TV season | Zenith: for fun

When we take a look at the concept of Zenithyou would swear that this is a new singing competition for amateurs.

The rules of this original Quebec format determine the following framework: each week, competitors from different generations “compete” in front of 100 members of the public, who rate their performances. At the end of the first round, the participants with the highest scores advance to the final rounds and those who suffer at the bottom of the rankings go out the door. And so on until the last episode, which crowns a champion.

So far, nothing extremely unusual.

But twist!

Unlike other tele-hooks of the genre, like The voicewhich mainly bring together young talents unknown to Mr. or Mrs. Everyone, Zenith brings together 24 established artists, including Johanne Blouin, Guylaine Tanguay, Annie Villeneuve, Ludovick Bourgeois, Joël Legendre, Jean-François Breau, Damien Robitaille and Gabrielle Fontaine.

But why a star in good and due form would she want to risk being eliminated on full television, in front of a million people?

For Laurence Jalbert, Zenith was the perfect opportunity “to have some fun “. The singer ofAgain and again, To fall and Corridor recounts having participated in the filming of one of the pilots last summer, and the experience turned out to be very conclusive: she had fun “like a real madwoman”.

“My daughter was going to give birth prematurely because she had caught COVID. I dragged my phone everywhere, I was worried, it was 2500°C outside, but after the show, I was tripping. Something light had settled in me. Maybe it’s related to what I’ve been through or what I haven’t been through [Laurence Jalbert a révélé en 2021 qu’elle avait été victime de violence conjugale]but I decided that from now on I just want to have fun. That’s it, that’s all. »

The notion of joy also colors Benoît McGinnis’ response. Well known to the general public thanks in particular to the series Another story, 30 lives and Victor Lessardthe actor embarked on the adventure Zenith without too much hesitation.

“I have an acting background, but when I’m called to sing on shows, for me, it’s just happiness. Because singing makes me really happy. And just the idea of ​​preparing a number and daring to do it live, I love it! »

The competitive aspect

Zenith Although it looks competitive, its participants pay no attention to it. (Or so they claimed in an interview back in December, a month before the show aired. Early eliminations could quickly drive that portion of the talk away.)

“It’s not a competition, insists Laurence Jalbert. Not for me in any case. »

“The competition, I don’t care,” adds Benoît McGinnis.

for his part, Matt Lang accepted the invitation from KOTV and ICI Télé only to “trip and meet people”.

Matt Lang, however, lets his competitive spirit shine through a few minutes later when Benoît McGinnis expresses the wish to “exceed [ses] own limits.

“You have to watch the actors…because they’re good at tabarnak! Excuse my blasphemy, but they are good at everything! exclaims the singer-songwriter.

Total freedom

At the beginning, Zenith was supposed to go on the air in January 2022. However, the pandemic forced Radio-Canada and company to postpone its launch.

Very happy to participate in the new television appointment of Véronique Cloutier, Maëva Grelet sees in it the opportunity to fall back into childhood.

“What really turned me on is that you can take any song from any generation and add its sauce, make its show… I think it’s great, comments the former academician. It brought back memories: when I was little and with my mother, we listened to her favorite songs in our kitchen. It’s as if I was going to sing with my hairbrush in front of a lot of people! »

“And with a lot of resources”, adds Laurence Jalbert.

Free to do what they want and explore various musical genres, the four candidates are eagerly awaiting the start of the show. “It’s exciting because we often have things imposed on us in our profession. Here, it is our responsibility, it is our creative freedom. »

As a bonus, none of them are afraid of ridicule, which could have slowed their momentum.

“I’m not afraid of looking cavernous,” says Matt Lang.

“I played the Punkette Skunk at Masked singers last fall! “adds Laurence Jalbert, laughing.

ICI Télé presents the premiere of Zenith Thursday, January 19 at 8 p.m. (Due to music rights, the show will not be offered as a catch-up.)