Éric Lapointe (born 28 September 1969 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is a
francophoneThe adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
singer. His signature sound is characterized by very strong emotional lyrics, a rich deep gravelly voice and the virtuoso guitar work by Stéphane Dufour. This sound made him stand out in contrast to the folksy, traditional sensibilities of his counterparts in 1994.
Biography
Éric Lapointe is one of Québec's most popular Francophone rock lead singers. In fact, local radio stations initially refused to play his songs. His music videos helped build momentum in his career and he is now very well respected, having performed with most notable singers in Québec.
Éric was born on 28 September 1969 in Pointe-aux-Trembles. He is the oldest of three children (his brothers are Marc and Hugo - Hugo is also a singer and he launched a successful debut album in 2004. Hugo started out as a technician for his brother's band). Éric is not related to the second season's
Star AcadémieStar Académie is a Canadian reality TV series started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of competing young women and men for the title of the best singer...
winner,
StéphanieStéphanie Lapointe is a Quebec singer, song writer, television and movie actress and humanitarian activist. She is best known as the winner of the second season of Star Académie, the Quebec version of Fame Academy....
.
His father Serge worked as a
ZellersZellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise department stores, with 282 locations in communities across Canada. Zellers is headquartered in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, Ontario, and is a subsidiary of Hudson's Bay Company ....
manager, and the family had to move a great deal. By the age of 16, Éric had moved a total of 13 times. As a result, he was shy and reserved, had difficulty making friends and was very close to his mother, Doris. She has been a strong supporter of his career from very early on.
At nine years old, a young Lapointe asked his father for a plastic guitar from a
SearsSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 188 corporate stores, 180 dealer stores, 67 home improvement showrooms, 112 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
catalogue. His father bought him a real guitar instead and Éric soon learned how to strum chords thanks to the help of his uncle (a musician). He wrote his first songs at the age of ten and started touring Québec and France at the age of 15.
At the age of 18, Éric joined the
Parti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois is a left-wing political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Québec and secession from Canada. It is a social democratic party and has traditionally had support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social democratic parties, its ties with the...
and was discovered by Yves-François Blanchet (the president of
l'ADISQThe Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois ....
- the Québec Record Industry Association). Yves-Francois managed his early career - Éric cut his teeth on the local bar scene and
CEGEPA CEGEP is a post-secondary education institution exclusive to the province of Quebec in Canada. CEGEP is a French acronym for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Vocational Education"...
colleges. To supplement his income, Éric worked side jobs as a pool installation technician, garbage collector, waiter and credit card salesman.
At the age of 20, Éric collaborated with Roger Tabra, writing his first hit single "N'importe Quoi". Despite having very little money, Éric organized a showcase at a popular bar called Club Soda for record industry. Patrice Duchesne (from Disques Gamma) was impressed by Éric's talent and offered him a record contract. Gamma helped produce his debut album
Obsession which was released in 1994.
Aldo NovaAldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100...
produced the album, which caused some internal friction within the band.
The music video for "Terre Promise" helped trigger mass sales for the album. On 12 August 1994 - Éric attracted a huge crowd of 45,000 people at the corner of Jeanne-Mance and Sainte-Catherine in Montréal. The album
Obsession was later certified platinum with over 250,000 copies sold.
He then produced several others albums including
Invitez les Vautours (1996, 180,000 copies sold),
À l'ombre de l'ange (1999, 225,000 copies sold) and
Adrénaline, a live album which sold as of 2006 nearly 200,000 copies. On November 2004, Lapointe launched
Coupable and sold over 100,000 copies in its first few weeks. His first 5 albums were certified Platinum and an impressive 900,000 total discs were sold in 12 years.
He won two
Félix AwardThe Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois ....
s for Breakthrough Artist of the year and for Best Rock Album at the Gala de l'ADISQ in 1995, having been nominated for five awards including Best Male Artist of the year, Best album sales and best composer-author-performer of the year. He also received three record industry nominations. He was nominated again three times in 1997 and won his second Félix for Best Rock Album. His
À l'ombre de l'ange album was the most successful as he won 5 additional Felix awards in 2000. Adrenaline also gave him a fourth Felix for Best Rock Album.
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup...
invited him to open their two
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
concerts during the
Voodoo Lounge TourThe Voodoo Lounge Tour was a 1994-1995 concert tour by the Rolling Stones to promote their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge. This was their first tour without bassist Bill Wyman; he was replaced by non-Stones-member Darryl Jones. The tour grossed $320 million, becoming the highest grossing tour of any...
in 1995 along with
Bon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
. They also played a concert at the
la RochelleLa Rochelle is a city in south-western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department....
FrancoFolies festival along with French artist
Florent PagnyFlorent Pagny is a French musician. He has also acted in many French films. He records work in French, Spanish and English, and his greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer", "Ma Liberté de penser" and "Caruso" .-Early years:Pagny began his artistic career as an actor...
.
In 1995, he became the first artist to receive during the same year two Prix Miroir for Public's Choice and Best public performance, during the Quebec City International Summer Festival. He won the Public's Choice award at that same festival in 1997 and 2000, becoming the first artist to receive 4 awards in the event's 30 year run.
He also received an award by the Francophone radio stations for best song in 1995 for his song: "Terre Promise". Another single, "N'importe quoi" was voted best song by the Quebec public who were listening to the Radio Énergie radio stations across the province. The same radio network also voted Lapointe's singles "Loadé comme un gun" in 1997 and "Mon ange" in 1999 as the People's Choice for song of the year.
Lapointe had several #1 hits in the Quebec charts. They included: "N'importe quoi", "Terre Promise, "L'exquise", "Je rêve encore", "Deux fois la même histoire", "D'l'amour, j'en veux pus", "Bobépine", "Loadé comme un gun", "Les Boys", "Rocket", "Laisse-moi seul", "Rien à regretter", "On commence à s'quitter", "Mon Ange", "Ma gueule", "Le Boys Blues Band", "Qu'est-ce que ça peut ben faire", "Un beau grand slow", "Reste là", "La Bartendresse", "Coupable", "100 Years From Now", "Toucher" and "1500 Miles". They hit the charts on either the Radio Energie network, Montreal's Francophone station CKOI, the Rock Détente network or MusiquePlus.
In 1997, Lapointe released two songs; "Le Screw (written by Richard Desjardins) and "
Les BoysLes Boys is a 1997 Quebec-made comedy film directed by Louis Saia. It has spawned three sequels and by any measure is the most successful Quebec made film series of all time, and one of the most successful Canadian-made film series of all time.- Plot :The plot revolves around the players on a...
", written for the popular movie by the same name. In 1998, he wrote an additional two songs for
Les Boys II: "Rocket" and "Alléluia", The soundtrack sold 25,000 copies in six weeks. He produced seven additional songs for the soundtrack of
Les Boys III including "Le Boys Blues Band". Released in 2001, the album sold 35,000 copies. Lapointe also performed a role in the movie in the role of Bruno, a friend of Léopold (Michel Charrette).
On 8 April 2002, he launched
Adrénaline a double album which contains 25 live tracks. He also participated in the compilation of
Le Petit Roi. He was especially noticed for his interpretation of "Une chance qu'on a ca" by
Jean-Pierre FerlandJean-Pierre Ferland, OC, CQ is a Canadian singer and songwriter.-Early Years:Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began taking guitar lessons with Stephen Fentock and began to fall in love with music, writing his...
.
Ironically, the singer released the album
Coupable (French for guilty) a few weeks later. The album artwork features Éric with his hands against a stone wall, the "arrest" pose. The album quickly reached platinum status. The most notable hit was "La Bartendresse" which featured a video written by Québec actor
Patrick HuardPatrick Huard is a Canadian actor and comedian.-Feature films:* 1997: J’en suis* 1997: Les Boys* 1998: Les Boys II* 2000: La vie après l’amour* 2000: Stardom* 2001: Les Boys III...
. Lapointe wrote the vast majority of this album by himself.
During mid-2006, Éric was contacted by
Patrick HuardPatrick Huard is a Canadian actor and comedian.-Feature films:* 1997: J’en suis* 1997: Les Boys* 1998: Les Boys II* 2000: La vie après l’amour* 2000: Stardom* 2001: Les Boys III...
to collaborate on his movie
Bon Cop Bad Cop (Huard and Lapointe first collaborated on the movie set of
Les BoysLes Boys is a 1997 Quebec-made comedy film directed by Louis Saia. It has spawned three sequels and by any measure is the most successful Quebec made film series of all time, and one of the most successful Canadian-made film series of all time.- Plot :The plot revolves around the players on a...
). The singer contributed a rock song called "Tatoo" which became an instant hit, bolstered by the popularity of the movie. He also played the role of a notorious criminal named Johnny "Le Chat" (The Cat) Charland in the Quebec television series
Le Negociateur which aired on
TVATVA is a Canadian French language privately owned television network.TVA is based in Quebec and has affiliates only in Quebec, although the affiliates in Rivière-du-Loup and Carleton-sur-Mer have rebroadcast transmitters in New Brunswick. Also, the affiliate in Gatineau is part of the Ottawa...
in 2005 and 2006.
http://tva.canoe.com/emissions/negociateur/personnages.html
On 22 November 2006, Éric released a greatest hits album called
1994-2006: N'importe Qui. It features both a CD and DVD compilation. The lead off single is a remake of his first hit "N'importe Quoi", featuring the singer performing an intimate version of the song's intro accompanied by a grand piano.
In 2007, he made a guest appearance on the eponymous song of
Dennis DeYoungDennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure which lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...
's album
One Hundred Years from NowOne Hundred Years from Now is the fifth studio album from Dennis DeYoung.The album was initially released in Canada in 2007, with the first single being the title track, which is a duet in French and English with Éric Lapointe....
as a singer and lyric writer.
On 22 April 2008, his sixth studio album,
Ma Peau, was released.
Current musicians
- Deno Amodeo – guitarist
- Mic Myette – guitarist
- Martin Bolduc – bass
- Bruce Cameron – keyboards
Albums
- Obsession (1994)
- Invitez les vautours (1996)
- À l'ombre de l'ange (1999)
- Coupable (2004)
- Ma peau (2008)
Compilations
- Adrénaline (2002)
- Invitez les vautours (2002) (Digipak re-release with DVD)
- 1994-2006: N'importe qui (2006) (Gold)
Soundtracks
- Les Boys
Les Boys is a 1997 Quebec-made comedy film directed by Louis Saia. It has spawned three sequels and by any measure is the most successful Quebec made film series of all time, and one of the most successful Canadian-made film series of all time.- Plot :The plot revolves around the players on a...
(1997)
- Les Boys II (1998)
- Les Boys III (2001)
- Bon cop, bad cop
Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a 2006 Canadian comedy-thriller buddy cop film about English Canadian and Québécois police officers who reluctantly join forces. The dialogue is a mixture of English and French...
(2006)
Other Songs
- "À toi"
- "Alléluia" (De l'album Les Boys II)
- "Alléluia (Instrumentale)" (De l'album Les Boys II)
- "Ayoye!"
- "C'était l'hiver" (Groupes de Pamplemousse
Groupes de Pamplemousse is a compilation album released during Suicide Prevention Week in Quebec, Canada. The songs tackle the issue of suicide, and benefits from the album help Suicide Prevention Centres throughout Quebec.-Track listing:...
– 2008, Les Porn Flakes & Éric Lapointe)
- "Le boys blues band" (De l'album Les Boys III)
- "Le pitbull s'en vient" (De l'album Les Boys III)
- "Le screw" (De l'album Les Boys)
- "Les boys" (De l'album Les Boys)
- "L'exil" (De l'album Serge Fiori: Un musicien parmi tant d'autres)
- "Papa, pourquoi tu cries?"
- "Rocket (On est tous des Maurice Richard)" (De l'album Les Boys II)
- "Rocket (On est tous des Maurice Richard) (Instrumentale)" (De l'album Les Boys II)
- "Tatoo" (De l'album Bon cop bad cop)
- "Tatoo (Instrumentale)" (De l'album Bon cop bad cop)
External links
Éric Lapointe official site Lyrics to some songs Éric Lapointe on the
French WikipediaThe French Wikipedia is the French language edition of Wikipedia, spelt Wikipédia. Started in March 2001, this edition has over 800,000 articles as of May 2009 and is the third largest Wikipedia after the English language and German language editions...
Versions karaoke