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Singer-songwriter and performer Zaho de Sagazan grabbed France’s attention during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games while singing Sous le ciel de Paris at the Tuileries Garden. She had also dazzled the Cannes Film Festival, delivering a stunning rendition of David Bowie’s Modern Love during the opening ceremony.
At just 24 years old, in February 2024, Zaho de Sagazan won four awards at the Victoires de la Musique for her debut album, La Symphonie des éclairs, in the categories of Original Song, Best Album, Stage Revelation, and Female Revelation. Following this exceptional moment, she delivered a powerful and moving speech: “I am very sensitive, as you can probably tell. For a long time, I considered it a flaw because it often made life difficult for me, leading to tears, anger, and many other unpleasant things. Then one day, I discovered music, and I realized that crying over my piano brought me immense relief. It didn’t hurt anyone, and above all, it made beautiful songs. I realized that what I thought was my greatest flaw in life was actually my greatest asset…” She concluded by stating: “Being sensitive means being alive. And you can never be too alive.”
What makes her so special? It’s her ability to dream and turn those dreams into action. Zaho de Sagazan writes her songs at the piano with her eyes closed, in the dark. This darkness inspires her and pushes her toward the light, not only the light of the stage but also that of recognition.
Yet, she remains grounded. She keeps on working with passion, constantly pushing her limits by performing concert after concert, skillfully balancing between shadow and light.
Her hypersensitivity and emotions are sublimated “above the clouds.” She weaves her notes and words to the rhythm of her sadness or joy. On stage, she is uninhibited. She discovers a sensuality that, she says, she doesn’t experience in everyday life. Her voice, powerful and harmonious, unfolds with intensity. Her movements are feline, raw, and unique. In her vulnerability, she is authentic and generous. She doesn’t hold back and pushes herself to the limit of her endurance.
At the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, she astonished the audience with an extraordinary performance. While covering David Bowie’s Modern Love, she removed her shoes and began spinning in white socks on the red carpet, under the curious gaze of the guests and the admiring eyes of the jury president, Greta Gerwig, toward whom she gracefully moved, smiling.
Zaho de Sagazan is a free spirit. Her freedom is expressed in her notes, her lyrics, her music, her liberated almost animalistic body movement, and her loyalty to those around her. Thus, she remains true to her essence, never straying from what is essential. Her energy is that of a powerful woman unafraid of her own strength. Eschewing societal norms without being provocative, she vibrates with sincerity, fully expressing her talent. She is always “in motion.” This inspiring artist is one of those “wild women” that psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés describes in her book Women Who Run with the Wolves: “What is in motion generally does not freeze.”
