Selective listening | Ariane Roy: a strong voice

With medium pleasure, Ariane Roy releases a convincing debut album that has a lot of personality and pop tone. Interview with the seasoned singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Emilie Cote
The Press

To use her words, Ariane Roy is a proud representative of “Québec Cité”.

It was at the beginning of adolescence that she abandoned the strings of her violin for those of a guitar. “It’s my instrument of composition,” says the one who grew up with the music of Amy Winehouse, Lianne La Havas, Joni Mitchell and Marie-Pierre Arthur.

Ariane Roy wrote her first song while studying music at CEGEP, then she studied jazz singing at Laval University. After taking part in Cégep en spectacles, she multiplied the competitions (Petite-Vallée, Granby), up to the Francouvertes, where she reached the grand final.

In March 2020 – just before everything changed – she released the mini-album AVALANCHE (n.) independently. She is the most recent Révélation Radio-Canada in song. His first official opus, medium pleasuregoes out with the Maison fauve – record label of Vincent Vallières and Patrice Michaud – founded by Catherine Simard.

Febrile? “I’m at a loss ! exclaims Ariane Roy.

Without wishing to be ageistic, it is impressive to release a first album like medium pleasure at 24 years old. By the cohesion of the 12 songs, the unique personality of the sound (with keyboards well forward) and by the very voice of Ariane Roy, who can recall the expressiveness and femininity of a Kate Bush.

“I’m happy with the bubble formed by the 12 songs and that’s because the album was written in the same period of time,” Ariane Roy tells us.

According to her, humility is a strong theme of the album. “Accepting that things are complicated or difficult. Be lucid about my faults and my faults. Accepting her journey and not always being who I want to be. »

It should be emphasized that the extracts already released are only appetizers and not the main course of medium pleasure. We let ourselves be carried away from the first listen by the melodic rise of You have the right and by the deliciously pop chorus of girl to wear. “It’s my karaoke song,” says Ariane Roy.

Ariane Roy recorded medium pleasure at the studio of Pilou Le nid, in Saint-Adrien. She co-signs the production with her faithful collaborator Dominique Plante. “He’s been with me since the beginning of the project,” she says.

you wanted to talk, the piece that gave her the most trouble, is nevertheless the one that makes her the most proud. The text is purely fictional and expresses a great sense of urgency, explains Ariane Roy. “It’s about the fear that someone around me will take their own life. »

The author likes the simplicity of the text of paradise of love as she points out that her friend, the poet Roxane Azzaria, signs the text of the ballad on the guitar Miracle.

kundah – name of an Indian restaurant in Quebec City – is a sort of homage to the Rita Mitsoukos and excesses of all kinds. In fact, Ariane Roy loves the 1980s as evidenced by the keyboards well ahead of her arrangements. “In my band, there is keyboardist Vincent Gagnon. He has so many synths at home that you have to use them! It is also in the music that I listen to. »

Ariane Roy says she admires “embodied women” like Diane Tell and Véronique Sanson. They are fine authors and vibrant performers. With medium pleasureAriane Roy can certainly say the same.

alternative pop

medium pleasure

Ariane Roy

fawn house

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