On 5 November Linzy Bacbotte will celebrate 35 years of career. She has chosen to mark the event with a series of intimate concerts at the Backstage. In the interview she gave us, the artist tells us about her intention to move away from the stage.
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Do you think you’ll last that long?
I don’t think so. Making music was never my ambition. I fell into it because I come from a family of musicians. In fact, my grandfather used to play with the Joganah brothers’ group Latanier. They gave me the chance to be their backing singer long before I took part in the Stars 2000 competition when I was only 9 years old. With time, I understood that I could turn my passion into a profession. Then everything happened by itself.
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What is the recipe for a 35-year career?
You have to stay true to yourself. My career is made up of opportunities that I have seized. I have missed others. But I’ve been able to stay true to myself. And it’s important to be a real person when you’re an artist.
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Is that why your fans have been following you all this time?
I think so. I think it’s also because they’ve seen me grow up and they’ve come to love me. My accessibility and humility have also helped me to build a strong bond with my fans. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.
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Why did you choose to organise several concerts on the occasion of your career anniversary?
This time I wanted to keep my audience with me as long as possible. That’s why we’re holding a series of concerts that started on 12 March with The Prophecy. Seven other concerts with guests are planned, notably on 2 April (Jasmine Toulouse and Dagger Killa), 24 May (Mr Love and Ann Ga), 18 June (Bigg Franky and Melanie Pérès), 30 July (Nitish and Ram Joganah), 27 August (Nancy Derougère and Marie Josée Clency), 24 September (Mary Jane Gaspard), and 15 October (Elijah and Bruno Raya). Tickets will be on sale at the Backstage at Rs 300. A big concert will be held in November.
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35 years on, what next?
I am 44 years old and I have grown up in front of my fans who have always expected a lot from me. I haven’t really had a private life. After the November concert, I’m going to take a few years off to recharge my batteries and enjoy my family life to the full and, above all, to do other projects. That’s why I’m going to take a break from the stage in 2023. I won’t be back for a while.
