The Insane Challenge of an Auvergne Singer: Conquering the Zéniths on Tour

The Doug, singer from Clermont-Ferrand, is in full tour of the Zéniths. Between two concerts, the 22-year-old rapper confides in this series of shows where there will inevitably be a little pressure.

It’s a major tour that The Doug has just started. Since the beginning of March, the singer from Clermont-Ferrand has embarked on a tour of the Zeniths. A consecration for the 22-year-old rapper. ” I think I will stop after this tour quips The Doug. If he chose the Zéniths, it was to celebrate the release of his new EP “Mauvais Player”. After the release of his first EP in May 2022, The Doug still can’t believe it: ” A few days ago, on Spotify I was at 120,000 listeners per month. In terms of plays, for the EP, we exceeded 500,000 plays. It’s pretty cool what’s happening to me ».

Whoever cites Gorillaz, Lomepal, Bon Iver and electro music as major references has false airs of Alain Baschung when he sings. He has already had the opportunity to play in Zeniths by providing the first part of Eddy De Pretto, Bernard Lavilliers or Gaëtan Roussel. Significant experiences for the young Clermontois: “ Playing in these rooms is quite impressive at first. We play in front of thousands of people. There is pressure because we must not miss the boat. It is also a beautiful moment. When I did these first parts, I said to myself that I was capable. It’s quite reassuring ».

If the singer’s texts are poignant and his melodies catchy, The Doug shows a disarming humor. Because his Zéniths tour is a bit special: he gives concerts not in a room of 9,000 people as he has already done, but in bars that bear the same name as the prestigious enclosure. He thus began his tour in a high altitude resort bar in Les Orres (Hautes-Alpes) or in a hotel-restaurant in Caen (Calvados). A pretty farce of which he tells us the genesis: “ This idea came to us with my manager, one evening, while laughing and discussing. The idea crossed our minds and we thought we were really going to do it. We talked about it to our turner: he was super hot. We put that in place and here we go”. The Doug talks about his performances in his very special places: “The first concert was in a ski resort, in Les Orres. There were people who were there for skiing, about forty people. The second concert was in Caen, in front of around thirty people. These are small free concerts, showcases where I take the time to talk to people. It’s a bit different from the basic formula ».

For this funny tour of the other Zéniths, we had to convince the managers of establishments who were a little confused: ” There are bosses who have been called and wondered if it was not a joke. It was my turner who managed all that. He ended up telling them that it was indeed the truth. The managers were a little disconcerted by this proposal “. The Doug is quite proud of this joke: It’s funny. We’re making a documentary about it. “. A magazine headlined that The Doug would do more Zeniths this year than Beyoncé. A mischievous find that he likes. ” It’s a nice formula. I don’t know if Beyoncé is doing a lot of Zeniths this year he observes, amused. On March 22, he will sing at the bar-tabac in Etampes (Essonne), on the 23rd in a nightclub in Oudalle (Seine-Maritime) and on April 1, at the roadhouse in Saint-Jean-d’Heurs (Puy-de -Dome). These establishments have one thing in common: they are all called Zeniths.

From now on, we can wish him to fill real Zeniths: “ I think I’m not there yet. But doing the real Zeniths one day would not be bad. I don’t know if it will ever happen. It would be a good sign that this happens “. On Sunday March 12, he warmed up the Gabriel-Montpied stadium in Clermont-Ferrand before the Clermont-Lens match. A pleasant experience for the football fan that he is: ” We lost 4-0 so I’m a little disgusted. Otherwise singing at the stadium was pretty cool. There was a moment of sharing with the supporters. Even the Lensois were nice. It was a good time “. He who is so attached to the Arverne capital is gradually leaving Auvergne: ” I am moving to Paris soon. I was born in Clermont-Ferrand and the time has come to discover new horizons. I have been living intermittently in Paris for almost two years. It’s not like it was brutal. Being in Paris is easier “. A beautiful and very serious tour is underway. The Doug says: In terms of concerts, now I am accompanied by a group on the official tour. I continue to make my merry way. I’m preparing an album, concerts: the life of an artist what ».
He will notably be in concert in Lyon on Wednesday March 15 during the Champs de Mars festival or on the stage of La Sirène, in La Rochelle on March 17. The young rapper will also be featured at La Maroquinerie de Paris on April 8. The Clermontois will be able to applaud him at home on May 11, on the stage of the Cooperative de Mai. Rooms on a human scale that will one day perhaps give way to real Zeniths.