Michel Rivard won the Félix Award for the Show of the Year – Singer-Songwriter, for L’origine de mes espèces, during the Sunday night ADISQ gala in Montréal, on Oct. 27, 2019. Interviewed afterward, he said he was happy to be recognized for such an intimate stage show, and how he had to be vigilant in order to ensure that the story, based on his childhood, didn’t come across as a therapy session. He confided that he found that experience so special and stimulating that he doesn’t think he’ll go back to a regular “song recital” format for his future shows.
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard
ADISQ 2019: Alaclair Ensemble wins Rap Album of the Year
Story by Eric Parazelli | Friday November 1st, 2019
This year was quite an auspicious one for rap in Québec, and the musical quality of the nominees in that category at the ADISQ Gala on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, offered living proof. Any one of FouKi, Koriass, Loud, Souldia, and Alaclair Ensemble could have won, and no one would have argued against it. But in the end, the members of Alaclair Ensemble walked away with the Félix for the Album of the Year – Rap, for their album Le sens des paroles. They fine-tuned the lyrics and production of this latest album a lot more than their previous ones, as KNLO and Eman explained when SOCAN met with them in the press room. They also commented on the 100% rap opening number of the gala, and said they believe Québec rap is now completely de-marginalized, and is dominating current popular culture.
Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard
ADISQ 2019: Fred Pellerin wins Folk Album of the Year
Story by Eric Parazelli | Wednesday October 30th, 2019
Fred Pellerin has a new Félix Award to place on his mantlepiece after winning Folk Album of the Year for Après at the ADISQ gala, held Sunday night, Oct. 27, 2019. The trophy, however, won’t sit there right away; Pellerin promised to share his victory with his entire village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, and hand-delivered the statue to his local post office on Monday morning so everyone could enjoy the victory. When we met with him in the Gala press room after his acceptance speech, the artist said he was grateful for his enduring career, and still being appreciated by the ADISQ voting members and the general public. He also explained why he asks collaborators, such as David Portelance, to help with his lyrics – despite being a renowned author and storyteller himself.