Credits: Kapeksas / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
Patricia Kaas, a star of French pop, is back in the spotlight after an eight-year absence. She joins the jury of the 14th season of The Voice on TF1, alongside Zaz, Vianney, and Florent Pagny. This new adventure marks a decisive turning point in a career filled with successes, tragedies, and an unrelenting search for self.
An Anticipated Media Comeback
When she agrees to join The Voice, Patricia Kaas knows she is taking on a new generation that may not know her. "Will the talent want to come to me?" she wonders. But her charisma and unique voice end up winning over several contestants. "It might motivate me to get back in the spotlight," she says, raising hopes for a future album.
This coaching role is also a chance for her to reveal a lighter side of her personality. "The Patricia you see on The Voice is the woman I am in real life," she explains, far from the melancholy image of Mademoiselle chante le blues.
An International Career And Meteoric Success
Patricia Kaas is not just a star in France. By the late 1980s, she had conquered Europe, Russia, and even Asia. Her album Je te dis vous (1993) sold three million copies in 47 countries. She sings in French and English on it, including a cover of James Brown’s It’s a Man’s World. She also collaborates with Chris Rea on Out of the Rain and Ceux qui n’ont rien. In 2002, she tries her hand at film with And Now… Ladies and Gentlemen, directed by Claude Lelouch, where she stars alongside Jeremy Irons. A role as a jaded jazz singer that lets her explore another side of her talent. If the film was not a major success, it remains a notable milestone in her career.
A Necessary Break To Find Herself
After 30 years of touring and success, Patricia Kaas feels the need to take a break. "I needed to get to know the woman I had become," she says. Fatigue, pressure, loneliness: she steps back to refocus. "That sense of peace I found, I’d also like people to feel it in my future songs," says the singer, who chose not to have children. She is leaving the door open for a new album. "I’m in the studio, I’m working," she says.
A Past Marked By Trials
If Patricia Kaas is an accomplished artist, her path has been marked by pain. Her mother’s death in 1989, while she was at the height of her rise, deeply shook her. "My first tour was a way to escape my grief," she writes in her autobiography L’Ombre de ma voix.
She also went through romantic disappointments. In 2008–2009, she had a brief relationship with Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, which influenced her pursuit of perfection. But recently, tragedy struck Alléno: his son Antoine was killed in 2022. Patricia Kaas, though long separated from the chef, who remained her friend, was affected by the tragedy.
A Little-Known Connection With Gérard Depardieu
In a recent interview, Patricia Kaas revisits an overlooked episode in her career: her connection with Gérard Depardieu. At the start of her career, he financed her first 45 rpm single, Jalouse, in 1985. But this help came at a price: "It cost me a lot of money because there was a repayment to make from the sales of my albums," she reveals. A glimpse behind the sometimes harsh scenes of the music industry.
A Life Under Close Watch
Patricia Kaas also makes headlines for where she lives. As a guest on Quotidien, she reveals that she lives in an ultra-secure neighborhood, across from the Élysée Palace. "I’m super protected, sometimes a little too much!" she jokes. A luxury that comes with limits: "Taxis don’t drive past my place, and after 8 p.m., if I want to have someone over, they have to be put on a list!"
A Promising Future
With The Voice, Patricia Kaas reconnects with the public and rediscovers the pleasure of passing on her experience to a new generation. Does this TV comeback signal a musical return? Time will tell. But one thing is certain: after eight years away, the sublime Patricia Kaas has not had her final word yet.