Ange-Élie Ménard, 17, won his duel against Simon McGrath, 32, at The voice Sunday night.
Despite his talent, the Quebec rocker was not chosen by France D'Amour, who preferred the young woman from Kanata, Ontario. And no coach has “stolen” the handsome chef, which is quite surprising given his talent.
Ange-Élie Ménard and Simon McGrath during their duel. “PHOTO PROVIDED BY TVA”
For Ange-Élie, who almost did the show with her mother, this is material to develop her self-confidence, a self-confidence that continues to strengthen her throughout her various experiences in the world of entertainment. Before the TVA singing competition, her sweet and strong voice shone in the musical Annie and in the show Décembre by Quebec Issime, and also allowed her to win first prize at the Saint-Ambroise Song Festival in 2023.
“By doing things, you develop your confidence,” the teenager said with wisdom that honors her. You have to listen to yourself, trust yourself and repeat to yourself that you know what you are doing, that you are ready. It was with this state of mind that I entered La Voix. Through practice and this affirmation, I tell myself that it could work and that all of this increases my confidence.
“To be honest, I've always been a very reserved person when you meet me, but when I get used to other people, I become an extrovert. When I started with Annie I was so embarrassed. The members of the production helped me get out of my situation [coquille] and when I arrived in La Voix I felt confident. I managed to boost my confidence by doing a lot of things.”
During rehearsals, Ange-Élie and Simon made France D'Amour cry while singing the song “I still think of you,” about the loss of a loved one who was thinking of their late father. The coach praised Ange-Élie's ability to carry an emotional charge, describing her as a “mixture of innocence and experience,” adding: “With that little girl there, we're not at the end of our emotions yet.”
“It touches me very much that she says that,” said Ange-Élie. It is one of my great challenges and my goal is to convey the emotions and that France is proud, that really touches me.”
“PHOTO PROVIDED BY TVA”
Ange-Élie also thought about someone she had lost. “You have to relive these more difficult moments to fully convey the emotions to the public. It's a big challenge. I thought about certain people, I thought about certain events, but I prefer to keep that to myself,” she said.
Ange-Élie will move into her first apartment in the spring. She won't be far from her parents as she will live next door to the new house the family bought in Boucherville, south of Montreal. She's looking forward to settling down, as her father's job with the Canadian Armed Forces has meant they have moved 11 times in the last 13 years.
Because of her proximity to the metropolis, Ange-Élie would also like to find an agent and regularly audition for musicals or other projects.