Strong evening for the 33e SOCAN Gala: after a year’s absence, approximately 100 trophies were awarded on Sunday, during an evening held at TOHU. Ginette Reno, Plume Latraverse, Jean-Pierre Ferland and Paul Piché were among the artists honored for their career, during the ceremony hosted by the drag queen Barbada.
SOCAN is not a gala like the others: the winners know that they will receive a hug when they show up. This year, the Copyright Management Society highlighted the exceptional trajectories of four outstanding figures in Quebec song: Ginette Reno received the Prix Hommage, Plume Latraverse, the Prix Excellence, Paul Piché was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Canadians and Jean-Pierre Ferland received the cultural footprint award for his song A little higher, a little further.
The presentation of this distinction was underlined at the opening of the gala, while Jeanick Fournier, winner of Canada’s Got Talent, performed this iconic song by Ginette Reno, who performed it in 1975 on Mount Royal. Saying he was “proud” and “sincerely touched” to have been chosen, Jean-Pierre Ferland offered a pre-recorded word of thanks. “I would have liked to be there, with you, but you know, a man of my age goes to bed early,” he added.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Barbada made an entry worthy of a pop star during the SOCAN Gala: she literally came down from the ceiling!
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Catherine Durand, Mara Tremblay and Marie-Pierre Arthur surround Plume Latraverse, recipient of the Prix Excellence, to whom they pay a musical tribute during the SOCAN Gala.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Banx & Ranx and Benny Adams (center) were honored for the success you will go away of La Zarra.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Jeanick Fournier, Saguenéenne who won Canada’s Got Talent, was chosen to perform A little higher, a little furtheremblematic song by Ginette Reno, recipient of the Prix Hommage.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Because we come from far away, by Corneille, becomes a SOCAN classic this year. He poses here with his wife Sofia de Medeiros.
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The next moment, the assistance was entitled to a large-scale number. The host of the evening, the drag queen Barbada, made an entrance worthy of an international pop star: she descended from the ceiling to the sound of a medley mixing Where are the womenby Patrick Juvet, then Take me of Marie-Mai and Etc. by Gabrielle Destromaisons. She led the evening briskly, daring a few salacious jokes, but above all full of liveliness.
It’s impossible to list the dozens of prizes awarded during the evening, covering all musical genres – from country to native music, electronica and screen music. Of the batch, let us underline nevertheless that given to Banx & Ranx and Benny Adams for you will go away de La Zarra, who will represent France at the next Eurovision Song Contest, and Demy & Clipz, a tandem that contributed to the mega-success Corriente, which won Bad Bunny a Grammy. Banx & Ranx has won several other awards, including the Non-Performing Songwriter Award.
Tributes
In this shower of prizes, tributes occupied the qualitative part of the evening. Julie Snyder was eloquent in her introduction to Paul Piché, inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, highlighting in particular his social sensitivity and his sense of “we”. As if to prove him right, he accepted the honor given to him by insisting on the fact that there are dozens of people working in the shadows. “We don’t do this alone,” he insisted, referring to authors, composers, musicians, stage technicians, office workers and all the others. It’s enormous the number of people who work so that we can find ourselves on stage in front of the public. »
On stage after a musical tribute by Catherine Durand, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Mara Tremblay and Martin Deschamps, Plume Latraverse received its Excellence Award with sincerity and, of course, a crooked smile. “Excellence Award, I’m not sure. I would say in my case price perseverance. As the peregrine falcon of the CAQ would probably say: to have toughed the runne so long with my old crooked songs, he said.
A song ages better than its author. It’s the grace of a song: they are made to last. Make songs. It costs less than a film and it lasts much longer. Make songs, in your language as much as possible. It keeps us alive.
Feather Latraverse
Later in the evening, it was Ginette Reno’s turn to be celebrated. SOCAN presented him with its Tribute Award. “She sang love with all her guts, she sang all her life for others”, underlined Sister Angèle, her friend, who had taken the trouble to make sugar cream with the recipe of the mother of the singer, inviting her to savor them like bites of love. “I’ve been singing for 64 years. I always sing like it’s the first time. The older I get, the more it is as if I was singing for the last time, ”she said, as if to say that she was going to continue to do so with the same passion.
The SOCAN Gala is a time for Canadian songwriters and composers to celebrate their careers and successes, especially the most enduring ones. Each year, songs that have played 25,000 times on the radio become SOCAN classics. This year : autumn tune Dashing Cowboys, Desire by Daniel Boucher focus by Ariane Moffatt, Because we come from far away by Cornelius, dream better by Daniel Belanger, Walk in Toronto by Jean Leloup Amalgam Respectable and We talk about you of Black Silence.