TVA new life can begin for Melanie Amollo (18) and Arno Louwette (22). Thewinners of ‘Regi Academy’ look forward with confidence to the future, althoughthat is also a big question mark. “We now have to wait and see for the nextsteps, there is no pressure from Regi in any case.”
Watch below how Melanie and Arno won the ‘Regi Academy’ in a fullSportpaleis:
They had the evening of their lives this weekend. Not only were Melanie andArno elected as the new pools of Flanders’ most popular producer, they alsosang their first single in front of 20,400 partygoers in the fullestSportpaleis of all time. That has been achieved. “But I don’t have a hangover,I still had to drive home by car”, Arno laughs the day after his victory. “I’mactually not recovered yet. For now it still feels very strange anduncomfortable, I am told that that is normal.”
The same goes for Melanie. “I’m still reminiscing, but I’m also a littleconfused when I think about everything that happened to us,” it sounds.“Without a doubt my favorite moment from the show was when the three of ussang ‘Hang on’. For the first time in front of such an audience, not normal.The third finalist Hanne was also there at the time, she deserved it just ashard as we did.”
School
It’s calm before the next storm for the two. Their first single will bereleased on Thursday, ‘If I lose myself’. “We are going to present these tothe radio stations and have also planned a number of press moments,” saysArno. “After that, we’ll see what comes our way, we just have to wait and seefor the next steps. But the artist life is definitely something I dream of. Ihope I can continue to evolve and only broaden my musical path.”
Arno has been organizing his life around music for some time now. In his musiceducation training he pressed the pause button to go all out. “School has togive way now, but if I want I can take it back at any time,” says Arno. “I’mnow seeing how busy it gets, then I want to finish the lessons again.” That isalso what Melanie, a first-year law student, has in mind. “Of course you hopeyou will win, but you don’t plan your life for it. In the short term I willcombine it, but it remains to be seen what is yet to come.”
Finale Directed by Acedmy, Melanie, Arno, Hanne © JOKKO
Own numbers
Winning is nice, but it also creates pressure. “That’s right”, Arno nods. “Ofcourse you want to do it right, but I’ve also learned that not everything cango right the first time. On Saturday, for example, my sound box fell so that Icould no longer hear myself singing in front of a full sports palace.Fortunately I picked it up quickly afterwards, but moments like that are partof it. In any case, I don’t have the feeling that Regi is under pressure. Heis enthusiastic and will guide us calmly.”
Melanie, Arno, Hanne © JOKKO
Formulating their ultimate goal in music is not obvious to both of them. Afterall, Arno and Melanie have already checked the largest hall in the country.“That’s true,” Melanie laughs. “But I also write my own songs and music, whenI dream out loud, one day I’m there with my own songs.” Exactly what Arnothought. “Who knows if it will ever happen”, laughs the Limburger who broughtan entire fan base from the KSA to the Sportpaleis on Saturday. “But the mostimportant thing is that I just want to keep performing. Preferably as much as