The young singer-songwriter can now add “narrator” to his already busy roadmap.
It is in the documentary “Defender our forests” produced by the Quebecor investigation office that we can now hear his voice other than through a song.
The subject fell right on Bilodeau’s ropes, who has been interested in the fate of Quebec’s forests for a long time.
But this toe in the water of the 7th art does not mean that he is away from his first passion: music.
How were you approached to narrate the documentary?
It was Ninon (Pedneault) and Marie-Christine (Noël), the two journalists who made the documentary, who approached me so that I could put my voice on it. I accepted with great happiness. I remember seeing Richard Desjardins’s “L’reurvre boréale” when I was at school. I am very happy to take over.
Seems like the songs get a little more social over the years. Am I wrong?
You are right. I will really register as an artist who reflects on our society. Songs like “Je me souviens” on my last album, it really fits in there. Also “The jungle of capital”, “My mental illness” … My last album talks a lot about the pandemic, then about the injustices which surfaced during the quarantine.
Have you ever been approached to run for politics?
No, but it would be fun at some point for someone to do it! I would like that. But right now I’m so happy with my career. I find it cool to do shows, to write music, to compose, to record. But it would be fun for someone to call me … I’m on stand-by! (Laughs)
The first songs you learned on the guitar?
Les Colocs, Félix Leclerc, Beau Dommage. The Quebec repertoire.
And what were you listening to when you started writing your own songs?
I was listening to Jean Leloup. But I was pretty good in my business. I tried not to listen to others too much. I listened to my models, my mixes, my rough mixes …
What comes faster for you? Music or lyrics?
It’s a nice mix of the two. It’s not bad 50-50.
We were talking about the environment. You, as a music lover, how does that translate into music?
Les Cowboys Fringants is a concrete example of artists who want the population to be more sensitive to these things. The song “Plus rien” marked my childhood. Their foundation to raise money and put it in the hands of scientists who can call shots, I think that’s great.
Have you ever been a fan of humorous albums?
François Pérusse. There, it always made me laugh. “Snack bar at Raymond”, “What a beautiful girl”.
You took part in several song contests. Did the artists that you worked with in these competitions particularly marked you?
Sarah Dufour. I did all the competitions with Sarah. Recently she sang on my album. We did shows together. Our destinies are linked. It’s super cool to see her go. She has a lot of drive. I think we will have long careers to rub shoulders with often.
You took part in an album in tribute to Richard Desjardins. In your opinion, what other Quebec artist deserves such a tribute?
There are quite a few. I have plans to make tribute albums, but … I try to prioritize my tunes. But I always wanted to make the tribute album to Raymond Lévesque who passed away this year. He’s really an artist that I really like.
Do you think the music industry has been particularly affected by mental health issues over the past year and a half?
Music is super hard. There are statistics that came out that said that more than half of the people in the Musicians’ Guild thought they were changing jobs because of the pandemic. This is a good example of the difficulty that musicians have overcome.
When you are in front of the stage, you sing your tunes, you always have to defend your reputation and your right to be there a little. I think of people like Angèle. I listened to her documentary recently and she mentions it. We are very at risk of living in the eyes of others. But at the same time, we are lucky in Quebec. It’s really relaxed. But I am convinced that for young Quebec projects there is this question that comes up all the time: “will I have enough income to live?”
We must remain optimistic. We still have an industry that is very much supported by the public, by all levels of government. So we must continue to redouble our efforts. I think when we believe in ourselves, there is nothing that can stop us.
And in closing, I have no choice but to ask you what is your favorite Christmas song?
I like December 23 of Beau Dommage, I find it so cool to exchange your hockey stick for a daring photo. They are really beautiful images. What’s cool about that is when we say bye to our neighborhood because we’re going to see our family. “Hi Ti-cul, we’ll see you again on January 7th”. It’s my number one Christmas song!