Quebec performers must sing the classics of Félix Leclerc so that younger generations do not lose touch with the work of the poet from Île d’Orléans, believes one of our great voices, Marie Denise Pelletier.
“We have to keep singing it, that’s our role as performers,” says the artist who notably had success with All the cries, the SOS et For a one night stand.
She herself will do it when she presents her new show during the annual benefit evening of the Félix-Leclerc Foundation, Tuesday evening, at the Espace Félix-Leclerc, in Saint-Pierre-de-l’Île-d’Orléans .
Throughout her career, Marie Denise Pelletier made it a point of honor to pay tribute to our song. In 1991, she released an album, The appointmentfilled with covers of classics by Charlebois, Lévesque, Ferland and Vigneault.
“I introduced them to a new generation. These great songwriters will always be sung about. As proof, I just did the Francos during the tribute to Ferland. The young people were there and many already knew him while others were discovering him. It is the youth who will perpetuate these songs.”
Still relevant
His own have experienced an unexpected resurgence thanks to the success (more than 50,000 tickets sold) of the tour. For a one night standwith Joe Bocan and Marie Carmen.
“We saw that our repertoires crossed generations. Often, we had the grandmother, the mother and the daughter at our shows. There are at least three or four of my songs that people know by heart,” rejoices Marie Denise Pelletier.
“This tour is an invaluable gift,” she continues. I realized that we still had some relevance. Songs like Starting from scratch, Inventing the Earth, Surviving together, These veiled women had even more resonance today than they did 30 years ago. It put all three of us back in the spotlight and that’s what allowed me to make a new record (Under my woman’s skinpublished in October 2023).»
Celine “hit a wall”
Like everyone else, Marie Denise Pelletier was affected, but not surprised, when she learned that Céline Dion was ill.
“All my career, I always wondered how she did it. I know the energy it takes to be on stage. She had a life without common sense, always on planes and shows. I think she hit a wall,” submits the singer, pointing to the bereavements that also afflicted Celine Dion.
“She’s asked a lot of her body, but I’m sure she’ll come back to us, but not like when she was 20. Anyway, at 50-60 years old, we have different things to offer. As she said, Céline is not just a vocal cord, she is not just a note, she is a human being. She has a life and children. That counts too.”
