Hubert Lenoir was awarded the SOCAN Songwriting Prize on Tuesday for his play Secret after a public vote.
The singer caps the finish line of other rising stars of Quebec song, such as Les Louanges, Clay and Friends or Lou-Adriane Cassidy, who were also in the running for this pan-Canadian prize rewarding emerging French-speaking songwriters. The list of nominees, released to the public earlier this month, was determined following a lengthy process by two groups of experts, who are not affiliated with the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada ( SOCAN).
The song Secret, for which Hubert Lenoir won the prize, is about unrequited love. “I would like to talk to you about my feelings that I feel in secret / Dance around me to multiply the massacre that you are doing / But I know that you don’t play these games / Condolences to all those who are like me”, sings Hubert Lenoir in the chorus. A very personal story, in this case, tells the 27-year-old singer-songwriter, who says he was inspired by an impossible love affair he had with a boy in high school.
“I remember coming up with the idea for the music quite quickly, but it took a little longer for the lyrics. I first had the idea for the phrase “Condolences to all those who are like me” and the rest of the text came later. It’s crazy when people sing that phrase in show ! I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve written in my life,” he concluded as he prepared to take the Bell stage at Les Francos on Tuesday.
Secret, which Hubert co-wrote with Félix Petit and his brother Julien Chiasson, is the first single from his second album, PICTURA DE IPSE: Direct Music, released last September. It was the second time that Hubert Lenoir competed for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize. His tube nobody’s daughter was on the list of finalists in 2019, the year rapper Tizzo was awarded for his song We whip.
” I find this nice for winning the public vote this year with Secretwhile I had lost with Nobody’s daughter. It shows that the public follows me despite my artistic radicalization, ”rejoices Hubert Lenoir, who wanted to congratulate the other finalists.
He notably won a $5,000 grant, while the other nominated artists received $500 from SOCAN.
The good news is definitely piling up for Hubert Lenoir, who also learned on Tuesday that he was part of the long list of nominees for the Polaris Prize with PICTURA DE IPSE: Direct Music. He will know on July 14 if his second opus is on the short list for the gala on September 19. Since 2006, the Polaris Prize has been awarded to the best Canadian album of the year, according to a jury made up of music critics.