January is here, and we’re dipping into the Video Vault early this year to bring you four stunning duets. And not just any old duets, but the French language variety – featuring many of the artists we check in on periodically. One of our goals for 2024 is to devote a little more editorial space to music from the Francophone community – and if you enjoy these stunning examples today, expect many more to follow over the next 12 months.
Ken Presse & Melissa Ouimet, “Broken”
Here’s proof that we need to check the deliveries of new videos into the vault more frequently, given that this stunning bilingual duet from last September only landed on our radar a couple of weeks ago. We first knew Ken as the lead guitarist with Montréal indie-rockers The Franklin Electric, and since launching his solo career, has gone from strength to strength. Need convincing – simply click PLAY on this video below and prepare to be dazzled.
Evelyne Brochu & Pierre Lapointe, “Ces mots stupides”
Sometimes these music videos land in our laps by pure chance. Having recently attended a Pierre Lapointe show during our Thanksgiving vacation in Montréal, a quick YouTube search led to the discovery of this gorgeous duet with artist/actress Evelyne Brochu (Orphan Black) for an ICI Musique special. Enjoy how both voices blend beautifully here to deliver this rendition of the famous Frank & Nancy Sinatra hit, “Something Stupid.”
Maude Audet (ft. Mara Tremblay), “J`ai si peur”
We learned of this beautiful collaboration following some research for our GDW 2023 Year-End honors, with Maude being recognized on our 20 Memorable Singles List, and Mara (for her work with Hauterive) a finalist in our Top 20 Albums List. Translated into English as “I’m So Afraid,” this prominent pairing sing of abused women for whom we are afraid, but for whom we never cease to hope for better days. Harpist Éveline Grégoire-Rousseau (The Barr Brothers) also features in the music video.
Thierry Larose, “Parfaitement intacte”
Frequent visitors to the GDW site last year will have likely witnessed many references made to emerging QC indie-rocker Thierry Larose – and we don’t plan to slow down our coverage of this talented Marielleville artist any time soon. Releasing this latest cut from his sophomore 2023 “Sprint!” album – the GDW 2023 Album of the Year – Thierry teams up here with good friend Lou-Adriane Cassidy to deliver this unique audio-visual version of a terrific tune.
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
