The songs of Cowboys Fringants and the voice of their singer, Karl Tremblay, have resonated well beyond the Atlantic. The authenticity and palpable sincerity of the members of the group and the “universal” quality of their ballads have won the hearts of their admirers from the French-speaking world outside Quebec, who are also in mourning.
“More than a music group: friends, life companions,” summarizes Nicolas Majcher, a 37-year-old Frenchman who lives in Aumetz.
The singer’s death was reported by numerous foreign media including France Info, The worldthe Belgian media The evening and the Swiss daily The weatherin countries where the group has regularly performed, including in legendary venues like the Olympia in Paris.
““America is crying” and France too… The Cowboys Fringants served the French-speaking world on each side of the Atlantic in music, with talent and enthusiasm. RIP Karl Tremblay,” is written on the official account of the Consulate General of France in Quebec.
“America is crying” and France too… The Cowboys fringants served the French-speaking world on each side of the Atlantic in music with talent and enthusiasm RIP Karl Tremblay #DashingCowboys https://t.co/leRCFsYpvK
— France in Quebec ???????? ???????? (@FranceQC) November 15, 2023
Even if the group’s songs warm the hearts of Quebecers by reminding them of places that are dear to them, they are not limited to them and address themes that touch everyone, believes Auberi Maitrot-Mathieu, director of RCF Vendée radio. , in France, to explain the overseas popularity of the Repentigny group. The “comforting” side of the songs, which reminds him of his years of study in Quebec, has been the soundtrack of his life.
The 36-year-old journalist gives the song Suburb as an example. “We could have lost a friend like that. We didn’t win hockey games, but we won football games,” she says, explaining the “universal” nature of their songs.
The folk rock band has also performed in Europe at major international festivals, such as the Paléo Festival Nyon in Switzerland. Its founder and president, Daniel Rossellat, invited them on more than one occasion. In 2019, they performed in front of 40,000 festival-goers.
“We have a particular affection for the Cowboys,” he confided on the phone from Europe: they share the values of the festival, showing great respect for their audience and a “societal commitment to the community, to future “.
“There are not many groups that have such success in France,” he stressed, as an observer of the European music scene.
According to him, one of the ingredients of the group’s success is their “unfeigned generosity” on stage: it touched people and created complicity. Every year, the festival’s 5,500 volunteers are asked what their favorite concert was, he says, and Les Cowboys Fringants took first place.
The energy of the quartet on stage was noted in the European press. Again last year, The Parisian reported that the Cowboys had “electrified” the Accor Arena (formerly Paris-Bercy) in front of 10,000 “enthusiastic” spectators.
“It feels like the Cowboys are talking to every single person who listens to them. I love their humor, their energy, and this nostalgia that is so universal: childhood gone, disappointed love, death that touches us,” testified Sébastien Lehours, a 42-year-old Frenchman who lives in Angers.
“Speaking Quebec” has never been a barrier, assures Nicolas Majcher. “For the most part, we discovered the language which is a kind of “real French” for us. Words that we might think are outdated, but which resonated wonderfully in our ears. Thanks to the Cowboys Fringants, we even rediscovered words that are specific to our culture. »
For the most part, we discovered the language which is a kind of “real French” for us. Words that we might think are outdated, but which resonated wonderfully in our ears.
Singing in French, “for us, in French-speaking Switzerland — alongside a German-speaking majority — is something important,” notes Mr. Rossellat.
Xavier Lizin, a Belgian from Liège, fell in love at first sight in 2003 while listening Autumn song.
“Listening to the Cowboys opened me up to other Quebec artists, like Colocs, Les Trois Accords, Fred Pellerin or Pierre Lapointe, to name a few. But, for me, what differentiates the Cowboys from the others is their “storytellers of our lives” side. Whatever our state of mind at any given moment, we find one of their songs that corresponds to it. »
In France, the group has “a real community of fans who follow them everywhere and sell them out […] the energy, the sincerity of the group is so strong and has no equivalent here,” confided Nicolas Majcher.
On the Facebook group Les Cousins Fringants, French admirers expressed their shock at the news of the death of Karl Tremblay. “My heart is in pieces,” says Sébastien Leroy, journalist in France at The voice of the North.
Members of this group expressed the need to get together that same evening, “to feel less alone with this sadness,” writes Julie Feist. In Lyon, some people suggested going to the restaurant and game bar Tir-toi une log on Thursday. At the Quebecium bistro bar in Paris, guests were having a drink on Thursday evening while watching past concerts and were already promising to gather again on Friday.