Published at 12:55 am. Updated at 7:00 a.m.
Hope
There is something almost immodest about this new album by Émile Bilodeau, which speaks bluntly about very intimate things, especially heartbreak that we don’t doubt for a second that he has experienced. “We all have flaws,” he explains. When I write a song, I dare to believe that people can recognize themselves in it. Artists who put into words the suffering we experience. When we listen to their music we feel less alone. » When he titled his album “At the bar of Hopes,” it was because he wanted to walk the fine line between despair and “hopes.” Maintain hope even when the planet is in bad shape, “even if we cannot see its end.” But also “hope in relationships, friendships, love, family”. “This is what I say in “Love at the End of Time”: What will remain is always love. And there are a lot of them on this album. »
Excerpt from Love in the End Times
the atmosphere
Émile Bilodeau worked on the production with the all-rounder Simon Kearney from Quebec. He likes how he was able to create atmospheres and evoke the right emotions for each song. “For example, in Misunderstanding, at the end, when I say that I can’t sing anymore, there’s suddenly a very melancholic trumpet…” Simon Kearney gave it depth and color, particularly by having him sing back vocals and by joining a choir. “That’s what strikes me the most, the vocal aspect, which I had never really explored. »
Excerpt from misunderstanding
Commitment
We know that Émile Bilodeau is a committed citizen and artist who is actively involved in society and takes a stand on many issues. This is reflected in his songs, but less so on this new album, as if he has lowered his tone a little. “People needed to find a man who wasn’t just an activist robot. » We therefore find a certain optimism and a certain lightness – in Les Daisy he even asks his friends who has been eliminated from Double Occupancy. “To protect life, you have to take the time to live it and build your relationships well. This way we can get involved and have fun at the same time. » But when you look at it song by song, he adds, his commitment is visible everywhere. “I’m talking about people who find it difficult to arrive, about war, about meritocracy or about columnists who write to sow controversy. »
Excerpt from Les Daisy
Storm
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Emile Bilodeau
The artist was never afraid that his activism would take over the music. “Pantout. For me it goes hand in hand. But here I went even further, more nuanced. My words are targeted, so it hits home. That makes people say, ‘I don’t like him because he doesn’t play on my team.'” That’s what he experienced this year when the Parti Québécois questioned his role as host during Quebec’s National Day show. The storm was fierce, but he came out of it “stronger” and has no regrets. “What a pride to show young people interested in politics that there is a counterweight. » Émile Bilodeau knows that he has become a symbol that people like to listen to (or not!) and “fuel the patent”. But when he looks at the activists who work full-time for a cause, he notices above all that his commitment is “minimal” compared to theirs. “I listen a lot. I never said I knew everything. But I know we have a problem… and we could talk about it for a long time! »
Meet
Between a demonstration in Rouyn-Noranda with the mothers at the front and a successful tour in France – “We drove 50 hours in two and a half weeks!” – and his annual stay in Maliotenam on the north coast, what is the common thread? “The desire to live and see things. I’ve met countless people over the last two years, whether through my activism, in indigenous communities or in a bar after a show. » Émile Bilodeau loves the world and although he may have made a more introspective album, he continues to tell us stories, be it those of Jacynthe and Réjean in “Au bar des espoirs”, that of a group of friends in “Les Daisy” or that of one Couple from different social classes in Not So Different.
Excerpt from At the Bar of Hopes
creativity
Émile Bilodeau made his first public appearance at the Saint-Ambroise Song Festival 10 years ago. “On the YouTube video of the audition, the skull from the back, you can really see that it’s still in the project stages! »
Three years later he released the first album that propelled him forward, Rites de Passage, and now he is on his fifth album. Impressive productivity… but not for him, who considers it a completely normal rhythm. Especially because he never feels more comfortable than when creating songs. The impulse of the original idea, the direction to give, a verse to move, a refrain to change: the entire “administrative” aspect of the composition stimulates it. “It’s something that calms me down and allows me to be at one with my creativity. When I write songs I feel really complete. I’m happy to be a tunemaker! »
The following
Excerpt from River
In the song Fleuve, Émile Bilodeau speaks of his love for the territory but also of his desire to travel far and for a long time. We sense how he is torn when we broach the subject, between his aspirations to gain “a good knowledge of humanity” and his ties to his family and friends that hold him back. “And hockey too. I have to play or I’ll go crazy! » Anyway, since the tour starts, it would be difficult for him to leave. “I can’t wait to get back on the road. I’ve been touring with the same musicians for seven years, we’re having fun. I want it to continue and I haven’t finished the albums yet. I hope this doesn’t get me canceled! » He laughed loudly. “No, it’s a joke, everything is fine. »
Folk pop
At the bar of hopes
Emile Bilodeau
Bravo music