Singer Prisca Demarez Talks About Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon Musical Weekends at Disneyland Paris

Prisca Demarez is performing at Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon during Musical Weekends on November 2, 2024. Demarez has performed on stage in productions like Cats and Coquelicot. Her voice has also been heard in Frozen 2 as the singing voice of Queen Iduna. Ahead of her performance at Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon, she shared about her background and also what she will be performing on November 2, 2024.

How did you discover musical theater? 

Singing is such a big part of my life that I think my first cry as a baby was probably a musical note! When I was 6, I got such a thrill when I first discovered the film  West Side Story.  My parents had recorded it for me, and as I woke up before everyone else, I crept quietly into the TV room in the mornings to watch it. It had everything – songs, dance, a love story … That’s when I discovered musicals – I was completely in awe, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. 

The second big thing was visiting London with my English pen pal. It was my birthday, I was 13, and to mark the occasion they invited me to see a performance of  Les Misérables.  I cried with happiness from the very first note to the very last. And once I left the theater, I sang the whole thing at the top of my lungs. Then there was the English teacher who taught us the language through  Oliver , because he was also a fan of musicals. Not everyone in the class shared his passion, but I was thrilled. 

But since my family saw music as more of a hobby than a profession, I went a different way and became a psychomotor therapist. I worked in hospitals, with families facing difficulties. It turned out to be a wonderful experience, and I believe that’s what creates the unique, intimate bond I feel with the characters I portray.

What was your musical training like?

I started out singing in bars and hotels on Réunion Island. It was an extraordinary learning experience. Then I came to Paris where I took acting classes with Raymond Acquaviva. I’ve also had lots of singing teachers, starting with the legendary Raymonde Viret, who introduced me to my best singing friend: the diaphragm, that extraordinary muscle that supports all the notes. I’ve also worked a lot with Jasmine Roy and others. 

Then there was the musical  Avenue Q , which used puppets. It was a very instructive experience. It was as if the puppet told me: ‘I’m the character. Not you!’ That’s where I learned to give all my energy to a character. 

How did you get to be a voice artist?

Through  Avenue Q. A lot of people ask me how to become a voice artist. I tell them that you can’t just become one – you can’t do a voiceover for an actor or a singer if you’re not an actor or singer yourself. I was spotted on stage by Claude Lombard, who has sung so many theme songs for animated series and directed the singing parts of Disney classics such as  Beauty and the Beast  and  Cinderella . Meeting Claude changed my life. She really has been my ‘ Fairy Godmother ‘. She discovered that I had an ‘elastic voice’ and that’s how I became a sort of ‘on-call singer’. From then on, people came to me, saying: ‘I have a voiceover actress who can’t sing this song. She has a very special voice. Could you do it in the same tone?’ That’s how I sing Fawn’s song, who is Tinker Bell’s friend in the series  Pixie Hollow Preview , in this very high-pitched voice. And at the other end of the scale, there was Ruthless Ruth  in  Tangled: The Series , with her very deep voice. Claude saw I had all that in me!

Being a voice artist has allowed you to sing the music of some of Disney’s greatest composers, from Alan Menken to Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote the songs for  Frozen . 

It’s an enormous pleasure. But it’s also an enormous challenge! Songs like Cassandra’s in  Tangled: The Series  require extraordinary technique and were originally created for exceptional performers. When you are the voice artist, you really have to give it your all.

What is your most memorable experience as a voice artist?

The strongest emotionally was with Claude Lombard, when I discovered Queen Iduna in  Frozen 2 . I immediately fell in love with the character, the mother she is and the song. I discovered the film at the Dubbing Brothers studio where the voiceover took place. I was with Claude, Charlotte Hervieux and Emmylou Homs, the French voices of Elsa and Anna, and we cried through the whole film! 

I also love working with Magali Bonfils, who was the voice artist for Ursula in the latest film version of  The Little Mermaid . She’s also the director of a vocal art studio, and she always hires me to play the slightly mad villains, like Malvina Monroe in  Disenchanted ! She’s a wonderful director. With her, I can just go with the flow.  

How did the idea of ​​singing at  Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon  come about?

Disneyland Paris originally contacted me to perform a jazzy, glamorous repertoire, so I performed at the  Steakhouse  in Disney Village. I was accompanied by Shay Alon, my pianist partner, who is also the composer of the musical  Oliver Twist . It was a first for us. We weren’t sure how it would turn out, but in the end, we brought the house down! It was a wonderful moment that made a lasting impression, and that’s why Disneyland Paris came back to me with an offer to perform at  Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon  on 2 November. 

What have you concocted for the occasion? 

The theme will be ‘Halloween in musicals’ in the broadest sense. It’s going to be a very special program, one that’s pretty unique, bringing together the greatest songs from the Disney Villains and iconic songs from the big thrill films. I did a lot of research to find the most relevant titles. It’s been great fun, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with the audience! 

You can cover all sorts of tones and styles with a theme like that.

Absolutely. The songs range from variety to musical theater, and everyone knows them. I’m thinking about songs like ‘Turn Around’, which was originally sung by Bonnie Tyler and later used in the musical  The Fearless Vampire Killers . What’s really important for me is to tell a story through each song, and to use all the registers of my voice to do this. I’m thinking in particular of ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’, Ursula’s song, which will allow me to further explore the deep range that suits the character so well. I’ll also be singing a duet from the musical  Jekyll & Hyde . I’m performing it with Steve Setiano. Meanwhile, he’s going to have some fun with a cover of ‘Be Prepared’, originally sung by Scar in  The Lion King , and ‘Chow Down’, with me, from  The Lion King  musical. So, as you can see, it’s going to be extremely varied. 

Who are your other musical accomplishments? 

As well as Steve, I’ll be accompanied by 4 musicians who have come from some of the biggest musicals in Paris, including  The Lion King . Of course, my long-time pianist Shay Alon will be there, as well as Fred Liebert on double bass and Samuel Domergue on the drums, both of whom were in  Oliver Twist  and are now in  The Lion King , and Adam Antoniak on guitar.  

What does performing at  Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon  mean to you?

First of all, I think it’s a venue with a fabulous program and I’m really delighted to be part of it. What’s more, it’s an amazing place. The sound at Disneyland Paris is always wonderful, and the stage has fantastic technical and human support. I can’t wait to share it with my musician friends!

What do you expect from this meeting with the Disney Village audience? 

Meeting a new audience is like going on a first date. You never know if it’s going to work until you’ve had your first kiss … That’s exactly how I feel at the moment. I’ve already got butterflies – I can’t wait to be there! I don’t want it to be a concert where people just watch the show – I want a real encounter, a real exchange. I’ve even prepared some short quizzes. I want there to be interaction, I want the audience to talk to me, I want them to sing with me.

You have a deep connection to the world of Disney in general, and to Disneyland Paris in particular!

For me, Disney means childhood. Deep inside me, there’s a little girl who never grew up. Performing means that capturing child’s spirit of playing and having fun all the time. Every time I come back to Disneyland Paris, everything sings and dances inside me. I can’t help it. That’s why, for me, getting up on stage at  Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon  is pure bliss!