions. What do these “profs” really bring to the students? “We are here to put the artist in confidence, to explain to him that we are here to screw up and that this is also how we are going to find keys”testifies Benoît Crabos, artist and speaker within the structure, which ultimately wants to be more of a laboratory for ideas than a school.
Lucca, the youngest of the residents, sings, plays the piano and the guitar. He is there to further improve his technical mastery. “It was very important for me to come here. I’m here to reconfirm all the basics so that, once these basics have been mastered, I can free myself from them and expand the possibilities in creation, in composition and also in words. “. At Astaffort, the spirit is about sharing knowledge and helping each other rather than competition.