Document of the week | Mixmania: 20 years later: for all mixmaniacs

En 2002, huit adolescents québécois âgés de 13 à 17 ans sont devenus des vedettes du jour au lendemain grâce à Mixmania, émission de téléréalité au concept inédit à l’époque. Vingt ans plus tard, l’animatrice et réalisatrice Bianca Gervais se penche sur le phénomène dans une réunion aux allures de retrouvailles du secondaire. Cinq mots inspirés de la fin des classes pour décortiquer le documentaire.

Véronique Larocque
La Presse

Conventum

Des ballons, des guirlandes, des confettis : c’est dans une ambiance conviviale que Bianca Gervais reçoit six des huit participants de la première saison de Mixmania. Ariane Laniel, Annabelle Oliva-Denis, Julie St-Pierre, Frank Hudon, Emmanuel McEwan et Pierre-Luc Blais ont accepté l’invitation de prendre part à ces retrouvailles filmées. « Mixmania, c’est vraiment un phénomène qui a marqué une génération au fer rouge », affirme, en entrevue, l’animatrice et réalisatrice. « Moi-même, j’avais 16 ans et demi à l’époque et je l’écoutais en cachette. […] I thought it was necessary to underline that, but not in a cold way. The idea was therefore born to create a conventum in order to “celebrate in a festive, committed way and with a lot of humanity” the heritage of the show.

Top of the class

Some may have forgotten how popular No Regrets and Urban Defense were in 2002. The documentary refreshes memories. The two groups created during season 1 of the show have visited the Bell Center four times. Their album was certified double platinum, selling 200,000 copies. Everyone was surprised by this enthusiasm, even the production, we learn in Mixmania: 20 years later. Propelled to the top of the Quebec star system, the young singers found the descent steep. Feeling “has-been at 17-18” is difficult, Annabelle Oliva-Denis confided to the camera. “It had a big impact in our lives, indicates to The Press Julie St-Pierre. It was positive, for the most part, but there were still hardships related to that. I think people underestimate this impact. »

2002, 2011, 2012 and 2014 graduates

For those who hum zero point love Where Ready for the party when they think of mixmania, know that the documentary also talks about seasons 2, 3 and 4 of the show, which took place from 2011 to 2014. Réginald Bellamy, William Cloutier, Amélie St-Onge, Tommy Tremblay and Claudia Bouvette talk about their experience. Even if the latter has had a great career in music and television since her time in Mixmania 2, she continues to get talked about on the show. “I have the impression that there is really a deep love and a memory that we share with all the young people who have followed us,” she notes in an interview.

Souvenirs…

As in any reunion, the memories are numerous in Mixmania: 20 years later. The first generation Mix amusedly review excerpts from their auditions, are still surprised by the huge crowds who attended their shows or comment with a lot of self-mockery on their look, chosen by the public at the time, we must remember. Bianca Gervais dares a few crisp questions. “Did you like your tunes? she asks them with a smirk. Emmanuel McEwan, who was 18 at the time of the tour, answers honestly that a party “with a lot of crisps and liquor”, as he sang with Urban Defense, was not really his age. Today, certain Mixes still gravitate in the world of music. For example, Ariane Laniel and Frank Hudon both recently released a new song.

…and tears

These reunions also cause a few tears to flow, especially when the host asks the mixed who are now parents if they would let their children participate in a similar adventure. Visibly still marked by their anything but normal adolescence, they reflect before answering in the affirmative. The emotion is also palpable when fans and artists, including Katherine Levac and Marie-Lyne Joncas, thank their childhood idols for having played an important role in their lives, with collages of old articles carefully preserved. . Mixmania: 20 years later will greatly please the many fans of No Regrets and Urban Defense, now in their 30s or 20s, regardless of whether they sang You go away loudly at the Bell Center or that they bought the album on the sly.

Mixmania: 20 years later will be available on Crave starting June 22.