Soleil Launière
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Soleil Launière
Who ?
A multidisciplinary artist, Soleil Launière is a director, actress, dancer and, of course (and above all), a singer. Originally from the Mashteuiatsh Innu community, established in Montreal, she wishes through her art to “give a voice to those who are less heard.” “The project involves a lot of reappropriation of the language and wants to show what it is to be indigenous, with all the multiple faces that that includes. » The one who sings in French and Innu-aimun discovered her writing while studying at the National Theater School. She felt that she first had to better understand herself as a writer, find her direction, before fully launching into music. This is now clearly the case and here she is now as the first indigenous artist in the Francouvertes final.
The course
If she considers that the disciplines are made to coexist (and even that it is a decolonizing act to make them live together), Soleil Launière also explains that music has been part of her life for longer than the rest. “I took a singing lesson when I was 17 or 18 and I learned at that time that I was capable of singing,” she says. It’s like that’s what opened me up to the arts in general. I tried lots of things, lots of formats. » She didn’t really know about the Francouvertes, but when she was advised to register, the one who describes herself as “someone not very competitive” was delighted to be able to give a showcase and make indigenous voices heard in this context.
The music
Soleil Launière’s musical project allows her “to write this [qu’elle a] always wanted to sing.” More confident in her writing (thanks to theater in particular) and in her instinct, she has managed to build a repertoire, a musical identity. Alternative pop music songs in soul and roots tones, she appears on stage with the musicians of CHANCES and Simon Walls. Last October she released the album Taueuwhere she addresses territory, gender identity, femininity and matriarchy.
The following
She will say it several times during our conversation: what matters for Soleil Launière is to do this project and to move forward in this musical adventure by welcoming everything that happens to her “with an open heart”. Without forcing anything, always being grateful, carried by her process of reappropriation of cultural identity and language. Having just returned from a showcase in Colombia before the Francouvertes final, she stopped on Sunday for the Santa Teresa festival and will take her show to many cities in Quebec over the coming months, notably thanks to prizes won at the Francouvertes. “We take the wave, we see where it takes us,” she said. With my director, we have lots of ideas for the sequel, we take each thing in its time and we live it all to the fullest. »
Extract of Two Spiritby Soleil Launière
Sensei H
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Sensei H
Who ?
Born in the south of France, arrived in Quebec in 2015, Sensei H presents rebellious and hard-hitting rap. The young MC discovered writing as an outlet. “I come from an immigrant family from Algeria, therefore relatively poor, and my parents had the ambition for their children to be educated. It started with music lessons. For me, it was the piano, and I really liked it. But rap came along and it was music that I wasn’t necessarily allowed to listen to when I was young. But I really got the bug. » By rapping, Sensei H constructs something personal, which belongs to him. “It’s my way of discovering myself. »
The course
Rap for Sensei H (real name Sirine) started with stories, then poems. She then started writing verses once she arrived in Rimouski, meeting other artists and participating in freestyles. “It became more serious over time, but really in a natural way,” she says. I needed what I was doing to exist, so I started releasing music pretty early. » Even though she was continuing her studies at the time, she had “an ambition to finish an album, to make it go as far as possible and to develop a career”. Sensei H already has a lot of experience on stage, but for her, the Francouvertes come at the perfect time. “It makes a big difference to receive feedback from people. In performance, we [n’a pas de retour]. The competition gives me the need to improve with each show. It’s powerful. »
The music
Influenced by the era of French rap that began in the mid-2000s, Sensei H combines on stage in Verona (double bassist for the Quebec Symphony Orchestra) with the double bass and the MPC1000, offering a minimalist energy as a duo which sometimes becomes explosive. The rapper now based in the nation’s capital explains that her rap shows the deepest aspects of her personality and experiences. His inspirations (notably the group Sniper) color his rap, which has continued to evolve since his beginnings as a teenager.
The following
“Even before being selected for the Francouvertes, I had an album ready,” confides the MC. She wanted to “experience the competition properly”, but intends to bring this record to life in the fall. “This album is the result of eight years of work, I feel that I have a product that suits me, that shows my vision. I’m happy to be able to release it in the right conditions. I am grateful. For all the years I told myself that I found it long, now I’m happy that it’s happening, that it’s hatching. »
Extract of A long timeby Sensei H
Loïc Lafrance
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Loïc Lafrance
Who ?
Launched into self-production during the pandemic, Loïc Lafrance already has an album (The world of adults) and an EP (Theater/Violence) to his credit. He first came into contact with music… by playing Guitar Hero, the “best game in the world”, when he was young. “I wasn’t even good with the real guitar,” laughs the colorful singer-songwriter. But I rejected it when I was in CEGEP, I had a first musical project [à l’époque]. » Since then, he has experimented on his own, recorded his records in his home studio (his room in Saint-Sauveur, in Quebec, where he has been based for several years) and carried his musical project with rock accents to the Francouvertes.
The course
Having grown up with the great Quebec classics (Leloup, Harmonium) that his music-loving parents made him listen to, he moved away from them when he decided to create his own songs. At the age of 22, Loïc Lafrance says he is happy to have arrived at the Francouvertes “at the right time”, while he feels “on his X”. He has already participated in a few competitions, including an audition at The voice (“Can we say that it’s a competition?”). He knows how to bring his project well to these environments where it is necessary to present himself and make his essence understood to the public quickly, he says, confident in what he has in his hands.
The music
In his music, we hear his frustration with the system, on maximalist sounds inspired by 1970s rock. His true first loves, the visual and performing arts, with which he intends to reconnect in the future, give him the inspiration for his stage presence. Both in concert and in his recordings, Loïc Lafrance allows himself to be who he wants and that is what makes him strong.
The following
“For the next album, this time, I’m going to want someone from outside to produce. Julien Mineau, from Malajube, will take on this role. I want to take a more rock, more grunge direction, it will be more intense,” describes Loïc Lafrance. This is how he sees the future: with clarity and ambition. “It’s good timing, the Francouvertes,” he adds. I think the identity of the project is well defined, but I don’t have too many things released yet. I know where I want to go, so I have a clear idea of what’s coming in the future. » Shows are planned all summer and Loïc Lafrance feels the wind in his sails.
Extract of Theater/Violenceby Loïc Lafrance
The grand final will take place this Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Club Soda.
The winner will walk away with the $15,000 SiriusXM scholarship.
Spokespersons Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Thierry Larose will deliver a short performance before the final.
Visit the Francouvertes website