To celebrate the 10th anniversary of his first album Continental selectionoffers the charming singer Gab Paquet Sentimental collectiona repeat of his sensual successes.
“These songs are mostly memories from shows. My project reveals its full meaning in the concert because you can see what I’m going through from A to Z. The range of my songs may be difficult to grasp if you only hear one,” says the 40-year-old artist. who lives in Quebec.
Photo Martin Chevalier
In this full bouquet of humorous songs we of course find some reworked pieces from the Continental Selection, which was introduced in 2013: Sexual Relations, Flying Saucers, Make Love with Me, Papa, Maman, Baby, Love and the big hit Consommations.
“These are songs we’ve been playing for a long time… The arrangements have changed, been refined over the years and musicians, and we hadn’t taken a photo of them. “That’s it,” explains the man who has developed his character as a charming singer since the early 2010s.
additions to his repertoire
New pieces – or “new pieces”, jokes Gab Paquet – can also be found on the Collection sentimentale. Fans can listen to Putin Dream, a country ode to the quintessential Quebec dish, releasing in summer 2023, and Gente Dame, a medieval song we discovered in the film Farador.
The unreleased VHS song feels like a homage to nostalgia. “In the ’80s, some artists started doing old rock ‘n’ roll like they did in the ’50s. “In 2023 we have imitated artists from the 80s acting like artists from the 50s. “It’s an exercise in style!” explains Gab Paquet with a laugh.
Nostalgia at will
It must be said that Gab Paquet delves into the past like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Yéyé, pop, rock, country… “Today we don’t do variety anymore,” comments Gab Paquet. The return to the past… These are digested, understood things. We’re not into trendy things for this project, which could put us behind. I’m not pursuing anything, I’m just doing things that already exist. It gives me a super broad spectrum!”
Photo Martin Chevalier
The kitsch spirit connects his impressive pool of musical inspirations. “I play with it, with the clichés, the cheesiness. To make people react, because it’s fun, but also because it allows me to talk about more taboo things under the guise of humor.”
To mark the release of this anniversary album, Gab Paquet will offer two Christmas shows on December 20th at the Ministère de Montréal and on December 21st at the Impérial in Québec.
“There will be a production, sets, costumes… You can expect me to sing Midnight Christian and my song “Today He Was Born.” The theme will be about gifts. The sentimental collection is a gift I give to my fans.”
The Sentimental Collection will be available on December 1st.