Are there a lot of competitions in Quebec? Maybe. But there was no Mouffe award, a brand new boost to emerging French-speaking singers whose creation the Outremont Theater announced this Thursday.
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
“I already wrote a song called Miss Pepsi “says Mouffe on the phone, as if evoking an obscure piece of Quebec musical heritage. “The song said: “I run the competitions, it seems that I have everything for it.” This is what is happening in Quebec. It’s all a popularity contest. »
Popularity is the exact opposite of what the Mouffe Prize will celebrate, an initiative of Théâtre Outremont, on whose board of directors the legendary lyricist, director and cast member of L’Osstidcho.
Instead, the award will be given to an emerging Canadian artist who writes, in French, songs that stand out for the quality of their lyrics.
If she was the muse of Charlebois, Claudine Monfette has since become the mentor of many cohorts of singer-songwriters, to whom she regularly opens the doors of her knowledge, during workshops and training. It is therefore logical that the winner of the Mouffe prize, chosen following a call for applications, will not only win $10,000 and an opportunity to play in the spotlight of Outremont, but will also be able to take advantage of the informed view of three mentors (staging, production and distribution of shows).
“Words are my best friends”
Mouffe wanted the prize that bears her nickname to be awarded to an artist who chose the language of Louise Forestier. “The French language has been dear to me for centuries”, jokes, as she ages a little, the 77-year-old designer.
Words are my best friends, because they have several meanings, several floors, they never end. I will never feel alone or abandoned as long as I have the words of the French language.
Muffle
And what is a good song, according to the author ofOrdinary and Mrs Bertrand ? “It’s a song that delights the mind as much as the ear, that recalls an emotion that is universal. It’s a common denominator, it’s the arrow that hits its target right in the heart. But it is also a craft item. It’s made by a human. People think it’s easy, write a song, because you hum it, but no, you learn it, like you learn to build a chair. »
The call for applications for the Mouffe prize will be launched in September and the first winner, known in January 2023. But does Mouffe still write songs?
“No, no one calls me about that anymore. And if a young musician made the big request? “If it’s someone I’d like to hear my words from, yes, why not? »