Suffering from incurable cancer, Mélanie Renaud has no intention of giving up; the singer is currently in the studio recording a new album, expected in fall 2024. “Singing is what keeps me alive,” confides the singer.
Mélanie Renaud has come a long way; She has been fighting stage 4 ovarian cancer for seven years now. She is getting better, she assures us, even though it is incurable. But even though she knows this incurable illness, she maintains impressive morale; it is in fact with a serene, even luminous, woman that the Newspaper spoke to discuss this unexpected return.
She doesn’t hide it, she was “very afraid” of not being able to sing anymore. Because a recent – and sudden – loss of consciousness led to a two-week hospitalization last summer. And it was during this period that tests revealed brain metastases.
Mélanie Renaud in 2012.
ÉRIC CARRIÈRE/AGENCY QMI
“I was very afraid. Often, brain metastases cause serious after-effects such as loss of mobility or speech. But the results of my neurological examination were normal; I was told that I was lucky to retain all my faculties and to be able to function well,” confides Mélanie Renaud.
Sober for three years
And this is what it intends to continue to do by launching in the coming months its first new titles in six years. These will officially mark his return after years of silence dedicated to the treatment of his illness and his journey towards sobriety.
Mélanie Renaud is proud to say that she has been abstinent from “any substance that alters behavior” for three years now. His consumption problems contributed to his disappearance from public life many years ago, despite a promising start to his career marked by the success of his song. I blame myself and participation in the musical show Notre Dame de Paris.
“I had a big head. I was young, naive, and I wasn’t doing this job for the right reasons. Over time, failures allowed me to better understand who I was outside of Mélanie Renaud. I learned to know myself, to love myself. I am part of a fraternity that allows me to stay clean thanks to a program and a sponsor. It helps me a lot and I’m really happy with where I am today,” explains the 42-year-old singer.
Driven by passion
The coming months will therefore allow fans to reconnect with the musical universe of Mélanie Renaud, imbued with soul and R&B sounds. Other extracts are already ready to be released to set the table for this sixth career album. Would this represent his last chance to make a return to our stages? Not necessarily.
“I often told myself it was the last time I tried, but I always ended up making another album. Even if it more or less works, I will still try to continue. Singing is my passion, it’s what keeps me alive. I do it because sincerely, mentally, I need to sing,” she confides.