For singer-songwriter Vincent Vallières, Karl Tremblay was a brilliant artist and his death leaves people across the French-speaking world in mourning.
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The Cowboys Fringants are indeed revered by Quebecers, but not only that, emphasizes Mr. Vallières in an interview with LCN, because the group also enjoys great respect in Europe.
“The Cowboys didn’t do much advertising here in Quebec, but they filled rooms and stadiums with 10,000, 15,000 people,” explains Mr. Vallière, who sang with the Cowboys at the Olympia in Paris.
“I saw the audience practically split the Olympia in Paris. “It’s a group that created magic everywhere they went,” he recalls.
From the start, the Cowboys Fringants left no one indifferent, recalls Mr Vallières, who began his career with them in a double set at the Vieux Clocher in Sherbrooke in the early 2000s.
“We played in front of 20 people. And the Cowboys turned the place upside down in front of 20 people and came back six months later, there were 200, and a year later they were playing several nights to sold-out crowds,” Mr. Vallières recalls.
“Karl was extraordinary on stage, and I think we shouldn’t be afraid to say it: one of the greatest artists in the world.” Few people can boast of holding a crowd of 150,000 people in their hands. “Karl knew how to do that thing, to lift a crowd and then let them land,” he explains.
A voice written in our hearts
In his opinion, the success of Cowboys Fringants can be explained by the immense talent of all its employees, but of course also by the voice of their singer.
“When friends introduced me to the Cowboys at university when I was 18-19, I felt like it was a bit like my big brother’s voice, but I didn’t know him back then,” he admits.
“It’s a sadness that I think brings us closest to the family, the Cowboys Fringants. Your music is so intimate […]. It’s really in our DNA and Karl’s voice is written in our hearts,” he adds with emotion.
Listen to the full interview with Vincent Vallières in the video at the beginning of the article.