Christopher, the Belgian maestro, don't forget the words, will return to France 2: I dream of becoming a radio or TV host in France.

After the return of Belgian Alessandra to the Maestro Tournament last week after a year-long break, it's now the turn of Liège resident Christopher to step up and compete against the best maestro participants of the show "Don't Forget the Lyrics" on France 2 this Saturday, April 6, 2024. Two years ago, this music enthusiast delivered a remarkable performance. With 39 victories, the young man, a former law student and now a certified host on the Belgian radio station Tipik (RTBF), managed to earn a substantial sum of 309,000 euros. Still as friendly and cheerful as ever, the young man shares his experiences and new life.

Christopher, why did you agree to participate in the Maestro Tournament in the "Don't Forget the Words" program?

Why not, I would say... I started my journey in "Don't Forget the Words" two years ago, and since then, participating in special episodes between champions has been my dream. I had this dream even before joining "Don't Forget the Words." I did my best to be among the top champions of this game. And this tournament happens only once a year, and it supports charitable organizations. I have personally supported many such organizations for a long time. Participating in a game to help charity is just wonderful. Moreover, I think playing in a team is great because it creates a good dynamic when we come together as a team for the tournament and unite with other champions against other champions. This is an event I wouldn't want to be late for. Besides, I love this game. "Don't Forget the Words" is truly a game that has held an important place in my life for several years now. For me, it was important not only to come and have fun but also, first and foremost, to come to support one or even several charitable organizations. The organizations change with each episode.

Four teams of four maestros are challenging each other. Tell us about your team.

I am playing with Margo, the biggest champion (who has already won the Maestro team league in January 2023, the Masters last October, and the latest tournament, editor's note), Charlotte, and Morjan. I already knew Charlotte since she made her way a few months ago. I hadn't met Morjan yet; this is the first time I'm meeting her in person. I followed her performances on television. I'm really excited to play with her. I got to know her better during the filming. I was the only guy in the girls' team, let's say. (Laughs.) And, to be honest, it was a wonderful team bonding experience.

Would you like to play with other people?

To be honest, I didn't have a specific person I wanted to play with. I really love all of them. They are all very strong. We've reached a stage in the game where everyone is really strong... I was very happy with my team.

Is there a maestro that you fear?

Many of them are really strong. I think each of them has their own strength, and of course, when you come in and have to play against the Maestro, you immediately feel the fear of playing against him. Now, here, the dynamic is different because we are playing as a team. The fact that we are a team means that not everything falls solely on us. They all intimidated me in their own way. I got to know each of them and understand their strengths. Our team is really good. It's great that we complement each other. Some have more knowledge in certain areas than others. So the fact that we complement each other is good for me, and in the end, I don't feel stressed. Ultimately, if we lose, it's not a big deal.

Tell us about the challenges this season.

As for the challenges that have already taken place in previous tournaments, there are still songs that all four of us sing as a team. These are songs played between matches. There’s a task with missing words, meaning a song plays and everyone has to fill in the missing words. There’s also a "trap in the song." Incorrect words appear on the screen, and they need to be corrected. You have to look at the words, read them, and at the same time correct and name the right ones. It’s really not an easy challenge. And, of course, there’s always a relay song. As the name suggests, we need to pass it to each other, which is quite a challenging stage. Because we have light indicators, red and green, and you need to be very focused since the light changes every time. If you sing instead of someone else when it’s not your turn, you immediately lose. And, of course, there’s also a betting song, where one of our team members is chosen as the maestro, and someone has to go and sing a song, while the other team members have to ask him to reach a minimum number of words. The assigned maestro, for example, has to say 200 words to earn points. Among other challenges, we had to sing songs whose titles we didn’t know... We had neither the melody nor the title, and when the orchestra started playing the first notes, we would find out what the song was. This challenge was very fun.

What was your goal for this year?

To be very honest, I wanted to win the tournament before participating in it. I spent a lot of energy before the tournament; I worked really hard because I wasn't satisfied with myself last year. We lost, and I made a silly mistake in a song I knew well. I was really disappointed, and this year I overcame my disappointment. I didn't want to disappoint myself anymore. I really wanted to win this tournament. After all, I know it doesn't depend only on me, but on the whole team. But the main goal was to have fun. But to be honest, I really worked hard to go as far as possible in the tournament.

So, how did you prepare for the Maestro Tournament?

I worked like crazy because I really wanted to go as far as possible, as this charity event is very important to me. Since I started preparing for this show, I've been listening to music on public transport, waiting for the bus or train, in waiting rooms, or even at home. Whenever I have a free minute, I listen to a lot of music. French music is a pleasure for me. Even when the show ends, if it ever does, I will continue to listen to French music because I enjoy it. Besides the show, listening to this music is my passion, just like discovering new songs. I always update my playlist. As soon as new tracks come out, I listen to them... And if there are tracks I don't know while watching the show, I write them down in my notebook. For me, it's not much work; it's always a passion, and I don't see it as extensive repetition. Besides that, for this particular tournament, a few days before it, I took my notebooks and worked hard on them to try to memorize as many songs as possible. To know them from the first to the last word. I'm trying to strengthen my knowledge...