Thanks to the project C’est notre histoire, the compilation of recitals paying homage to the repertoire of the late Renée Martel that we are talking about, Laurence Lebel is slowly being able to hear the songs of the Quebec country legend again, whom she had the privilege of to call “mom”. Because her pain is still severe, fifteen months after her departure.
“I can’t listen to the originals yet because it makes me too emotional. It’s still very difficult,” Laurence Lebel gently admits in an interview with Showbizz.net.
“The album, I like to say, that was my therapy. This is my grieving process. It’s a privilege to be able to mourn, to go through the process through music surrounded by friends. This album repairs things in me, reconciles me with certain things and allows me to ensure a continuation of my mother’s life, ”she confides again.
Laurence Lebel has also not seen the show Against the Winds and Tides, which Paul Daraîche was originally supposed to offer as a duet with his old friend Renée Martel and which he eventually shares with other female personalities. However, the memory of Madame Martel is very present throughout the concert, as we tell you here.
“I still have a lot of trouble hearing others sing in my mother’s concert. The emotion is still strong, especially with Paul because their relationship was so unique. I still don’t have the strength to see Paul on stage. »
The eldest will remember seeing a very young Laurence’s hoe in magazines or at public activities with her famous mother. The cover of the CD C’est notre histoire is also a photo of the little girl holding the hand of the author of his day (whose beaming smile is once again well visible) against the backdrop of the beach and the pristine blue sky. But the notoriety of Renée Martel, her offspring of two children, Laurence and an older boy, Dominique, did not suffer.
“I didn’t really realize it until I was about to hit puberty,” Laurence says. “For me there was the singer and the public woman and my mother at home. She was quite good at dividing the two, and it was always important to her that children weren’t overly prominent in her professional life. There were occasionally a few articles about us when we were kids, but it was never a goal or a priority. Growing up, yes, I was aware of who my mother was and what legacy her name carried – and every teenager tries to define themselves and be a step backwards from their parents and I went through that too – but over time when you recognize the work, especially in the environment I work in, one wasn’t without the other. »
The passion for music runs through the veins of the Martel family, from grandpa Marcel to granddaughter Laurence. She never wanted to sing, she doesn’t find the talent or interest in it, but at 17 she was in a HMV record store and she never stopped being “focused,” she says, exploring new artists and new sounds and going and going to applaud them on the show. For the past 15 years, she has worked behind the scenes in the industry, supporting emerging Quebec artists and the local scene to develop their careers, notably as manager of Alexe Gaudreault or electronic musician Super Plage, or as a producer. Yet now that the “baby” It’s Our Story that’s been spoiling her for a year is coming to life, she’s now keen to try other avenues to see if she’s there, burned by the precariousness and the often difficult ones conditions of the branch.
“It’s a great environment, but it’s an environment of passion. At some point, when passion leaves us or weakens, I think it’s important to go somewhere else and meditate so as not to get lost,” concludes Laurence, who is currently dreaming of “rest and sweets”. “We’ll see what that brings! »
The album C’est notre histoire is now available on CD, vinyl and digitally.
The recording of the album C’est notre histoire in honor of Renée Martel