In the last decade, Raphaël Gagnon has swayed alongside Rihanna and Véronic Dicaire, shared the stage with Cirque du Soleil artists and even reached the semi-final of the show Revolution. But today, it is a new identity that he reveals by launching a first album: ROSSO. And her pop with electronic accents is unequivocal: the dance floor is never far away.
For as long as he can remember, Raphaël Gagnon has always been immersed in music. If the pop of Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and Madonna of his childhood pushed him towards dance classes, it also awakened – slowly but surely – a related passion for song. But this one was going to take a while to fully bloom.
It was finally a few years ago, during the world tour Voices by Véronic Dicaire, that the dancer finally succumbed to the call of the microphone.
“Being surrounded by Véronic and her musicians really made me want to sing and take an interest in musical production. So when the pandemic arrived, I had time to write, to create songs. I wanted to add that to my toolbox to express myself, as I do with dance,” confides Raphaël Gagnon in an interview with Journal.
Alter ego musical
Through his compositions, Rossomodo was born, his musical alter ego who takes the lead when the time comes to sing. A character with a distinct visual aesthetic – and an exuberance reminiscent of the art of drag – he grants Raphaël Gagnon total freedom to be “who [il] wants without having to apologize for it.
We got a glimpse of it on the Fierté Montréal stage, which he shared with Mitsou last summer. But today he deploys all the colors and nuances on ROSSOa first album launched a few days ago. The 29-year-old singer celebrates the scars left by his twenties, presenting them through 10 tracks inspired by breakups, drunken evenings or moments of ecstasy experienced between friends.
“I know I have a background different, coming from the world of dance, and I want to try to see that as a strength, and not a weakness. I’ve been performing all my life, I know how to attract attention when I perform. And I want that to be reflected in my music. I like the idea of allowing people to dance to songs that deal with subjects that can be heavier,” he says.
The next LGBTQ icon?
And even if Raphaël Gagnon is not fond of labels, he still accepts that of queer, if only to serve as a model for people in the LGBTQ community. Because he knows very well that queer – and fully assumed – male models are not legion on the Quebec music scene. While Troye Sivan, Adam Lambert, Orville Peck and other Lil Nas X shine on the international scene.
“It exists all over the world, so why couldn’t it exist here, in Quebec?” he blurted out.
Indeed. Why not?
L’album ROSSO is currently available.
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