How do we live with the label of singer or popular singer? Is it pejorative or, on the contrary, is it a privilege? We asked the question to Lynda Lemay and Marc Hervieux, two artists who knew how to conquer the greatest number of people.
Published yesterday at 7:00 a.m.
A word from our guest director
I have the chance to evolve in several cultural circles around the world and I observe differences between audiences. Neoclassical is sometimes seen as an elitist Art and it is sometimes seen as popular in the eyes of traditional classical circles. This contrast makes me see things with a certain perspective. Does becoming popular lessen the perception of artistic quality? Is the Music we consume a way of rising above others? I wanted to know what some famous artists thought about it…
Lynda Lemay never thought she would one day become a popular singer. It wasn’t her ambition, she was in her bubble writing her songs. “I was a poet!” When I started doing shows in very small venues with a small audience who loved the poetry and my stories, I expected to remain an underground artist,” she confides in an interview.
The singer-songwriter was very surprised to experience so much success. “I didn’t do anything to get my songs played on the radio, I never tried to fit into a song format to be successful. I have remained as I am, with my style, my stories, which have touched and moved the public over the years,” says the woman who will casually make her 67e Paris Olympia in February 2026.
She nevertheless recognizes that it is easier to earn a living being a popular singer.
If I had not become popular in Europe, it would be more difficult today in Quebec, where I play smaller venues.
Lynda Lemay
This winter, she will perform for example in the intimate Théâtre Petit Champlain in Quebec or at La petite church in Saint-Eustache, while she sings in front of thousands of spectators in France.
Marc Hervieux’s pop breakthrough
Tenor Marc Hervieux has sung in operas around the world – Montreal, Paris, Seoul, Saint Petersburg – but it is with pop songs that he conquered the general public. “I didn’t decide to move from opera to popular song overnight, but I was traveling a lot, I wanted to settle down and I was preparing a pop album when Ginette Reno offered me Give me tenderness. The song was a huge success,” he says.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE
Marc Hervieux, singer and general director of the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art of Quebec
The year 2009 was a turning point in his career: he was invited to Everyone is talking about itthen to Star Academy. The little-known opera singer became a popular singer. “My album After us sold 80,000 copies, I toured for 306 performances, including at the Bell Center! », he exclaims.
Between 2009 and the pandemic, he gave 120 to 130 shows per year, in addition to releasing albums. A success that he would not have had if he remained an opera singer.
-Opera singers are known and popular in their circles, but the general public does not know them well.
Marc Hervieux
He cites as an example Jean-François Lapointe, today artistic director of the Opéra de Québec, who, according to him, had a great career as a baritone on all stages around the world, but whom ordinary mortals know too little about. .
“There are opera purists for whom it is sacrilege to sing popular music, but, between The cradles of Fauré or When you only have love [de Brel]there is no song that is greater than the other. I don’t feel like I’m underutilizing my voice singing popular music. It’s just as demanding,” says the man who is today general director of the Conservatoire de musique et d’art Dramatique du Québec.
A pejorative label?
Can it hurt an artist to be considered popular? Lynda Lemay thinks so, in some cases. “When we discover an artist who is little known, we can feel privileged to be one of the few to love him. When it becomes popular, it suddenly becomes less interesting because we want to stand out from the others! “, she explains.
Being labeled a popular artist can be pejorative, because it means that the audience who likes us has the same tastes as everyone else!
Lynda Lemay
This perhaps responds to a need to categorize people, suggests Marc Hervieux. However, “we can sing opera and pop songs”. “I have not renounced opera: I love both! »
Maintain your connection with your fans
Whether you dreamed of it or not, becoming an idol comes with a great responsibility, believes Marc Hervieux, who is keen to never disappoint his audience: “The vocal cords, the voice, it’s a lot of rigor, it’s a discipline. And in front of 2000 or 3000 people, we have no right to disappoint. It’s a question of respect. There are people for whom this evening has made a difference in their lives, we have this responsibility to give the best of ourselves. »
Lynda Lemay always takes the time to meet those who are waiting for her after a show. “I know how important it is to them and it makes me happy to meet the world. This meeting, even if it is brief, will make all the difference in a life. It can also be a big disappointment. We imagine the person behind the work and we want it to be as we imagined it. »
Lynda Lemay and Marc Hervieux both think that an artist necessarily wants to please, whether to a small or a large audience. “Being on stage and feeling the current passing between the audience and us is magic, it’s a drug, it’s not normal and it’s powerful,” judge Lynda Lemay. I feel privileged to know this feeling, to have all these eyes focused on me. It’s a gift of life to let me carry it. You have to be grateful, because it can come back immediately. »
Visit Lynda Lemay’s website to find out her show dates
Visit Marc Hervieux’s website to find out his show dates
