It was already six years ago. On February 3, 2018, Mennel Ibtissem, then 22 years old, created the event in the seventh season of
The Voice
by using the title Hallelujah in Arabic version. Florent Pagny, Zazie, Mika and Pascal Obispo unanimously turned around, and the young woman finally chose Mika, back in the new season to be found this Saturday, February 10, 2024. Unfortunately, the young woman was the victim of a strong controversy, following the exhumation of posts she had published on her Facebook account when she was a teenagerand in which she mocked the attacks perpetrated in Nice and Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray in 2016. Faced with the controversy, which was gaining more and more momentum on the web, and in which even the political community was involved, TF1 and the production finally took the decision to exclude Mennel from the competition, and his battle between him and Casanova was not broadcast, the singer being automatically qualified.
Six years later, Mennel has changed a lot. In a recent post that she shared on her Instagram account, the young woman reveals that she has left behind the turban, which caused so much controversy during her blind audition: “In 2018, you met me on TF1 with Hallelujah. I wore a turban, and I shared my Syrian and Moroccan origins. Subsequently, I was given a label: that of the frail young woman, d of Arab origin, representing the Muslims of France and their fight. All these heavy labels, while I thought I would share my love for music, and bring together sensitive hearts. You should know that in 2018, I had no caring entourage to guide me through this storm. Furthermore, I had no real convictions about my life choices. The day I decided to no longer wear the turban because it no longer made sense to me, I was also made to appear as a weak-minded woman, allowing herself to be commanded by the media, and capitulating in the face of a fight. It was a period where I was trying to find my identity, the one that I really am, far from these diktats coming from the media, and from my own family circle. she declared at the end of last December.
Mennel Ibtissem became a mother and left the turban
At the start of 2024, Mennel Ibtissem, now happy and filled with love, became a mother for the first time: “I have changed, I have grown, my religious and personal convictions have been affirmed and are unshakeable today.. I can say that in 2018, I didn’t have the spiritual and emotional strength to claim what I really wanted for myself. I believe it is time to surround myself with people whose values are similar to mine, whose love for God, for self and for others, is in balance. I wish to continue my career as an artist while respecting these values which are dear to me. I don’t forget that my first song in public was Hallelujah, a rendition in two languages that reflects my undying love for music, and my Arab roots that I cherish. In this year 2024, I am starting life as a mother. It adds to my life as an artist and a woman. The balance of three is essential for my mental, emotional health and artistic creativity. Thank God, today I am surrounded by kind and reassuring people who allow me and encourage me to share this rebirth with you. I know that some will feel offended, but others will be delighted to find me happier and at peace.”Her child was born on January 7, 2024and has just celebrated its first birthdaymonth.
The Vivi was placed in police custody for “violence against a partner”
In season 10, it was another controversy which strongly tainted The Voice with the fortuitous exclusion of singer The Vivi. The 20-year-old singer, who came to perform Suicide social by Orelsan, like Mennel, was unanimous in making Amel Bent, Vianney, Florent Pagny and Marc Lavoine turn around. He had chosen to continue his adventure with the interpreter of Beau-papa, but it quickly turned out to be cut short. Messages found on his X and Facebook accounts were found by fans of The Voice, and sparked heated controversy. A headache for the production, because the young man had qualified until the final four of each team. Vianney therefore found himself during the lives with three talents instead of four, including Mentissa, whom he brought to the final.
Since then, The Vivi’s life has not been as rosy as Mennel’s. The young man stood out in January 2022 while being arrested by the Angoulême police, for alleged violence against his partner. The latter had the courage to publish photos of the abuse that the young man had inflicted on her on her social networks, pushing Internet users to alert the authorities. He was immediately placed in police custody, in a state of alcohol. The man immediately contested the facts attributed to him by his ex-girlfriend, and announced on his social networks that he would in turn take her to court: “I’ve never laid a hand on a woman, and it’s not going to start today. She filed a complaint, I plan to do so too. I could add details, I could show you all the screens, have people testify, but I’m not going to do it here, only at the police station.” Since then, the young man has continued his artistic career on stages in France but also on his YouTube channel, where he publishes a new song every Sunday.