With teary eyes and a smile from ear to ear, singer Émile Bourgault won the honor at the end of the 55’s finale Edition of the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, Sunday evening.
“I’m blown away. I can’t wait to hug others. It’s unreal!” he confessed a few minutes after the announcement, a tremor in his voice.
The young 19-year-old virtuoso thus won the FICG trophy, which was renamed ‘le Fabienne’ in honor of Fabienne Thibeault, who won the competition in 1974 and has had a brilliant career ever since.
A “superhuman” experience
On Sunday, the young musician delivered a full performance with a mature voice and the easy harmonies of Bryan Adams, beginning his number with his song “So much the better (for you”).
His poetic lyrics, sung in a “tone of confidence”, have earned him several prizes worth more than $25,000, awarded by the festival’s partners, in addition to the Grand Concours Hydro-Québec.
The Boucherville-based singer-songwriter, who got interested in music around the age of 11 or 12 thanks in part to Émile Bilodeau, “continues to write” and “is working on a lot of projects.”
If he had to describe his experience alongside the 24 festival semi-finalists in two words, Émile would say “love” and “superhuman”.
A tight final
The competition was fierce in the final at the Palace of Granby in a crowded room. Claudie Létourneau, Jeanne Laforest, Olivier Faubert and Sofia Duhaime did not leave their seats in their breathtaking and solid performances.
First, Jeanne Laforest broke the ice with her mystical and jazzy universe and her beautiful harmonies. “I’ll leave my bite there,” she sings, as a reassurance to the public. His songs were very colorful and his performance exploded.
After Émile, Claudie Létourneau brought a pink and gentle wave to the stage with her feminist messages and her contemporary dance. A la Klô Pelgag, her voice went straight to the nervous system.
Dressed in sequins, Sofia Duhaime gently revealed her connection to a tree sanctuary in the arboretum. Very professionally, she presented her faithful Gisèle to the audience, an autoharp that accompanied her in her lullaby.
Finally, the show ended with rock ‘n’ roll notes from Olivier Faubert and his “tender eyes and fire in his heart”. He played Perséides with a crystalline and assured voice, in complete symbiosis with the accompanying musicians of the FICG. He has shown that he can sing and that he will long “burn” in the music world to imitate one of his songs.
Hosted by Mehdi Cayenne, the second part of the show ended with a performance by guest artist Kanen, who touched the audience with his intense songs in Innu and French.
Remember that the Festival international de la chanson de Granby has allowed several great names in French singing to continue their professional careers, including Isabelle Boulay, Jean Leloup, Lisa LeBlanc and Philippe Brach to name a few.