Wednesday, October 11, 9:15 pm. In the offices of Warner Music, the Mont Cenis street in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the doors of the concert hall open. On the stage, Brice Penaranda, boss of Levi's France, calls the assistance of a "You're hot tonight? " On the giant screen lining the wall behind the stage, the logos Levi's, Hyphen Hyphen and the hashtag #SupportMusic give way to the images of the clip of "Take my Hand" , unveiled exclusively. We see Santa, Line and Adam, members of the Nice group rewarded at the Victoires de la Musique in 2016. Accompanied by the young musicians and dancers who participate in this third edition of the Levi's Music Project in France, they walk in total look Levi's in a desert shed. The silhouettes, in shades of blue, teleport, disappear and reappear before the blind walls painted white. A few minutes later, but on stage this time, Santa, the singer of the band, sounds a few lustful sighs in her mirco, before captivating the room with her powerful voice. The Hyphen Hyphen concert will begin, it will be memorable and of a unique genre. Here's why.
An ambitious project that has the ears of the Elysee
Launched in the United States under the patronage of Alicia Keys, the Levi's Music Project arrived in France a year and a half ago. Simple, precise, its goal is to promote access to a musical education for young people who do not have the opportunity. An ambitious initiative that has resonated at Music for All, the partner association of the event since the beginning. Created in 2012 by Arnault, Quentin and Yannis while they are still high school students, Music for All is born from the following observation that Arnault, 22, says: " In my Karate class, I saw a young person every week. One day I asked him if he was making music and he said he was never offered. It made me realize that if it was something integrated in my education, it was not for many people for economic, social or cultural reasons . " The three friends, who are also members of a rock band, have the desire to develop a life together through music for everyone. "We knew that young people who could not access music were in need. From there was born our concept which is based on fun, free and collective workshops, animated voluntarily by amateur musicians " explains Arnault. Delivered every week for one hour in pre-existing infrastructures (hospitals, schools or social centers) in Paris, Lyon and Rouen, these workshops will soon be developed in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and Cotonou in Benin. The young association is so successful that on Thursday, October 5th, its members were personally invited by Emmanuel Macron to attend, at the Élysée, the concert of the Republican Guard.
Exceeding oneself and viral frenzy
As part of the Levi's Music Project, for a month, every Wednesday and Saturday, Hyphen Hyphen, who is participating for the third time in the project and professionals from the music industry have coached these teenagers musicians and - for the first time - dancers around of a theme: 'How to make a music video?'
Coming from the Music for All network, the seven young musicians from the Levi's project were selected for their motivation. The six dancers were chosen during a cast organized by Warner Music after answering a questionnaire.
Before the concert, sitting at a table, champagne and sofa in hand, a mother calls her son to tell the story. Chris, 19, from Noisy-le-Grand says, "I learned to develop my own style and to become aware of my body. The rehearsals were intensive, but it was good fatigue. We were all happy to have aches, it meant we had worked well.
Side singers and musicians, Oceane, 17, of the 14th arrondissement and Charlie-Lou, 16, of Juvisy-sur-Orge exult. "It allowed us to discover behind the scenes and meet industry professionals. It was just pleasure. What struck them the most: "Without hesitation, filming the clip. And tonight's concert I think . " But when asked what the difficulties were, they hesitate a moment before confessing: "The presence on stage and overcoming his shyness" .
And Santa, voice of Hyphen Hyphen to add: "At the beginning, some participants were very shy but during the filming of the clip, they completely let go! It really impressed us! "I must say that on stage, Hyphen Hyphen communicates a viral frenzy. At 10:00 pm, the concert hits the climax when the crowd is invited to take the stage. The bodies, almost possessed, jump in all directions among young dancers who follow the steps of a furious dance. The repetitions follow one another but are not alike. Britney Spears ' Gimme more , Mylene Farmer's Libertine , Azealia Banks' 212 , Chris Isaak's Wicked Game . Hyphen Hyphen likes to mix genres but especially to bring people together. 'Hyphen' in English is the hyphen. "We did not want to take on a role of teacher. It was mostly sharing, " says the group about its collaboration with young people. "We really tried to teach them the maximum of things, full of different aspects of music." And the sharing was reciprocal. Line, Adam and Santa say, "The fact that there were dancers this time made us want to do new things and go further." For all, this is where the ultimate goal of music lies, it gathers and emancipates. And it transports.
