Guest artistic director of the next Variety of “Star Académie”, this Sunday, Pierre Lapointe is preparing an exciting number that will plunge the Academicians into the golden age of Quebec pop songs of the 1980s and 90s.
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Pierre Lapointe had come to do a kind of retrospective of his career, with his own songs, last year, on the set of “Star Académie”, but his mandate is completely different this season. He had the idea of creating a number that promises to be nostalgic, playful and refreshing.
“We are going to do a number with songs from the 1980s and 90s which marked, in my opinion, the golden age of Quebec pop music, confided the singer on the phone. These are titles that evoke memories for everyone, whether we think of “Incognito”, “Turn the page” or “It’s going well” by Kathleen, for example. But I had these songs arranged with a jazz flavor. It’s interesting because it allows us to rediscover their high quality, and it allows us to rediscover them in a new form.
He also asked that the musicians descend from their usual platform to meet on the stage in order to create greater physical proximity between them and the Academicians.
A little surprise is even planned for the end of the issue. “The Urban Science Brass Band is coming on stage and they should get the party started. It’s a brass band that specializes in New Orleans-flavored covers of songs by Beyonce, Jay Z and Britney Spears.
Artistic creation
The songs from Pierre Lapointe’s latest album, “L’heure mauve”, were written to accompany Nicolas Party’s exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The singer likes to mix genres and highlight other talents.
“I have already sung Michèle Richard, Céline and many others, he explained. I also listen to a lot of different stuff. It’s normal, it’s my job, and I would even say it’s my responsibility to listen to all kinds of music. Creating a number like the one with the Academicians is fun. It will allow me to highlight other people, other songs than mine. And there is always also the pleasure of using the know-how, which I acquired while working on my own projects, and of transferring it to other people. I love that.”
Impressed
Pierre Lapointe visited the Academicians in Waterloo this week for an original workshop during which he tried to help Academicians find pleasure in stressful situations. But he had analyzed them even before meeting them.
“I watch them a lot on TV. Knowing that I was going to work with them, I wanted to know who I was dealing with. They are very talented, and it is interesting to know them in the context of the Academy in Waterloo. It’s nice to see how fast they have to go, under constant pressure. They really do stretches like on a highway, but I think it pays off really well for everyone.”