Sensei H
Soleil Launière, a multi-disciplinary artist from Mashteuiatsh, walked away with the grand prize of the SiriusXM Grand Finale of the 2024 Francouvertes, including the $15,000 SiriusXM cash prize – and made history, as the first Indigenous artist to win the showcase competition, on May 13, 2024, at Club Soda in Montréal. The Francouvertes rules were changed in 2022 to welcome artists singing in Indigenous languages.
Spokespersons Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Thierry Larose kicked off the event by jointly offering a fine selection of songs, before yielding the stage to the finalists of the 28th annual edition. Launière then offered the audience an intense performance in Innu that was imbued with the trauma endured by her community.
Loïc Lafrance
Sensei H, a charismatic and spontaneous rapper, followed with her dense, danceable, groove-oriented rap, which earned her a second-place finish. Third place went to the casual rock ‘n’ roll of Loïc Lafrance, who won several other awards at the end of the evening, including the Andréanne-Sasseville People’s Choice Award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize.
The SOCAN Paroles & Musique Award went to Le Belladone, in recognition of the quality of her songwriting. She was awarded a cash prize of $1,000 during the semi-finals. During the preliminary round, the SOCAN Foundation awarded LeBlaze a $2,000 cash prize to create the theme song for the 2025 edition of the Francouvertes. SOCAN was present throughout the contest as the presenting partner of the “J’aime mes ex” series that features former Francouvertes contestants as opening acts for each show. Eric Parazelli, Editor of Paroles & Musique and Francophone Communications Manager for SOCAN, was a member of the jury for the Grand Final on May 13, 2024.
For the complete list of the prizes presented to the 2024 finalists, visit the Francouvertes website. SOCAN congratulates Soleil Launière for her historic victory, and wishes her a long and fruitful career.