Biography
True to form, Émile Bilodeau is here for us. With a generous and open heart that’s in the right place, the singer-songwriter born in Longueuil has quickly positioned himself as an inclusive voice for all generations of Quebeckers.
He began playing music as a teenager and released his first album, Rites de passage, in 2016. His efforts awarded him a Félix for Revelation of the Year at the ADISQ awards in 2017. Immediately after this run, he put out Grandeur mature in the fall of 2019. As its title suggests, this second album demonstrated an evolution, a refinement of his sense of restlessness and of his work on the language that he holds dear. Less than two years later, he was already preparing his comeback: his third effort petite nature, a lucid and fiery album, was released in September 2021 under Bravo musique. Émile then quickly returns with "Tshe Minupunanu", a single co-written with Scott-Pien Picard and the country-rock band Maten, marking the beginning of a precious collaboration with members of the Innu community. Without waiting, the artist takes his fans by surprise with Tout seul comme un grand. A fourth album with an appropriate title, on which he operated almost entirely independently: signing lyrics, music and production, in addition to playing all instruments.
In the spring of 2023, he announces the follow-up to his project, Au bar des espoirs, his fifth album due in September of that year, produced by his friend and wingman Simon Kearney. As the title suggests, this new collection of songs is bound by the idea that there can be a thin line between hope and its opposite, all told with a characteristically light-hearted glibness, with the simple and necessary goal of keeping us hopeful and happy.
True to form, Émile Bilodeau is here for us. With a generous and open heart that’s in the right place, the singer-songwriter born in Longueuil has quickly positioned himself as an inclusive voice for all generations of Quebeckers. His hits have filled airwaves and big venues, and his rousing folk-rock anthems have all of Quebec breaking into song with him.
He began playing music as a teenager and released his first album, Rites de passage, in 2016. More than 40,000 copies were sold, with tens of millions of streams. The album's first single, “J’en ai plein mon cass,” reached No. 1 in the BDS pop rock charts and led to a three-year tour that was certified silver (25,000 tickets sold in over 350 concerts in Quebec and 50 in France and Belgium) and culminated with a performance on the main stage at the Francos de Montréal, where many people discovered a brilliant, honest, and unifying artist. His efforts awarded him a Félix for Revelation of the Year at the ADISQ awards in 2017.
Immediately after this run, he put out Grandeur mature in the fall of 2019. As its title suggests, this second album demonstrated an evolution, a refinement of his sense of restlessness and of his work on the language that he holds dear. Grandeur mature received extensive radio play with tracks “Candy,” “Robin des bois” and “Échec et mat,” and a pickup truck tour across Quebec in the summer of 2020 helped him win a Félix for Male Performer of the Year at the 2020 ADISQ awards.
Less than two years later, he was already preparing his comeback: his third effort petite nature, a lucid and fiery album, was released in September 2021 under Bravo musique. Émile then quickly returns with "Tshe Minupunanu", a single co-written with Scott-Pien Picard and the country-rock band Maten, marking the beginning of a precious collaboration with members of the Innu community. After more than a hundred shows in Quebec and France for the petite nature tour, Émile Bilodeau is nominated for Folk Album of the Year at the 2022 ADISQ gala.
Without waiting, the artist takes his fans by surprise with Tout seul comme un grand. A fourth album with an appropriate title, on which he operated almost entirely independently: signing lyrics, music and production, in addition to playing all instruments.
In the spring of 2023, he announces the follow-up to his project, Au bar des espoirs, his fifth album due in September of that year, produced by his friend and wingman Simon Kearney. As the title suggests, this new collection of songs is bound by the idea that there can be a thin line between hope and its opposite: love in chaos; an unhappy bartender who doesn't want to quit his job at the risk of becoming like the customers he likes to judge; Émile who wonders what he could do if he lost his hearing - all told with a characteristically light-hearted glibness, with the simple and necessary goal of keeping us hopeful and happy.
