A coffee with Marie Denise Pelletier | Under the skin of Marie Denise Pelletier

Between tour shows For a one night stand And Christmas, a tradition in song, Marie Denise Pelletier found the time to record an album containing original material. In February, the singer will begin a long tour intended to mark 40 years of career. Meeting with an artist who is diving into the year 2024 while being very proud of the progress she has made.

In the song Under my female skinwhich gives the title to her new record, Marie Denise Pelletier says: “I sang love to you/Without net or fanfare/I gave myself naked/As we receive love”.

These words show the importance that music took in the life of this woman who experienced a long journey before finding a certain fulfillment. “I realize today that singing has been my best therapy,” she told me at a table at the Café Cherrier, where she arranged to meet me. It helped me become a better person. It’s been a long road, but today I tell myself it was worth it. »

The “long road” to which she refers was made up of a thousand things. From a long “analysis”, personal growth workshops and, for around fifteen years, meditation. “Meditation gives me inner calm. We take the time to drop things off. I feel like I’m cleaning. »

Marie Denise Pelletier savors today what allowed her to “settle a lot of things”, things on which she does not wish to dwell. “You know, when you don’t have a lot of love for yourself, you tread water. However, I had one goal, and that was to sing. That’s what helped me. »

Young, Marie Denise Pelletier was a gifted child. School bored her since nothing went fast enough for her. Added to this was ADHD. This cocktail made her a “queen of procrastination”. She quickly discovered that she didn’t have to work hard to get good grades.

In addition, she received from her father and mother, both singers, the gift of an exceptional voice with a wide range and extraordinary power. Young Marie Denise is therefore a talented singer, but lazy.

From “queen of procrastination”, Marie Denise Pelletier becomes “ultra-organized girl”. “I have worked with great teams, but the boss, it’s always been me. My first manager once told me that I needed to learn how to count and read contracts. I remembered that. »

Marie Denise Pelletier’s career got off to a flying start: the Granby song festival in 1982, then Starmania, the first radio successes, the tours, the TV shows… Everything happened very quickly. “When I was young, it irritated me to be too busy. I had trouble dealing with that. »

Looking back, the artist recognizes that, without playing the great diva, she was sometimes “stiff” at the start of her career. “Those who worked around me were fine. They knew how to handle me. But I wasn’t obvious to others. I wanted to control everything, because I didn’t trust. »

She remembers a show on the Plains of Abraham where a stool had to be removed between two songs. “I turn around and see that the stool is still there. I took it and threw it backstage. My agent had to push himself to avoid getting it on the head. It was my most heavy duty gesture “, she said, laughing.

An act of bravery

Those who have seen Marie Denise Pelletier perform in recent years have noticed that the singer’s voice has lost none of its beauty or vigor. But contrary to what one might imagine, the singer is not the type to vocalize for three hours to keep her organ in shape.

“It’s a myth, that!” The best thing you can do for your voice is to let it rest. When I go on tour, I enter into religion. »

The singer has adopted a healthy lifestyle to protect this treasure that she carries within her. “At 20, I stopped drinking and smoking. I try to keep myself in shape. I left the city for the countryside [elle vit dans les Laurentides]. I find my balance there. I love silence. I don’t need to listen to music, because it always lives in me. »

After recording 150 songs and selling nearly 600,000 records, Marie Denise Pelletier wanted to make a record of original songs, a true act of bravery in 2023. For someone who lived through the era of vinyl, then CD and now streamingthis production took on great importance.

A performer’s talent is largely based on their ability to find good material. For this new record, Marie Denise Pelletier had the lucky hand: Michel Rivard, Claude Gauthier, Martine Pratte, Marc Chabot, Daniel Lepage, Marc Séguin, Catherine Major, Moran, Louis-Jean Cormier, Robert Charlebois, Corey Hart, Stéphane Blanchette , Sylvie Paquette, Norman Racicot, Claude Pineault… Only people she loves.

Love at 55

On this record, a lot of songs are about love. And for good reason, it is inspired by the one who entered the heart of Marie Denise Pelletier eight years ago. Normand, a Madelinot, was introduced to him by a friend during a blind date. “My friend Lucie told me that he didn’t know and she told him that I didn’t know. Except that all the inhabitants of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine knew that we were going to meet. That said, Lucie was right. »

The one who likes to say that she has a “PhD in heartbreak” still can’t believe she found love at 55. “I had given up and was ready to spend my life alone. I had known too many unhappy stories. For a long time I had the syndrome of the girl who wanted to save her boyfriends. That said, I still had some great stories, including one that lasted 11 years. »

Marie Denise Pelletier is aware that she is a source of inspiration for people who find themselves alone in their fifties. “A heart is alive until death,” she said. My father experienced his last heartbreak at 83 years old. »

The last few years give the impression that Marie Denise Pelletier has always been very present in the public eye. This is not entirely the case. “I have always worked, but there have been ups and downs. That said, I’m not bored if I’m not singing. I have a life alongside that of the singer. I have a family, there are children around me, even if I didn’t have any. In the summer, I become a summer camp counselor. I live in the present moment. In fact, I am aware of how lucky I am. »