They moved us, made us dance, made us shudder. From Ginette Reno to Luce Dufault, via Charlotte Cardin, Patsy Gallant, Marie Carmen and Renée Martel, these 25 singers have shaped our history with their songs and talent.
Like Rolling Stone magazine, Le Journal now includes its list of the greatest women’s voices in Quebec, but places Celine Dion where she deserves to be: at the top.
January 2023. The renowned Rolling Stone magazine kicks off the year by publishing its list of the greatest singers in history, a list that leaves many music lovers with a bitter taste. The reason for this dissatisfaction? Celine Dion is conspicuous by her absence, the diva of Charlemagne being sacked in favor of Billie Eilish, Françoise Hardy and other Lana Del Rey of this world.
It was enough that a wave of anger and disbelief swept through the offices of the American magazine. While many – including poet Diane Warren, author of the hit “Because You Loved Me” – simply took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, some went to the offices of Rolling Stone in New York to express their dismay to lend.
Exaggerated or legitimate reaction? Opinions are divided.
Of voice and emotions
Still, the Journal lent itself to the same initiative, polling its journalists and culture columnists to create the list of the 25 Greatest Women’s Voices in Quebec.
And it is based on different criteria, all obviously subjective, that they established this musical pantheon in which certain musical icons are featured today.
Of course there is the voice. No one is indifferent to the vocal prowess of the women featured in this list, nor to the perfect command of their instrument that they demonstrate every time they grab a microphone. But that’s not all; The richness of their repertoire, the majesty of their interpretation, their ability to convey great emotions and the indelible impression left by their titles are all elements that our jury took into account.
Without further ado, here are the 25 female voices that shaped Quebec’s music history.
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JURY
Journal
Maxime Demers, Sophie Durocher, Guy Fournier, Bruno Lapointe, Sarah-Emilie Nault, and Danny Vear
The Journal of Quebec
Cedric Belanger, Yves Leclerc
QMI Agency
Frederique de Simone, Guillaume Picard
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