“I want to put an end to indifference and Parisianism,” declares Vincent Frèrebaud, its president

On Monday, the Victoires de la Musique both announced the names of the artists competing for the 39th ceremony, and displayed their desire to reform an institution that is sometimes criticized. Explanations with their new president, Vincent Frèrebaud.

The 39th Victoires de la Musique ceremony will be broadcast on February 9 by France 2 live from the Seine Musicale, hosted by Léa Salamé and Cyril Féraud. Monday January 8, its organizers revealed the names of the nominated artists – dominated by Zaho de Sagazan, in the lead with five nominations – and at the same time presented a new, reformed organization of the competition. To fight against what he calls “an unpleasant little music” accusing the Victoires of being narrow-minded and of a lack of artistic diversity, Vincent Frèrebeau, the new president, presented his project with humor. We must, he says, put an end to “between ourselves, Parisianism and small arrangements between friends”. Franceinfo Culture met him after the presentation of the nominated artists.

Why reform everything?

Vincent Frèrebeau, ffounder of the label Tôt ou tard, which produces among others Vincent Delerm, Shaka Ponk, Vianney and Clara Ysé, and who has already assumed this responsibility twice – between 2005 and 2006 then between 2012 and 2013 – first took stock mixed image of the Victories. “It’s a moment that I like, but I heard this little music. Criticisms, some legitimate and so I thought we had to tackle this. (…) We have a responsibility, a worry that the thing will disappear, that was the risk that I saw emerging. I was worried about the future of Victoires.” To respond to these criticisms from the public, but also from artists, the rap world having ended up creating the Flames (a parallel ceremony, but only intended for rap production), this year, the final list is in the hands of a jury of 32 personalities from the world of music.

To avoid the influence of big music producers, the members of the jury are therefore programmers of festivals, radio stations, platforms, artists and journalists from the written press. “These are people who have no particular interest in this or that artist being recognized, so these are people who vote with their hearts and to avoid the whole Paris thing, they are also festival programmers who have seen practically all the shows for which they will vote: festival people are in the best position to know the entire music scene, all genres combined.” The proof, with the presence among the named artists, of Julien Granel: from the scene and with his 206,000 subscribers on Instagram, he is not yet known to the general public. But his talent as a performer and his ability to overturn concert halls legitimizes his place in the scene revelations.

Why remove the most streamed album and public vote?

In previous years, to restore the image of the Victoires, two categories were invented: the public vote and the most streamed album. A way to get closer to the audience and the public. However, this year, these two categories have disappeared. For Vincent Frèrebeau, it is once again a way of fighting against all types of influences. “The public or the most streamed albums are data where, more than elsewhere, the influence is strong because we are going to have an artist who is very strong on social networks who will crush the other artists, no more, no less. “

For the most streamed album, the argument is also another: “The Victories are not the triumph of streaming, and the artists of this Victory did not like that. They found – the rappers, because the majority were indeed rappers – that they were not considered as artists like the others. The victory for the most streamed album made it a ghetto. I prefer these artists to be in all categories, song, revelation or artist of the year.”

What effects on the choice of this year’s nominees?

This year, therefore, there will be 25 of them competing on February 9 for a Victory. Zaho de Sagazan with his five nominations dominates the competition. Alongside Etienne Daho or Véronique Sanson who act as godfathers and godmothers of the song, new names and a certain diversity in fact appear. Could this be the reform effect? “For me and for the academy, it’s a success, because in many categories we have an artist from the world of rap. We have Meryl, Aya Nakamura, Damso, Gazo, SDM and Josman. We have this diversity and it’s a source of pride. In the nominees, three generations coexist: the oldest, with Daho and Sanson, the intermediate ones, with Vianney and Juliette Armanet, and the younger generations with a great discovery of which I am producer, Clara Yse. It’s a name that for the moment doesn’t mean much to the general public.”