The Voice has been a platform to find upcoming music gems, and Mennel Ibetissem was one of them. Many have performed Leonard Cohen’s famous “Hallelujah” but you’ve never heard a version that Mennel Ibitissm delivers on The Voice France.
Mennel Ibetissem, the 22-year-old gave a mesmerizing performance to the judges. Her voice was flawless and her passion could really be heard from her voice. After only completing the first line of the song, the chairs started to turn.
Mennel is a talented Frenc-Syrian Mulsin artist who makes the song unique by combining it in English and Arabic. This was a new thing for the judges and combining judges was also a real challenge for her, but her flawless voice proved every challenge to be effortless.
After singing a few verses of Hallelujah, Mennel sang the Arabic “Ya IIahi (Oh My Lord)” by Muhammad AI Husayn, the renowned Kuwaiti artist. The song was even supported by traditional instruments which enhanced the beauty of her performance.
During the end of her performance, all four of the French coaches turned their chairs. Eventually, Mennel ended up with Mika, he made her believe that she could win the competition.
However, her mesmerizing performance suddenly turned into a big controversy for wearing a turban while performing. She was questioned by the French media. The media made controversial tweets on her account, to which Mennel was forced to give a reply.
The fans found her tweets from 2016 where she expressed her criticism of France’s foreign policy. In a response to her controversy, she tweeted, “I advocate a message of love, peace, and tolerance, the proof is my choice to sing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. This song perfectly illustrates the message I want to make as an artist.”
After giving a remarkable performance in The Voice France, she made her appearance on America’s Got Talent and sang the same song “Hallelujah.”
As she started her performance on AGT, she was suddenly stopped by Simon and was asked to play another song. Mennel then sang “Say Something” by A Great Big World. The original footage of her performance isn’t shown to the audience, only the cutscenes are shown, putting the audience in commotion.
Later she stated in her Instagram that she received all four affirmative votes from the judges. Nevertheless, after her mesmerizing performance in The Voice France, she moved back to Colorado with her husband.
However, in a short period, she and her husband split up and she moved back to Paris. Since then, she has been slowly starting her musical career by posting on YouTube regularly. She has posted popular covers such as, “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele, “Halo” by Beyonce, and “Impossible by Shontelle.