You have proven, with your imitations of the greatest vocal singers, that you have exceptional vocal skills. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career in singing with your own voice?
Hélène Grégoire
[Rires] It’s funny that some people forgot that I used to be a singer! But at the same time, since I opened for Celine Dion’s shows [au Centre Bell en 2008 et 2009]the career as an impersonator took over.
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Véronic DiCaire opening for Céline Dion’s show at the Bell Center in 2009
During your youth in Embrun [en Ontario]were you more into French-speaking pop culture or English/American pop culture?
François Bertrand
French pop. Entirely. French-speaking culture has always rocked me. It was only as a teenager that I perfected my English. Otherwise, not at all. In sixth grade, our teacher asked us to talk about a singer, a music group or a public figure in front of the class. All my friends took Tiffany, Debbie Gibson or Samantha Fox. I chose to give a presentation on Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge! Because I really liked it The Tomcat and I was super impressed. I had looked The cheeky one with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bach and Bottine with Mahée Payment, The tuque war… I was fascinated to see that a child could do this job.
What was your first imitation?
Monica C.
It was Marie Carmen, during a sound check before a show with friends. I had resumed Between shadow and light, which was the song of the hour at the time. It was only to make the people around me laugh, to have fun.
Have you ever considered doing a job other than an artistic one?
Maria da Ponte
Yes. It was at school. When we were pressed to make a career choice, I chose nursing. It’s a profession that had always fascinated me, because my mother was a medical secretary. And I often went to join her at work after school. And my big fun was leafing through medical encyclopedias to find diseases. The medical field intrigued me a lot, but I was lucky. I had hyper-vigilant teachers and when they saw that I had chosen the science path, they said: “Stop! » They told me to go into the arts… They told me to get my high school diploma, but then I should pursue a career in music. They told me to go live my dream. It helped me a lot. I talk about it today and I still get chills.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Véronic DiCaire at the ADISQ Gala in 2002
Is there a singer you can’t imitate?
Lucie Poulin
I move away from singers who rap or sing too fast, like Nicki Minaj. It’s not something that appeals to me. When I started working on imitations for my show in France, I wanted to do Diam’s, but it didn’t work out at all. So I decided to do Mireille Mathieu who sings Young lady.
When you do a show of impersonations of personalities, do you have to have their consent?
G. Rondeau
No. There are broadcast rights and all that, but I don’t have to get their agreement. Luckily for everyone, what I’m doing is a show that pays homage…with a few teasing winks. I ask myself the same question for each singer I imitate: would I be able to imitate it in front of her? If so, I’ll keep the number. This is also what happened to Lara Fabian, Isabelle Boulay, Lynda Lemay and Shania Twain! For Shania Twain, it was [Las] Vegas. I was supposed to start my act on stage on the right side, but she was seated in that section. And I was much too shy to imitate it in front of her! So I changed sides. I went all the way to the left. And the lighting guy was like, “What the hell is she doing?” » [Rires]
When you meet a singer like Celine Dion and interact with her, does that influence the way you imitate her afterwards?
Maryse Lariviere
Absolutely. It’s a treat, having extra, seeing the gestures, seeing the facial expressions… Same thing for Isabelle Boulay. My eyes are wide open. I observe a lot. It’s stronger than me ! I worked alongside Diane Lavallée during the filming of Sisters-in-law this autumn. In the evening, with Rémon [Boulerice, son imprésario et conjoint], when I told anecdotes that involved Diane Lavallée, I took her voice. Rémon said to me: “Well, let’s see! You speak like Thérèse in The little life ! ” But it’s stronger than me ! These are vocal ranges that are so particular. I do not have a choice !
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GESCA
Véronic DiCaire on stage in 2019
Which impersonator impressed you the most?
Francois Desrochers
Michaël Gregorio is a bit like my male counterpart in France. Both of us are very musical. We have a band. We are different from Laurent Gerra, who is more political, for example. In Quebec, Jean-Guy Moreau was fantastic. I also worked with his niece on Funny things about Veronica. Once, she came to me and said: “We know that in our family, imitations. And my uncle would have really liked what you do. » It touched me so much, because Mr. Moreau is one of the first imitators in Quebec.
Véronic DiCaire continues her show tour in Quebec. Broadcast TVA Masked singers Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Our sisters-in-law will be released in theaters on July 11, 2024.