0:00:34.073,0:00:35.906
(In spoken verse) From time to time,

0:00:36.223,0:00:38.078
Would you mind

0:00:38.787,0:00:40.997
Taking me away from it all, just ...

0:00:41.469,0:00:43.453
Going to the sea, just ...

0:00:43.930,0:00:46.279
Letting it lick our feet, just ...

0:00:47.383,0:00:49.194
Pretending to forget,

0:00:49.557,0:00:53.090
Feeling every grain of sand[br]touch our palms and soles

0:00:53.114,0:00:55.736
Feeling each piece of algae[br]caress our ankles

0:00:55.760,0:00:58.164
Feeling the whole sky in our hair

0:00:59.910,0:01:01.186
Blowing.

0:01:01.210,0:01:02.441
From time to time,

0:01:02.465,0:01:04.408
Would you mind

0:01:04.432,0:01:06.187
Surprising me at a street corner

0:01:06.211,0:01:08.476
Forgetting I asked you,[br]saying I'm astonished,

0:01:08.500,0:01:09.720
Pleasantly surprised,

0:01:09.744,0:01:11.314
And after a start I jump

0:01:12.544,0:01:13.726
into your arms

0:01:14.265,0:01:19.111
And after looking deep[br]into your eyes indiscreetly

0:01:19.135,0:01:20.641
to find something,

0:01:21.708,0:01:23.601
I steal a kiss from you

0:01:23.625,0:01:27.235
to put in my pocket and keep[br]for when you're gone

0:01:27.919,0:01:30.984
And because I'd feel alone[br]with all these people around.

0:01:31.599,0:01:34.440
Then I'll take it slowly[br]in the palm of my hand

0:01:34.464,0:01:37.131
And slowly put it on my cheek, there.

0:01:38.307,0:01:39.577
See?

0:01:40.091,0:01:41.911
Can you feel how soft it is?

0:01:42.898,0:01:44.048
Can you feel it?

0:01:44.837,0:01:46.097
From time to time,

0:01:46.121,0:01:47.771
Would you mind

0:01:47.795,0:01:49.350
Carrying me on your back,

0:01:49.374,0:01:51.453
Whisking me away lightly,[br]far from the earth

0:01:51.477,0:01:53.074
Where everything is so beautiful,

0:01:53.098,0:01:55.878
Like the traces of your back,[br]like the curves of your back,

0:01:55.902,0:01:58.062
Melody of my senses,[br]you can see how I think

0:01:58.086,0:02:00.634
And my feet are so heavy[br]and my verses are so fleeting

0:02:00.658,0:02:03.089
My "if's" and my syllables[br]grind me and plow me

0:02:03.113,0:02:06.210
I leave ink footprints on the sidewalk.

0:02:06.234,0:02:08.424
So just for once,

0:02:10.465,0:02:11.781
Could you carry me?

0:02:13.600,0:02:15.040
From time to time,

0:02:15.064,0:02:18.477
Would you mind letting me caress you

0:02:19.278,0:02:20.670
With the tip of my pen,

0:02:20.694,0:02:22.152
With my fingertips?

0:02:22.544,0:02:24.232
I'll redraw your face

0:02:24.256,0:02:26.965
The way one sketches a landscape.

0:02:27.441,0:02:30.491
I'll do it on a misty day[br]to hide my emotions a little

0:02:30.515,0:02:32.054
And my "what-about-me's"

0:02:32.078,0:02:33.476
My "I's," my games,

0:02:33.500,0:02:35.777
Just for you, just for the two of us.

0:02:35.801,0:02:36.991
You know,

0:02:37.783,0:02:39.053
It's so easy.

0:02:40.172,0:02:41.886
I just have one last request

0:02:42.592,0:02:43.958
I won't keep you much longer

0:02:43.982,0:02:45.138
I just wanted to ask you

0:02:45.162,0:02:48.192
If from time to time you wouldn't mind

0:02:51.682,0:02:53.650
Saying "You and me,"

0:02:53.674,0:02:55.015
Like in the movies

0:02:55.039,0:02:56.986
saying, "We," that's all.

0:02:57.010,0:02:58.986
Saying, "You send me,"

0:02:59.010,0:03:00.184
saying, "You shake me,"

0:03:00.208,0:03:02.876
saying, "You intoxicate me,"[br]saying "You inspire me,"

0:03:02.900,0:03:05.512
Saying "you" again and again[br]at the top of your lungs

0:03:05.536,0:03:07.912
because deep in my head[br]you're overflowing.

0:03:07.936,0:03:09.852
Saying, "Your kisses burn me, carry me,"

0:03:09.876,0:03:11.027
Saying, "I like you,"

0:03:11.051,0:03:12.709
And more, yes.

0:03:14.053,0:03:15.203
From time to time,

0:03:16.228,0:03:19.149
Would you mind taking me away[br]from it all, you know, just ...

0:03:19.173,0:03:20.249
(End spoken verse)

0:03:20.273,0:03:22.073
(Singing) Going to the sea

0:03:22.869,0:03:26.853
Letting it lick our feet, just ...

0:03:28.347,0:03:30.888
Pretending to forget

0:03:32.157,0:03:37.877
For between you and me

0:03:39.155,0:03:41.275
The one I prefer

0:03:42.545,0:03:43.695
is you.

0:03:44.543,0:03:45.710
(End singing)

0:03:48.950,0:03:50.521
(Speaking) It's with those lines

0:03:51.561,0:03:54.435
that I won The French Slam[br]Championship in 2005.

0:03:54.459,0:03:55.610
It's true!

0:03:55.634,0:03:57.203
(Applause)

0:03:57.227,0:03:58.377
Thank you.

0:04:02.884,0:04:06.457
You probably weren't expecting[br]a slam champion to look like this, right?

0:04:07.259,0:04:08.568
So what is "slam"?

0:04:09.016,0:04:12.882
It's an open stage where anyone[br]in the audience can express themselves.

0:04:13.311,0:04:15.645
You have three minutes[br]to do whatever you want.

0:04:15.669,0:04:18.733
No props, music or set decoration -

0:04:18.757,0:04:21.573
just words, voice, body.

0:04:22.263,0:04:23.995
A field of free expression,

0:04:24.019,0:04:27.248
where rappers, poets,[br]storytellers, singers

0:04:27.272,0:04:29.278
or simply word lovers

0:04:29.944,0:04:33.008
can meet, share.

0:04:33.750,0:04:36.258
It's rather similar[br]to what we're doing here today,

0:04:37.226,0:04:39.874
although TEDx is not a slam scene.

0:04:40.298,0:04:44.519
It isn't! You can't come onstage[br]after me, sorry!

0:04:45.932,0:04:50.270
Well, except for the people[br]hidden backstage, waiting for their turn.

0:04:51.162,0:04:54.082
I've always been attracted to the stage,

0:04:55.186,0:04:56.601
since childhood.

0:04:57.114,0:04:58.535
I'd sing all the time

0:04:58.559,0:05:01.431
and imagine doing super-dramas[br]in costume for my parents.

0:05:02.200,0:05:05.105
I thought only other people[br]could make a living out of it.

0:05:05.129,0:05:06.438
It was a childhood dream.

0:05:07.526,0:05:09.979
Today, I'm a singer-songwriter

0:05:10.003,0:05:11.160
and performer.

0:05:11.184,0:05:12.431
That's my job.

0:05:12.455,0:05:15.955
Discovering slam at 17 was a catalyst.

0:05:16.583,0:05:18.086
That's when I realized

0:05:18.110,0:05:20.557
how I really wanted to climb onstage,

0:05:20.581,0:05:22.715
I also realized[br]I wanted to write to be ...

0:05:23.821,0:05:25.401
heard.

0:05:25.852,0:05:27.811
Suddenly everything became possible!

0:05:27.835,0:05:30.336
And when, at 20, I left everything[br]to make a record,

0:05:30.360,0:05:33.561
I wasn't afraid at all,[br]that much was clear.

0:05:33.585,0:05:37.521
Today, I refer to that time as the most[br]spontaneous summer of my life.

0:05:39.007,0:05:41.437
I released my first album in 2009,

0:05:42.331,0:05:44.751
then a second one in 2015.

0:05:45.346,0:05:49.346
Between the two releases,[br]the world of music changed a lot.

0:05:50.307,0:05:54.243
I self-produced the second album, "Une."

0:05:54.719,0:05:56.965
The songs were ready,[br]and I didn't want to wait

0:05:56.989,0:05:59.622
for a record company to decide[br]whether to produce it.

0:05:59.646,0:06:01.561
I ended up being an entrepreneur,

0:06:02.005,0:06:03.230
a ship captain.

0:06:04.499,0:06:07.746
Within that period[br]of movement, of transition,

0:06:08.633,0:06:10.530
I had to learn a new trade --

0:06:11.643,0:06:12.982
in fact, many trades:

0:06:13.006,0:06:16.566
producer, head of marketing,

0:06:16.590,0:06:19.558
project manager, community manager,

0:06:19.582,0:06:22.995
caught in a whirlwind[br]of emails, of logistics,

0:06:23.019,0:06:27.044
a flurry of goals and mandatory codes[br]that you have to follow

0:06:27.068,0:06:30.214
when you want to make a record.

0:06:31.202,0:06:32.385
Gradually,

0:06:33.815,0:06:34.980
I lost control,

0:06:36.170,0:06:39.416
forgetting that, hidden[br]under the multiple hats,

0:06:40.559,0:06:41.852
I was an artist,

0:06:43.290,0:06:45.098
first and foremost.

0:06:47.011,0:06:50.631
(Singing) All around,

0:06:50.655,0:06:55.294
thoughts dancing back and forth

0:06:57.278,0:07:03.604
All around, thoughts dancing[br]back and forth

0:07:04.755,0:07:07.226
I put them

0:07:08.663,0:07:12.267
I put them on

0:07:12.838,0:07:16.052
I put them on

0:07:18.869,0:07:20.020
my boat

0:07:21.565,0:07:23.772
I put them

0:07:25.432,0:07:29.683
I put them on

0:07:29.707,0:07:34.877
I put them onto my boat

0:07:35.766,0:07:37.092
My paper boat

0:07:38.774,0:07:41.456
And I let them sail away

0:07:42.361,0:07:43.615
(End singing)

0:07:47.985,0:07:53.485
(Applause)

0:07:54.827,0:07:56.166
My record was released.

0:07:57.065,0:08:00.422
I managed to find help,[br]partners to accompany me,

0:08:00.446,0:08:02.736
I received a lot of praise but …

0:08:04.620,0:08:05.821
something was wrong.

0:08:07.387,0:08:09.043
I felt disappointment,

0:08:10.061,0:08:11.228
frustration

0:08:12.349,0:08:13.855
and even guilt.

0:08:14.795,0:08:16.548
I felt I had somehow failed

0:08:16.572,0:08:19.011
when, at my level,[br]it was quite the opposite.

0:08:20.503,0:08:21.807
How did I get there?

0:08:23.995,0:08:25.524
I compared myself.

0:08:26.121,0:08:29.287
I constantly compared my project[br]to other people's.

0:08:30.334,0:08:32.078
I felt they managed better than me;

0:08:32.102,0:08:34.606
I was fooled by all the images of success

0:08:34.630,0:08:37.714
that you see on social networks,[br]on the Internet.

0:08:39.375,0:08:42.096
In fact, many people[br]must have thought the same about me

0:08:42.120,0:08:45.109
when visiting my Facebook page,[br]always full of good news.

0:08:46.110,0:08:47.635
We only highlight the positive.

0:08:48.078,0:08:50.171
We almost never talk about our trials.

0:08:50.195,0:08:53.298
And suddenly, we feel[br]we are the only one facing difficulties.

0:08:53.322,0:08:55.838
But of course that's not true.

0:08:57.020,0:08:58.345
We all face them.

0:08:59.954,0:09:02.877
We might be better off[br]talking about them more often, right?

0:09:03.560,0:09:06.356
Me, I never did enough.

0:09:06.929,0:09:10.752
Though I worked from morning to night[br]seven days a week -

0:09:11.688,0:09:12.971
never enough.

0:09:13.472,0:09:15.804
I spent my time on the phone[br]or on my computer.

0:09:15.828,0:09:17.649
I wasn't spending any time writing.

0:09:18.430,0:09:20.549
For me, the captain,

0:09:20.573,0:09:24.613
it was a terrible inner storm.

0:09:26.478,0:09:28.335
And a downpour.

0:09:30.556,0:09:36.696
I was - am - so proud of this album.

0:09:37.870,0:09:39.616
I loved every bit of it!

0:09:39.640,0:09:42.449
And despite that,[br]I saw my glass as half empty.

0:09:43.242,0:09:45.628
I focused on what remained to be filled,

0:09:46.312,0:09:48.343
rather than on the road already traveled.

0:09:49.391,0:09:53.232
I'd get up in the morning[br]with this question looping in my head:

0:09:56.333,0:09:57.506
What's the point?

0:09:59.111,0:10:01.395
It was time to sound the alarm

0:10:02.101,0:10:03.252
and respond to it.

0:10:04.403,0:10:09.329
At one point, I just couldn't enjoy[br]my success anymore,

0:10:10.209,0:10:12.457
even though my childhood dream

0:10:12.481,0:10:14.376
was right there, before very my eyes.

0:10:14.845,0:10:17.381
I released 2 CD’s, I won prizes.

0:10:17.875,0:10:21.395
I sang at major festivals[br]in beautiful venues like the Olympia,

0:10:21.419,0:10:23.753
took part in many wonderful projects

0:10:23.777,0:10:25.405
and above all,

0:10:25.429,0:10:27.236
I make a living out of my art.

0:10:27.260,0:10:30.203
How lucky I am![br]It should be absolute bliss!

0:10:32.456,0:10:33.842
But at one point,

0:10:33.866,0:10:39.232
I forgot who I was and why[br]I was doing all those things.

0:10:41.351,0:10:43.630
But the important thing[br]is to realize it, right?

0:10:44.766,0:10:45.931
It's normal to doubt.

0:10:46.757,0:10:48.550
It's not a straight road.

0:10:49.449,0:10:52.773
It's hectic. It's a journey.

0:10:54.423,0:10:56.282
Today, I want to look at my glass,

0:10:57.018,0:10:59.119
see it as half full,

0:11:00.184,0:11:02.278
and love this half, find it beautiful.

0:11:02.728,0:11:04.388
I want to continue to write,

0:11:04.412,0:11:06.023
cultivate my singularity

0:11:06.047,0:11:07.801
and stop comparing myself to others,

0:11:07.825,0:11:10.810
because that's what paralyzes me.

0:11:11.744,0:11:15.633
Most of all, I don't want to lose sight[br]of that one reason so fundamental,

0:11:15.657,0:11:18.535
that it's the answer every time[br]I ask, "What's the point?" -

0:11:19.785,0:11:22.248
because I love what I do[br]more than anything else.

0:11:22.272,0:11:24.633
Because I love looking for[br]the right words,

0:11:24.657,0:11:26.291
listening to how they sound.

0:11:26.315,0:11:29.113
Because I love sharing them[br]onstage with my voice,

0:11:29.137,0:11:33.339
my hands, my face and my bare feet!

0:11:33.363,0:11:34.801
Because it is vital for me

0:11:34.825,0:11:37.324
and I can't imagine doing[br]anything else with my life.

0:11:37.348,0:11:39.874
That's why I make music,

0:11:39.898,0:11:42.123
not to achieve this vision of success

0:11:42.147,0:11:44.295
that the world wants to impose on us.

0:11:46.745,0:11:47.937
I have succeeded.

0:11:49.722,0:11:52.150
And it's icing on the cake[br]if, within my words,

0:11:53.058,0:11:55.050
people recognize themselves.

0:11:55.982,0:12:01.434
(Singing) When silence screams

0:12:05.095,0:12:06.939
It becomes deafening

0:12:08.352,0:12:11.153
Tiny sounds

0:12:11.177,0:12:14.582
Become a giant's cries

0:12:15.283,0:12:19.879
Our words are compasses,[br]our guides on the ocean

0:12:19.903,0:12:22.959
Words as continent

0:12:24.760,0:12:26.775
That's what we'll keep

0:12:26.799,0:12:30.463
When the clouds speed by[br]and we can't touch them

0:12:30.487,0:12:34.570
On the tender island blue[br]impossible to land

0:12:34.594,0:12:38.560
Our words are three-masted ships[br]sailing in these clouds

0:12:38.584,0:12:40.298
Our words like sailboats

0:12:40.322,0:12:42.294
That's what we'll keep.

0:12:42.318,0:12:46.056
And when the sky weeps,[br]darkening with sobs

0:12:46.080,0:12:49.766
So the sounds, the colors,[br]get caught in the scrolls

0:12:49.790,0:12:53.673
Our words at arm's length[br]are our weapons, our torches

0:12:53.697,0:12:55.868
Our words as flags

0:12:55.892,0:12:57.408
That's what we'll keep.

0:12:57.432,0:13:01.096
When the doors are closed[br]and we're left outside

0:13:01.120,0:13:05.128
Knocking helplessly[br]with our hands, our bodies,

0:13:05.152,0:13:08.797
Our words will remain there,[br]etched into the decor

0:13:08.821,0:13:11.282
Our words like treasure

0:13:11.306,0:13:12.796
That’s what we'll keep.

0:13:12.820,0:13:16.561
When my lips are sealed[br]and I don't know what to say

0:13:16.585,0:13:20.518
When I don't know what to do but cry,[br]even though I want to smile

0:13:20.542,0:13:24.316
My words softly slide to avoid the worst

0:13:24.340,0:13:26.775
My words like sighs

0:13:26.799,0:13:28.331
That's what I'll keep.

0:13:28.355,0:13:32.600
When we'd like to keep[br]every memory, every name

0:13:32.624,0:13:36.012
To remember everything, every feeling

0:13:36.036,0:13:38.441
Words are our struggles,

0:13:38.465,0:13:41.433
Words are ...

0:13:43.920,0:13:46.486
emotion

0:13:48.949,0:13:51.412
Our words like songs

0:13:52.906,0:13:55.443
That's what we'll keep.

0:13:57.682,0:14:04.395
(Applause)

0:14:07.482,0:14:08.665
Thank you.

0:14:09.718,0:14:10.903
Thank you.

0:14:11.948,0:14:13.098
That's it,

0:14:13.638,0:14:15.166
that's all I want to keep,

0:14:15.778,0:14:17.484
this little taste of being onstage,

0:14:17.508,0:14:19.840
this need to convey with my voice,

0:14:19.864,0:14:21.516
sharing words that inspire.

0:14:21.540,0:14:24.299
It's kind of what we've done[br]together this afternoon.

0:14:26.237,0:14:28.214
That's what matters to me.

0:14:29.377,0:14:31.648
And I'm sure that you, too,[br]know the answer

0:14:31.672,0:14:33.852
to your "What's the point?" -

0:14:35.050,0:14:37.058
that one idea stronger than any other,

0:14:37.082,0:14:40.519
that will always be there to guide us[br]when we lose our way.

0:14:41.381,0:14:44.646
Mine, the work of 20 years,

0:14:45.404,0:14:47.204
my dream since I was a little girl,

0:14:47.676,0:14:49.507
I don't want to forget it anymore

0:14:49.531,0:14:52.358
or all of these victories[br]that belong only to me,

0:14:53.120,0:14:55.888
and to my path full of twists and turns.

0:14:56.795,0:14:59.069
As long as they remain,[br]I will be able to go on,

0:14:59.093,0:15:01.419
despite the doubts and obstacles,

0:15:01.934,0:15:03.640
the rough sea.

0:15:04.655,0:15:09.181
Perseverance and passion are my allies.

0:15:09.938,0:15:14.035
So let's raise our half-full glasses

0:15:15.480,0:15:19.865
and rejoice that so much room remains[br]to keep on filling them.

0:15:20.885,0:15:22.036
To us!

0:15:22.060,0:15:25.282
(Applause)