Isabelle Boulay, (born 6 July 1972) is a French Canadian singer.

Biography

Born in Sainte-Félicité, Quebec, where her parents owned a restaurant, Boulay moved to the nearby city of

Matane Matane is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Matane River. The town is the seat for the La Matanie Regional County Municipality. In addition to Matane itself, ...

at the start of her adolescence, and studied literature at

Cégep Limoilou Cégep Limoilou is a French-language CEGEP in the province of Quebec, situated in La Cité-Limoilou, a borough of Quebec City. Cégep Limoilou offers pre-university and technical programs, continuing education and corporate services. It has 6 ...

. In 1988, her friends signed her up, without her knowledge, for a singing contest in Matane, where she made the acquaintance of Josélito Michaud, who later became her agent. In 1990, at the Petite-Vallée song festival, she won an award for her performance of "Les gens de mon pays" (

Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: " Mon pays" and " Gens du pays", ...

). The following year, in 1991, she won the Granby song festival for her rendition of "

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

" (

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

) and "Naufrage" (

Dan Bigras Dan Bigras (born 23 December 1957) is a francophone rock singer and actor from Canada. He has released a number of albums of rock music, beginning with ''Ange Animal'' in 1990. He is the spokesman of ''Refuge des Jeunes de Montréal'' (meanin ...

). She was also invited to take part in the festival Les FrancoFolies de Montréal. In 1992, she performed in France at Théâtre Dejazet, introducing

Bill Deraime Alain "Bill" Deraime is a French blues singer (born 2 February 1947 in Senlis, Oise).Birchmeter, JasonBill Deraimeallmusic.com. Retrieved March 2011] Discography * ''Bill Deraime'' (LP - 1979) * ''Plus la peine de frimer'' (LP - 1980) * ...

. In 1993, she represented

Radio Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

at the "Truffe de Périgueux" festival held in

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; oc, Peiregòrd / ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is div ...

, France, and was awarded the prize for Best Singer in the "chanson francophone" category. Following Boulay's success in France, she was noticed by songwriter

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon, OC, CQ (b. March 2, 1942 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec), is a French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. He is best known for his work on the musicals ''Starmania'' and ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brother of Louis Plamon ...

, who was looking for emerging talents to perform in a new production of his

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

'' Starmania''. There, Boulay portrayed the role of Marie-Jeanne from 1995 to 1998. She also provided the singing voice for Quebec singer

Alys Robi Alice Robitaille (February 3, 1923 – May 28, 2011), from Quebec City, "petite Alys" (little Alys), was a French Canadian singer mainly remembered for her later French interpretations of Latin American songs, who performed under the stage name Aly ...

in the TV miniseries of the same name, adding to her popularity in Quebec. In 1996, Boulay released her debut album, ''

Fallait pas ''Fallait pas'' is francophone Canadian pop singer Isabelle Boulay's first studio album. It was released in 1996. Words and music for the songs on the album were written by Daniel DeShaime. The first track on the album, "Un peu d'innocence", r ...

'', written and produced by

Daniel DeShaime Daniel DeShaime, born Jean-Marie Deschênes on 2 August 1946 in Saint-Octave-de-l'Avenir, Quebec is a French-speaking Canadian singer. Biography Daniel DeShaime was born in Saint-Octave-de-l'Avenir, a village founded in 1932 near the Chic-Cho ...

. She also participated again in Les FrancoFolies de Montréal. She began recording her second album, ''

États d'amour ''États d'amour'' is francophone Canadian pop singer Isabelle Boulay's second studio album. It was released in Quebec in February 1998 and in France in November 1998, with a somewhat different sequence of tracks.Félix Award The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' (ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian p ...

s but failed to win any. In 1999, the single "Je t'oublierai, je t'oublierai" from ''États d'amour'' peaked at No. 33 on the French charts. Boulay made a number of media appearances in France in 1999, and, in the summer, sang again in the FrancoFolies de Montréal, where the live album ''

Scènes d'amour ''Scènes d'amour'' is francophone Canadian pop singer Isabelle Boulay's first live album, released in 2000. Most tracks on the album were recorded in 1999 during the " Les FrancoFolies de Montréal" annual summer festival in Montreal, where she ...

'' was recorded. She also performed with

Serge Lama Serge Lama (born Serge Claude Bernard Chauvier on 11 February 1943 in Bordeaux) is a French singer and songwriter. His most famous song is '' Je suis malade'', written with Alice Dona. It has been written for Dalida and later performed by a num ...

at the Olympia, and introduced

Francis Cabrel Francis Christian Cabrel (; born 23 November 1953) is a French singer-songwriter, composer and guitarist. Considered one of the most influential French musical artists of all time, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the real ...

on tour, as well as introducing

Julien Clerc Paul Alain Leclerc (born 4 October 1947), known by his stage name Julien Clerc (), is a French singer-songwriter. Life Born in Paris, Clerc grew up listening to classical music in his father Paul Leclerc's home, while his mother Évelyne Merlot ...

during his tour in Montreal. In October, she was given the Félix award for female singer of the year. Since then, she has had considerable success both in Quebec and in Europe. Her biggest-selling album in France was the 2000 release '' Parle-moi''. On 14 February 2008, she was presented with the medal of the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (officially in french: link=no, Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; french: link=no, déput ...

by the mayor of her hometown, in recognition of her contribution to the arts. She has been a coach on ''

La Voix ''La Voix'' is a francophone Canadian reality talent show as part of the international television series franchise '' The Voice'', based on the original Dutch version of the program created by John de Mol. The series is part of ''The Voic ...

'' for its second, third, and fifth edition, respectively. In March 2019, she was one of 11 singers from Quebec, alongside

Ginette Reno Ginette Reno (born Ginette Raynault; 28 April 1946) is a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selli ...

, Diane Dufresne,

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Luce Dufault Luce Dufault (born August 19, 1966 in Orleans, Ontario) is a Canadian singer. She is of French descent. She performed in two musicals from Luc Plamondon, La Légende de Jimmy and Starmania. She recorded a few hits including ''Soirs de scotch ...

Louise Forestier Louise Forestier (born Louise Belhumeur on August 10, 1942) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. Biography Born in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada, Forestier was trained in acting at the National Theatre School in Montreal, but it was as a si ...

Laurence Jalbert Laurence Jalbert (born Lise Jalbert, 18 August 1959 in Rivière-au-Renard, Quebec) is a pop and rock singer-songwriter from Quebec. Background She began her career with the band Volt in 1985."Quebec singer's struggle pays off". ''Edmonton Jour ...

, Catherine Major,

Ariane Moffatt Ariane Moffatt (born 26 April 1979) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Known for working across multiple musical genres, Moffatt's music combines elements of electronica, jazz, folk, and pop. A francophone, she is bilingual and has recorded track ...

, Marie Denise Pelletier and

Marie-Élaine Thibert Marie-Élaine Thibert (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian adult contemporary and pop singer based in Quebec. Thibert was first notable for being the runner-up in the first season of Star Académie in 2003, the Quebec singing idol reality show. Sh ...

, who participated in a supergroup recording of

Renée Claude Renée Claude (born Renée Bélanger; July 3, 1939 – May 12, 2020) was a Canadian actress and singer Denise Ménard, Suzanne Thomas and Benoît L'Herbier"Renée Claude" '' The Canadian Encyclopedia'', January 20, 2010. who was known as an inte ...

's 1971 single "Tu trouveras la paix" after Claude's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease was announced.

Personal life

In October 2008, Boulay and her producer Marc-Andre Chicoine, had their first child together, Marcus Andrew. She is in 2020 living with the French minister of Justice,

Éric Dupond-Moretti Éric Dupond-Moretti (born 20 April 1961) is a French-Italian lawyer and politician who was appointed Minister of Justice in 2020 by President Emmanuel Macron. As a criminal defence lawyer he is renowned for his record number of acquittals which ...

Awards and recognition

* 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008:

Félix Award The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' (ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian p ...

: Female singer of the year * 2000: Félix Award: Pop album of the year (''

'') * 2001:

Victoires de la musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

: discovery of the year for artist and album (''

Mieux qu'ici-bas ''Mieux qu'ici-bas'' is francophone Canadian pop singer Isabelle Boulay's third studio album, released in September 2000.

'') * 2001: Félix Awards: Pop album of the year (''Mieux qu'ici-bas'') * 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008: Félix Award: Show of the year (singer) * 2001: Juno Awards: nomination for Best Female Artist, two nominations for Best Selling Francophone Album (''Mieux qu'ici bas'', ''Scènes d'Amour'') * 2005, 2008: Félix Award: Quebec artist best known outside Quebec * 2007: Félix Award: Country album of the year ('' De retour à la source'') * 2008: Juno Awards: nomination for Francophone Album of the Year (''De retour à la source'') * 2012: Made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

* 2012: Made a knight of the

Order of La Pléiade The Order of La Pléiade (; ) is an honorary order of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. It recognizes people who particularly distinguished themselves in the service of its ideals of cooperation and friendship, promoting the ro ...

Isabelle Boulay honorée
Émilie Clément-Émond, 21 March 2012, Yahoo! News. Accessed on line 9 December 2013.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

Soundtracks

Singles

External links

*
Quebec Info Musique: Isabelle Boulay

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulay, Isabelle 1972 births Living people French-language singers of Canada French Quebecers Knights of the National Order of Quebec Singers from Quebec People from Bas-Saint-Laurent Canadian women country singers Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian women pop singers 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Félix Award winners