At 50, Jeanick Fournier is offered something she had not hoped for for a long time: a new life, both privately and professionally. “I’m proof it’s never too late to make your dreams come true,” breathes the Season 2 winner Canada’s Got Talentlast spring.
To say that Jeanick Fournier exudes happiness would be practically an understatement. Her laughing eyes sparkle, she gives a light laugh and she gets carried away, excited like a child when it comes time to talk about her new album, which was released to much fanfare earlier this week.
Her life, she testifies, has “changed from A to Z” in the last few months.
“It’s crazy,” she says. “The word ‘crazy’ has actually entered my vocabulary! I don’t count how many times a day I say it, so many times it’s all… crazy,” she adds, laughing.
“I owe you that”
In force. Winning Canada’s Got Talent last May allowed her, of course, to make a better life for herself, but also for those she affectionately calls “my friends”: her children, Yohan and Emma. She recently left her cramped apartment to settle with her family in a large house in Chicoutimi that better suits her needs.
Done, also anonymity. A simple run or trip around town can now take several hours for the singer, who is recognized anywhere on the street, whether in Montreal or Quebec. Some may feel dizzy after such a meteoric rise. But not Jeanick Fournier.
“I’m very comfortable with that because basically it’s thanks to them that I won Canada’s Got Talent. I owe you that. And if I didn’t want to see people or talk to them, then I would stay at home. But that’s not my case,” she says.
And his children with him?
“You see Mom is happy and that makes her happy. And while I’m often out of the house, I’m fortunate to have an exceptionally close guard who takes care of my coconuts while I’m away,” she explains.
At high speed
Nevertheless, the last few months have passed in a real storm, admits Jeanick Fournier. She even feels like she’s squeezed the equivalent of a year’s work into just a few weeks, as evidenced by her eponymous album recorded over the summer.
“That was fast. But I enjoy every minute, everything that happens to me. Pinch me, someone!” She laughs.
This new album – a third in his career but the first to be released on the Universal Music Canada label – now allows his fans to further explore their idol’s musical universe through 11 tracks drawn largely from his memories.
The first to win? I surrender of course. Because with this title, borrowed from Celine Dion, the singer received the “golden buzzer”, which promoted her directly to the semi-finals of Canada’s Got Talent. Other pieces were then added, here and there from the repertoire of Cyndi Lauper, Roxette and other Faith Hill, but also Marie Denise Pelletier and Laurence Jalbert.
To top it off, two original songs – one in French, the other in English – further evoke his personal story.
“I really wanted there to be songs in French. Singing in French, that’s me. It’s me. I’ve always done it and I will do it my whole life. Also that it’s something we’ll probably prioritize for the next album,” she says.
But before contemplating that next record, Jeanick Fournier has yet to sort through his particularly busy schedule. As well as accompanying her show, Jeanick Fournier will also sing Celine – to whose program she will of course be adding tracks from her new album – she is due in Vegas next December for an appearance on the set of America’s Got Talent.
In Vegas… with Celine?
While rumors have it that Celine Dion is set to return to the City of Vice stage before the end of the year, Jeanick Fournier is officially keeping another big dream alive: meeting his idol, whether it’s on stage or backstage.
Jeanick Fournier also evokes this wish very emotionally, his eyes blur with tears.
“Singing with Celine Dion would be the cream of the crop. But basically I would also like to spend time with her, without Kodak, without a camera. Just chatting, woman to woman, about life, work, our kids… I’ll throw that out into the universe,” she concludes.
Jeanick Fournier’s album is available now. The singer will perform at Capitole de Québec on November 4th and MTELUS in Montreal on November 14th.