"I've really got rid of all my worries" – Daniel Lavoie

Today, the singer Daniel Lavoie is far removed from the worries which tormented his working life. It's now some years since he went through a difficult period with his work. He's turned over a new leaf and is talking to us about what is important to him and has helped him to find happiness again.  

More than 10 years ago, Daniel Lavoie and his wife Louise decided to move to the country. They spread out a map on the table showing the area around Montréal, took a compass and stuck it right in the middle of the town and traced a circle, the radius of which represented a 45 minute car journey in every direction. For two years they went back and forth between the communities that were found within the given circumference. They came to a halt in the district of Montérégie which is crossed by bubbling streams and is carpeted by enormous fields and pretty woodland spots.  

Daniel, why did you want to get away from town?
DL: I was brought up in Manitoba, in the small village of Dunrea to the south of Winnipeg and I felt a real need to get back to the open spaces and to tranquillity. Furthermore, in Montréal, anyone well-known has a problem in slipping by un-noticed, although most townsfolk respect ones need for privacy. In the country, people are interested, but if you join in the village life you quickly become part of the furniture. You are known to everyone and incomers are quickly accepted. 

Do you see yourself as a real nature lover?
DL: Of course. It's in such an environment that I feel at my best. I love to go out of the house and hear nothing but the sounds of nature. I've several friends who say they like the countryside but few are capable of living there for long periods of time. For me it's absolutely the opposite! I'm incapable of living in the city for more than three days! 

Why have you chosen the Montérégie area?
DL: This region appealed to us. It's peaceful, and there aren't any motorways that cross the area in which we live. What's more, it doesn't have any important tourist attractions. From time to time, cyclists criss-cross the routes near us, but we like them. We go cycling too, and here, it's the ideal place to cycle. 

It's been some years since you went bankrupt because of your production company. You've gone through a difficult period. What have you retained from that experience?
DL: I think it was a necessary change. It was a difficult period, but extremely beneficial, because it allowed me to cast off the things which had been preventing me from feeling good for several years. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I turned over a new leaf and I admit that, now, I feel very good. 

Do you think you're making the most of your life?
DL: Yes. Before, my existence was full of problems that prevented me from making the most of everyday pleasures. Relieved of all these worries, I feel much happier and easier. 

Do your priorities remain the same?
DL: They are still my family, my life in the countryside and music. The success of Notre Dame de Paris and the millions of albums sold constitute some kind of icing on the cake… 

Did you feel any anxiety before agreeing to be in the great adventure of Notre Dame de Paris?
DL: It was a big risk at the beginning. At that time, I was earning a good living in Québec, so I was very much in two minds about leaving. But I was also conscious that all the work that I'd accomplished during the previous years was in danger of sinking into oblivion, and I needed a change … 

Was the idea of leaving all your family behind for a long time a factor that could have prevented you from forging ahead?
DL: It was out of the question that I leave without Louise and my children. It was an inescapable condition. The producer accepted my demands with no hesitation. 

You are used to living in the countryside in a calm and serene environment, what did you think about living in Paris, one of the liveliest cities in the world?
DL: It was certainly that which I found most difficult and it was a great source of anxiety for me. But Paris is a fabulous city and extraordinary to discover. What's more, I worked so hard that the time passed quickly. 

The members of your family, did they adapt well?
DL: Yes. It was fantastic. We found a beautiful apartment for ourselves not far from the Palais de Congrès, where the show was being performed, and we lived like Parisians for five months. 

Did your children like their new school environment?
DL: Gabrielle and Joseph plunged into their new lives without hesitation. They quickly adapted to their new school, as well as to French discipline. I was pleased that they obtained good grades. 

Your schedule was very full. You mustn't have been able to spend much time with them…
DL: I made the most of their company on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons – the days off are different in France. On weekends, Joseph accompanied me to all the matinées. His buddy, the son of Hélène Sègara, and he had great fun in the warren of the backstage passages of the Palais de Congrès. As for Gabrielle, she didn't have much time as she made about a dozen good friends with whom she still keeps in contact. 

So we can say that you made an excellent decision in accepting the role of Frollo, isn't that so?
DL: In hindsight, yes. (laughs) But the success of Notre Dame de Paris wasn't immediate. I would even say that, at one time, we were living a little anxiously in spite of the fact that "Belle" was a great success in Québec. We knew that all that had gone so well here in Québec it wouldn't happen automatically on the other side of the Atlantic. It was only after the success at the Victoires de la Musique [Music award-winners], in France, that everything took off. 

Do you still like "Belle"?
DL: I don't necessarily like listening to it on the radio but I still like singing it.

Copyright © [ Daniel Lavoie: official website]