The contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux: “I am the light that goes towards the dark”

For contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, who has performed in the largest concert halls in the world, the pressure is always at its peak when she goes on stage at home in Quebec.

Coming home, for me, is like I feel even more indebtedshe explains. Because I am truly a purely Quebec product. […] When I come back here, I’m happy, but I’m so afraid of disappointing!

The eyes that look at me are eyes that I will see againindicates the singer. When I sing in Vienna, I am a little freer.

The singer, who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium in 2000, has a great fear of disappointing, no matter the recognition and compliments she receives. My nature is that I question myself all the timeshe emphasizes.

She no longer reads the reviews about her: I’m my own worst critic anywayshe says.

Marie-Nicole Lemieux uses this high demand for herself to push herself to always be better and do her best. My driving force is to live up to my expectationsshe says.

I have this gift of transmitting emotion, but knowing that, it comes with responsibilities.

His parents passed on his hardworking side to him. I like it when I know I’m well prepared, when I know I’ve done my job wellexplains the artist.

This is what pushed her, for example, to use the services of a mentor to have perfect diction in Italian when she interpreted Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s opera. She is also proficient in singing in German and Russian.

The allure of opera

Marie-Nicole Lemieux’s father loved tenor voices, which sparked his daughter’s interest in opera from her youth.

When she entered Cégep de Saint-Félicien, she initially stopped doing any form of music to concentrate on her pure sciences program. She quickly realized that this was not the right path for her.

After six months I was suffocatingshe says.

It was like I wasn’t breathing anymore. I was missing something. I had a void.

The singer then enrolled at Cégeps en spectacle, where she did imitations. Among others, she played Ginette Reno, Céline Dion, Vanessa Paradis and Diane Dufresne.

However, it was his love for classical singing that was strongest. I didn’t like my pop voiceshe explains. The sound I make when singing popular music, I don’t like it.

The contralto is also concerned about the lack of exposure to classical music, especially in regions further from Montreal.

I’m afraid for the next few yearsshe indicates. We have a kind of blossoming of talents, [mais] I think it’s not widely distributed enough.

Sing for the right reasons

His first singing teacher at the Saguenay Music Conservatory, Rosaire Simard, was fabulousshe says.

I was a very self-conscious, very stubborn personshe says. He helped me sing for the right reasons.

According to her, you should not sing to be loved but to make your audience feel things.

When you’re on stage, you have to give, you have to learn to love transmitting emotions and find it comforting.

A life of sacrifice

Marie-Nicole Lemieux talks about the many difficulties inherent to her job. There are times when I am so tired! she admits.

She explains that she is traveling alone and that she has no employment insurance. If she gets injured or falls ill before shows, she will not be paid, despite all the hours of rehearsals.

It really wears down your moraleshe emphasizes.

It is a life of deprivation, sacrifice, solitude and questioning.

She also compares her lifestyle to that of athletes. I’m always watching myself, she says. For example, she must control her diet and she cannot drink alcohol because it has an effect on her voice.

Despite her efforts and her desire to be impeccable, Marie-Nicole Lemieux has already missed a note during a concert in Paris. It wasn’t the end of the world, it happens to everyoneshe rationalizes today.

At the time, she couldn’t help but address the audience. I reacted like a little girlshe says. : “I wanted so much to be good, I wanted so much to be perfect, I apologize! […] I don’t know how the rest of the concert is going to go, but it’s going to be full of love.””,”text”:”I told them: “I wanted to be good so much, I would have wanted to be perfect so much, I apologize! […] I don’t know how the rest of the concert is going to go, but it’s going to be with lots of love.””}}”>I told them: “I really wanted to be good, I wanted to be perfect, I’m sorry! […] I don’t know how the rest of the concert is going to go, but it’s going to be with lots of love.”

The music, a comfort

Even if Marie-Nicole Lemieux remains very humble about her talent, she admits that her particular musicality imposed itself on her at a very young age. [J’ai] a stamp that is recognizableagrees the singer. : “You have a signature voice.””,”text”:”Record producers have told me: “You have a signature voice.””}}”>I’ve had record producers tell me, “You have a signature voice.”

When asked what musical repertoire she prefers, the contralto replies that she likes music that makes you think and comforts. I am the light that goes towards the dark. I have a very sunny exterior, but inside I am very dark, very melancholic and very anxiousshe confides.

For me, music has always been a comfort.

I dream of doing a project where I sing at home

Marie-Nicole Lemieux has just recorded The song of the earth by Mahler with period instruments. We really have the sound that Mahler would have wanted to give to the orchestra and it’s fascinatingshe explains.

Among her projects, she hopes to one day record a tribute album to Quebec songs. I dream of doing a project where I sing at home.

I come from everything that is Gilles Vigneault, Félix Leclerc, Pauline Julien, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Richard Desjardinsshe lists. I want to do it one day to pay homage to what formed me, to my music.