“The only thing that would make me stop singing would be if I could no longer sing well. » This risk, Florent Pagny indeed incurred it when the diagnosis fell, in January 2022. Suffering from a lung tumor, the singer was forced to put his career on hold to avoid that one day , can no longer resound the cult melodies of “Knowing how to love”, “My freedom to think” or even “Where I will take you”.
In an exclusive interview with Paris Match (to read in the latest issue, on newsstands this Thursday, November 21), Florent Pagny recounted his struggle with the disease. Against all expectations, if the 63-year-old singer lost his legendary hair, his voice remained intact: “Very quickly, I found myself in the studio and I was even amazed because my voice was clearer . So I sang pretty well. »
Florent Pagny during the “Sentinelles d’un soir” charity concert for the benefit of the Bleuet de France association at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on May 30, 2024. Jack Tribeca / Bestimage / © Jack Tribeca / Bestimage
On his feet for good, Florent assured: “I had a fifth check yesterday. Nothing is moving, but we continue to monitor. Yes, it’s a difficult plan because you don’t choose it and you don’t know how the wheel will turn. But I am still part of the lucky category in my misfortune. I have a lot of friends who went through this and who are no longer here today. »
Florent Pagny in front of the microphone: “I had a hard time”
Last August, after more than a year of silence, Florent Pagny announced excellent news on his Instagram account: “Everything is fine, over the past year I have had four checks which are good, which are stable. But after having experienced two recurrences, we know that we must not declare victory too quickly. For a few years I will have these checks, but for now: it’s good. »
Three months later, in the columns of Paris Match, Florent revealed how his cancer ultimately impacted his career: “I had a problem just recently, I hadn’t been behind a microphone for a year and I had a hard time. I said yes to Francis Lalanne – his song was good – to do a track in support of Paul Watson, and I realized that I really needed to warm up my voice. I suffered, and then the good verses like the good choruses arrived at the end of the session. But I had this little moment of doubt, where I said to myself “damn I’m getting old”. »
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An unexpected return to “The Voice”
While he had announced that he would put his career on hold to get back on track, Florent Pagny did not resist for long the desire to dive back into what he loves more than anything: music.
Faced with general surprise following the announcement of his return to one of the most watched shows on television, the singer explained: “Yes, but I like to do everything and its opposite. Only fools don’t change their minds. My friends from “The Voice” called me, and it wasn’t that stupid of them. And, the following year, I will do my 65th anniversary tour as planned, because the 60th anniversary tour, well, it collapsed. »
