Four days before the big televised musical event, we can already talk about the triumph of Klô Pelgag. Named in sixteen categories at the ADISQ galas thanks to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – her third album, released in the summer of 2020 -, the singer-songwriter is linked to eleven victories: seven Felix awarded at the Industry Gala presented last Monday, and four new winners Wednesday evening at the Premier gala of ADISQ, hosted by Pierre Lapointe and broadcast by Télé-Québec.
She remains in contention in three of the last twelve categories, which are on the program for the Sunday evening gala, presented by Radio-Canada and hosted by Louis-José Houde.
The collaborators
Eleven Félix for Klô and his accomplices in the same creation cycle, even before the Sunday gala? It’s phenomenal; at ADISQ, the archives are stirred to find such an abundant harvest. Céline has already won six in a gala, the association reminds us, all in the so-called “artistic” categories.
If we consider that the Arrangements of the Year category, awarded at the Industry Gala and shared with Owen Pallett, is also a creative work, Klô already has five.
Four of these “artistic” prizes were awarded to him last night: Album of the year – alternative and Album of the year – Critics’ choice for Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, Video of the year for the extract Melamine and International Collaboration of the Year (a new category) for song Witches, in duet with Pomme.
One more and she will be, in history, the equal of the diva of Charlemagne … who still has 50 Felix in career.
Thus, Klô Pelgag was able to add the prices of yesterday to his generous harvest of last Monday, harvest which reflects on his collaborators: the director Laurence “Baz” Morais (Director and scenography of the year for LIVE: the spectral spectacle), co-director Sylvain Deschamps (Record achievement of the year), sound engineer Pierre Girard (Sound recording and mixing of the year, prize shared with Deschamps, and Sound engineering of the year for TO LIVE, shared this one with Rami Renno) and the quartet of photographers and graphic designers behind the Album Cover of the Year.
And the others ?
Yesterday’s televised evening also made two other musicians shine: Charlotte Cardin, winner of three prizes, as well as Roxane Bruneau and her two Felixes. For the album Phoenix, the first one received the price of the Album of the year – English, then that of the Artist of the year having the most influence outside Quebec, in front of Klô, like, as well as Basia Bulat, Plants and Animals and the host of the gala, Pierre Lapointe. Roxane Bruneau received, thanks to her album Acrophobia, the Félix Awards for Album of the Year – Pop and Album of the Year – Popular Success, a category formerly named Best Selling Album, which equally combines sales of physical albums and broadcasts on digital platforms.
Among the other great awards in the Album of the Year categories, let us highlight the Félix Other Languages (Renegade Breakdown) given to Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu, that of the electronic album (Juvenile) to CRi, and World Music (Pescador De Sueños) to Ramon Chicharron. Vincent Vallières (folk), Jordan Officer (jazz), Bon Débarras (traditional) and the Cowboys Fringants (rock) complete the list.
The pandemic has caused some changes in the categories. Cardin’s third prize was awarded to him for The Phoenix Experience in the Online Show of the Year – English-speaking category, while in humor, it was awarded to icon Yvon Deschamps.
A second category was introduced, that of the Artist of the year having the most influence on the web, and there could only be one winner: the inexhaustible source of almost daily smiles that remains Damien Robitaille, the human jukebox.
The Félix tribute
Finally, it should be noted that ADISQ awarded its Félix tribute to Solange Drouin, who stepped down as vice-president of public affairs and general manager of the association last summer, after 29 years of service. She is now replaced by Ève Paré, who, last Monday, co-signed with the president of the board of directors of ADISQ, Philippe Archambault, a short plea aimed at “preserving the fragile balance of the performing arts” in the context where the industry is prudently resuming its activities and where industry support programs could be abolished after December 31, 2021.