D-Day for the Blues who dispute, this Sunday, December 18 at 4 p.m., the final of the 2022 World Cup against Argentina. The stakes are high for the French team: to win a third star, the second after their coronation of 2018 in Russia. There is therefore no doubt that the emotion will be palpable on the field during the meditation of the teams in front of the spectators to the sound of their respective anthems. For France, it is the singer Farrah El Dibany who was chosen by the President of the Republic in person to intone “La Marseillaise”.
It’s not not the first time that the Head of State requests this Egyptian artist. Indeed, he had already called on his talent to perform the French anthem on the Champ-de-Mars on the occasion of his re-election last April. “I felt a force, something very deep”recalled Farrah El Dibany with the Parisian. There is no doubt that the teams and supporters of Emmanuel Macron present that evening have–also vibrated during her performance: the 33-year-old young woman is member of the Paris Opera Academy since 2016. This mezzo-soprano is like this the first Egyptian and Arab opera singer to have joined this prestigious national academy.
⋙ PHOTOS – 2022 World Cup: Relatives of the Blues present in the stands in support
“It puts pressure on me”
However, moving from the stage of the Paris Opera to a stadium that can accommodate nearly 89,000 spectators is not an easy task for the artist: “It puts pressure on me, a lot of pressure (she laughs). But I love this. It also gives me energy and courage“she confided to our colleagues, just before embarking on the presidential plane who took him, this Saturday, December 17, to Qatar alongside the presidential couple.
Even if she admits not to be“a big fan”football, Farrah El-Dibany sees this opportunity as “a huge honor”. “It’s important for the country, for the French peoplebut also for France in the world. In addition, the World Cup takes place in my region, the Arab region“, she rejoiced in the columns of the Ile-de-France newspaper. Glad to be able“connect (his) Arab culture and that of France” the opera singer already knows that she will have“chills singing” the revolutionary anthem.This German-English-speaking Egyptian by birth indicated that she had started the administrative procedures to obtain French nationality.“I’m eligible, it’s in progress. You understand why it’s so moving for me to sing ‘La Marseillaise’”she concluded.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias.
Photo credits: Veeren -Christophe Clovis / Bestimage
Tags: World Cup Farrah ElDibany responsible singing Marseillaise Blues
