Tenor: Who is MB14, the revelation of The Voice, who became the opera singer for Michelle LaRoche?

In Tenor, on May 4 in cinemas, MB14 plays Antoine, a young Paris suburb. He studied accounting without much faith, dividing time between rap fights he trained with talent and the job of a sushi supplier.

During a Garnier Opera race, his path is crossed by Ms. Loizo (Michelle LaRoche), a singing teacher at a respected institution who discovers a talent for hatching in Antoine.

Despite his lack of lyrical culture, Antoine was fascinated by this form of expression and persuaded her to follow Ms. Loiz’s teachings. Antoine has no choice but to deceive his family, friends and the whole city, for whom opera is a bourgeois affair, far from their world.

Who is MB14?

But who is this 27-year-old comedian who calls himself MB14? A fan of rap and hip-hop MB14, whose real name is Mohamed Belkhir, became famous in the 5th season of The Voice.

The exception is the voice

According to the beatbox version of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise, the singer impresses the coaches and uses her voice as his only instrument.

The artist manages to reach the finals, finishing second in the famous TV competition behind Slieman.

First role in a movie

Adventure The Voice has allowed him to establish himself in the world of music, but MB14 is also interested in comedy. In high school he took acting courses and quickly got into acting:

“I felt really good in my place and I told myself that this is what I wanted to do my whole life! By this time I had already started rap and a bit of beatboxing, then I started singing and everything. It went on.”Trusts the neo-comedian.

“Today it’s wonderful that music brings me back to this original passion for cinema”, He adds. When he saw it on The Voice, he was spotted by director Claude Zid Jr. and producer Rafael Bennelli.

From rap to lyrical song

Then they contacted him and tried for a tenor. The lightness of the young artist immediately seduced two men. However, four years have passed since MB14 was contacted for the role and filming!

“I had this dream in mind and I was asking myself a thousand questions: would the filming end? Would I be too old for the role? Eventually another actor was chosen?”Surprised MB14, who was finally able to fulfill this dream by answering for Michelle LaRoche.

So MB14 shrugs off a lyrical song with a tenor. For many years, big fans of classical music, singers and actors have been fascinated by trying their hand at this register.

“For a long time I could not find the vocal technique of opera singing: it requires great precision at the level of the larynx, diaphragm or vocal yoga.

Thanks to the tenor, I had the opportunity to meet Carolyn Fever, a lyric singer and film advisor who helped me and gave me the keys for almost two months so that I could succeed in singing and, who knows, one day really opera. Singer! “– Says the actor.

Live songs

We find real artists around MB14 and Michelle LaRoche. It is a necessity because all the singing scenes of the film were filmed live, except for the ending, which for technical reasons MB14 interpreted in its own voice.

For example, Josephine’s character is played by Marie Operetta, who is well known in opera singing, while Roberto Alagna plays her role. In terms of rap, the EMCAL from Marseille is the first fight singer.

The tenor will be released in cinemas from May 4.