Rapper Souldia has had a road to success that was full of detours. Fortunately, for eight years he has been able to count on his most important support, the mother of his son: his wife Anne.
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“Anne is a strong woman, she is vital to my life and career,” he says under the sparkling gaze of his gentle. If it weren’t for her, I would surely have died of my excesses in a hotel room.
Sitting in a small bistro in Limoilou, just days away from monopolizing the Parc de la Francophonie for the Festival d’été de Québec, Anne and Souldia realize that its success is still surreal.
“I’ll never get used to hearing tens of thousands of people singing Valentina, that’s the story of our meeting,” remarks Anne with a beaming smile.
However, the couple recalls a time when life was cruelly real.
“When Anne came to live with me in Quebec, we stayed on Bardy Avenue, on a block that had rats the size of our feet,” says the Limoilou rapper. “Now we’re going to build a house,” his wife rejoiced immediately.
forced into retirement
Souldia recently released her eleventh solo project, Unconventional. However, in 2017, he felt it was time to start thinking about his post-career career.
“My team told me the numbers were flat and I should think about something else,” recalls the artist behind Devil in the Air. “I was really depressed for several days after that meeting, I couldn’t believe it. It was Anne who made me realize that my career wasn’t over yet,” he says.
“I said to him: let’s see retirement, it’s always up to you when you start, your retirement,” adds Anne.
The year after that challenge, the Survivor project and the song Valentina were born, which has now had over 6 million views on YouTube.
Both musically and personally, Anne never goes out of her way to say what she thinks of Souldia or Kevin, whichever.
“Sometimes I could go out on the street without telling her, she always let me,” explains the rapper, who is now in his second year alcohol free. On the other hand, whenever I pushed the boundaries, she was always there to let me know that I had many insights.
build together
“Kevin may have flaws, but you never tell him anything twice,” says the mother-of-two.
“When we met, we were two people torn by life and love,” recalls the wife of Kevin St-Laurent, aka Souldia. “I gave him the love and respect he needed and he did the same for me. We grew together as people.”
You can see the stars in the eyes of the Prince of Limoilou as he listens to his Valentina’s reply. He immediately agrees with what she claims.
“This woman taught me how to live, it’s that simple,” confirms without embarrassment the one who won the Rap Album of the Year award at the ADISQ 2022 Gala.
Souldia will perform at Parc de la Francophonie on July 9th at 8pm. He promises to impress his admirers.
“I intend to smash the stage in two, I want it to be the best show of my life, for the city I love,” he says, without giving further details but letting it be known that it’s special guests will give.