CORNEILLE :

Corneille is a consummate artist whose musical career has made its mark on the francophone music scene on both sides of the Atlantic. This year, this exceptional singer is back on tour with a new show, featuring his recent creations and the classics that have made him famous.

Since his emergence with the R&B O.N.E band in the late 90s and his solo career from 2000, the Rwandan-born Canadian singer has won over many fans with his soul vocals and his personal and touching lyrics. In 2002 he released his first album “Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin” (Because we come from far away), which won him his first Félix award for Male Vocalist of the Year. This album was a phenomenal success, with Platinum level sales in Canada and double Platinum in France. He also won the Félix prize for Best Videoclip of the year and at the NRJ Music Awards, as well as numerous nominations at the Victoires de la Musique.

In 2005, Corneille scored a repeat success with his album “Les Marchands de Rêve” (Sellers of Dreams), a Platinum record on the other side of the Atlantic that also garnered a series of nominations in the same awards ceremonies mentioned above. His earlier albums were unconditional francophone hits, but with “The Birth of Cornelius” in 2007, the artist sought to win over English-speaking audiences. This album was a hit in the United States with the UniversalMOTOWN label and it won three prizes at the Sounds of Blackness Awards in 2008.

Corneille owes his success to his sensitive and poignant lyrics, which are  intimate and inspired by their disarming and sometimes heart-rending reality, depicting the artist’s tender visons of Utopia and a testimony to his desire for a better world. His engaged stand against violence in all its forms is palpable from his earliest hits, with “Seul au monde” (Alone in the World) and “Parce qu’on vient de loin” (Because we come from far away), which addresses the sensitive issue of the Rwandan genocide, of which he is a survivor. He has remained steadfastly committed to this pacifist stand throughout his career right up to his most recent creations.

The pandemic, the #MeToo movement and the death of George Floyd are examples of tragic events that have also elicited violent speech. From this bitter acknowledgement of the limits of dialogue in our society emerged the album “Encre Rose”. It opens up discussion and dialogue through luminous and light lyrics, accompanied by sounds inspired by the soul music and R&B of the ‘80s. As its title reveals, far from any ponderous treatment of these issues, these good-hearted lyrics focus on the love, passion and tenderness that inform “Encre Rose”.

This new show, composed of songs from this new album as well as the previous one, “Parce qu’on aime”, will also be the occasion for Corneille to perform some of his greatest hits once again, including “Parce qu’on vient de loin”, “Seul au monde”, “Ensemble”, “Avec classe”, “Les sommets de nos vies”, and many more!

A show not to be missed!

ISABELLE BOULAY

A veritable star of francophone chanson on the international stage, Isabelle Boulay is to date the winner of 19 Félix awards and 2 Victoires de la musique. As a 7-time winner of the Félix award for Female Vocalist of the Year, she shares the record for the Québécoise singer who has won this award most often with Céline Dion.

The adventure began in the 90s, when Isabelle won three awards at two prestigious song competitions, the Festival en chanson de Petite Vallée in 1990, and the Festival international de la chanson de Granby in 1991. These tributes opened the doors for her to contracts for the TV series “Alys Robi” and the musical comedy “Starmania”. In 1996, she released her first album “Fallait pas” (Shouldn’t Have). The second, “États d’amour” (Being in Love), brought her fame and success, with over 240,000 copies sold in Quebec. Next, the release of the album “Mieux qu’ici-bas” (Better than down here) was her consecration. She was ushered in as a member of this small elite group of artists in the francophone world who sell over a million copies of a single album.

Isabelle Boulay has made 15 albums in the course of her career, which have sold over 5 million copies. She is one of the rare francophone artists to have sung with the greatest stars, including Gilbert Bécaud, Charles Aznavour, Serge Lama, Francis Cabrel, Serge Reggiani, Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton. Millions of spectators have been there to applaud her on stage, at Place-des-Arts in Montreal, at the prestigious Olympia de Paris, and at the fantastic Carthage amphitheatre in Tunisia.

She has also appeared as a coach for seasons 2 and 3 in the popular show in Quebec, “La Voix”.

In the spring of 2014, she released “Merci Serge Reggiani”, a tribute to this man with whom she had shared the stage and who was always a great inspiration for her. Produced by Philippe B and his loyal collaborator Benjamin Biolay, this album sold over 50,000 copies in Quebec and over 200,000 in Europe.

In 2017, Isabelle Boulay tackled a third season in her coveted position as coach on the TV show “La Voix”. In March of that year, supported by illustrious names for lyrics, music and production, she released a new album of songs under the Sony Music France label, entitled “En verité” (In Truth), produced by the renowned artists Benjamin Biolay and Raphaël. The photo shoot for this new opus was signed by none other than the great photographer Peter Lindberg.

Finally, with her exceptional voice of fire, Isabelle Boulay went back on the road in 2022 with a new show to re-engage with her audience and warm their hearts. The alchemy is still there, her full spirit and breath just as strong. She invites us on a voyage with “D’Amériques et de France” (From the Americas and France), a veritable bridge between her two loves: American folk-country on one bank of the Atlantic, and on the other, the great tradition of French chanson. For this performance, this “ouvrière de la chanson” (“song worker”), as she likes to call herself, invites us to be emotionally swept away by her repertory and the works that first incited her to accept the calling of a singer. Accept this sweet invitation to be transported into the realm of dreams.

An evening presented by Unis TV.

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