Roch Voisine is beginning the last lap of his series of “Americana light” shows, which he has been performing for 10 years now.
The singer and his few musicians will stop, for the last time in the metropolis, with this show, adapted and modified over the years, at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
After a tour of festivals this summer, and those in Europe, planned for spring and autumn, the singer-songwriter wants to move on, settle down a bit and try a new creative project, without knowing for when it will be.
In the musical landscape for almost 40 years, the artist however indicated that he would probably no longer record a complete album of about fifteen songs.
The music industry being in full transformation, the way of working in the medium has changed a lot, creating a downright new mode of selection and an overabundance of artists – many of whom are struggling to survive. And it is not without confusing the big sellers of records like him, confided Roch Voisine in an interview with the QMI Agency.
“We no longer earn our living in the same way, the business model has completely changed. You always have to find a way to adapt if you want to continue to exist,” he said.
“No one buys records anymore. And even at the level of online listening, there is almost no source of income on that side, despite what the digital distributors say. […] Royalties don’t necessarily go to the right people,” he continued, recalling that the value of music has not changed despite new forms of monetization that reduce artists’ earnings.
The singer, who has released 30 albums during his career – including 23 of original music – in both English and French, struggles to imagine how an artist could reproduce this kind of feat today. According to him, before sharing new songs, artists must now “think concept, think multimedia and think partnerships”.
“It can kill your creativity if you’re too aware of it. Usually that’s us old people. It gives us a nasty punch in the ribs. While when we are young, we have the fire or we are less [préoccupé par ça]”, he added.
For the singer of “Hélène”, it is the return of the pendulum of the 1990s – the El Dorado of the record – which takes place, and it is not without recalling the era of the 45 rpm when we offered one song at a time, and then the album would complete the concept. In this regard, Roch Voisine does not exclude the possibility of returning with mini-album projects, or even a new sound.
“Americana” 10 years and a little later
Presented in acoustic format, without drummers, in theaters since the pandemic, the “Americana Light” show unfolds in an intimate environment while combining the classics of the genre.
“There is a very conversational side, the stories, the arrangements have been redone and adapted; it is necessarily more intimate, but it is also surprising, ”described Roch Voisine in an interview.
“After 10-15 years [à présenter le même spectacle], as an artist, we take more risks and we rearrange the songs in a new light. As we don’t have the same kind of band, it’s not the same presentation. It’s less predictable and for us and for people there’s a little side that’s more stimulating,” he added.
Roch Voisine will be at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal from Wednesday to Friday for the last time with “Americana Light”.