Daniel Lavoie: official website

Daniel Lavoie puts his suitcases down again in France to play the role of Frollo
in Notre Dame de Paris

Christiane Colonne
1998

Originating from Manitoba, Daniel Lavoie first made his career in Québec where over some years, he has become a big star. In 1984, France discovered the singer with "Ils s'aiment" which became a hit and sold two million copies. With his return to the French stage with Notre Dame de Paris, he is already savouring his reunion with the French public.

Each day, from September to January 4000 people give him, and the rest of the cast of Notre Dame de Paris, a standing ovation. It's not enough to give him a taste for city life and the foolishness of grandeur. A nature lover, it's in the calm, far from the turbulent life of the city dweller, that he likes to live with his little family.

Indeed, it's a nice surprise to meet Daniel Lavoie again on a Paris stage. "And yes, since New-Morning in 1991, I've not returned to sing in France". Thank you then to Victor Hugo, but in being given the role of Frollo, the nasty priest of Notre Dame de Paris to a Québecois, Plamondon certainly had plenty of cheek. How did he square this up with religion? "Playing the naughty one, that's brilliant! All the same, when Plamondon first asked me to take the part, I wasn't exactly thrilled, I was a bit scared to get involved in a musical. Either it will work or it will fail. It wasn’t' the right moment to take a chance with two years of my life. On the contrary, I had had to work hard to climb the slope again. Then I asked to read the libretto and to listen to the tunes. All of a sudden, I felt that something had happened. From Richard Cocciante singing with all his heart to the words of Luc Plamondon, the truly great Luc Plamondon, I could only say yes to it."

The life of an artiste is hard, hard

"Certainly the work of an artiste has its highs and lows. For several years I was in a vacuum with numerous incidents with my recording company and its management." Even so, all had gone well for the little (rather big) French speaker from Manitoba. After a strict education which had been propelling him to become a doctor, it was music which had the final say. With rhythm under his skin and poetry filling his head, he arrived in Québec in 1971, the adventure had begun. Even with talent it wasn't easy to make a name for oneself, however small, in the pitiless world of show business, whether one is in France or in Québec. Finished with his "travels around the world" he decided, one day to leave, he who had "never seen New York". On his return, emboldened by the experience and by knowledge and with plenty of wisdom in his back-pack, he resumed his quest. In 1980 he devoted himself to performing in Québec, where he was for the whole year. In 1983, the song "Ils s'aiment" shot to the top. Even though the message of this time didn't seem to capture everyone, "Ils s'aiment" made him the man of the moment. With his brooding good looks, a well-shaped head, admittedly also thick-set, dark eyes, gentleness and toughness together in his character, his warm and husky voice with a hint of an accent and with a nice tall slim body on which he never gave in to the temptation to eat pancakes with maple syrup nor to sugared tarts. Nonetheless, his look has changed these last years, he has somehow … matured. The Daniel Lavoie of today has short, severe, salt and pepper hair, he's freed himself from some things. "It's true that I've changed, most of all, I'm less shy. I've succeeded in conquering that handicap. Before I fled from people, that's all at an end now and, considering my age, that's normal isn't it? The worries are also something else, they let me take a step back and become more philosophical. When all was settled with my recording company, I restarted my business and turned towards the United States. An opening showed itself and made several proposals to me. I then waited to see if this market had anything with which to tempt me. I studied it well. A 100% English language disc was released, but I remembered that, one Winter's day, I made the decision not to work again in English with our neighbours. I didn't want to live within that workstyle. It was too hard and demanded too much energy for all the media work. That wears me out and is absolutely not for me. I prefer to devote my time to producing and working for myself. Unobtrusiveness suits me much more. I then reorganised my life very favourably for myself.

And, in the obscurity, he didn't put his feet up, that's for certain. He wrote much for himself as wells as for an enormous amount for others. "I also made two discs for children because I like that sort of exercise. For 18 months I devoted myself to the music for three films. But wait, it was not the obscurity which made me feel good but success always gives me pleasure. With Notre Dame I got a treat every evening. I had to face up to the challenge of the nasty priest and, what is more, to a big hall which I had dreamt about for a long time. You know, small or large, each hall is finally lucky. To last out before 4000 spectators, that gratified my ego. One stuffed one's face with it and loved it. Yes, I'm happy, really very happy. It's this big success which makes me smile everyday.

Happiness is in the meadow

Even if he is happy "in the city" and here he looks so radiant, his heart remains there in his own land. "In Paris, with my family, my wife and my children, we go for walks, visit the historic buildings. How wonderful it all is. From the moment I arrived I benefitted from being in this marvellous city, but my happiness is always in the meadows and certainly in the garden! I'm always working in my vegetable patch, the same even this year, knowing full well that I will not be there to get any benefit from it. Throughout the weeks I devoted myself to making it beautiful … my neighbour remembers that. Arriving in Paris at the beginning of August I missed the tomatoes, the cucumbers, the potatoes, the carrots … but that was nothing! Moreover, his pronounced liking for nature shows itself more in crossing his favourite places in the beautiful province. "I like Québec best of all, it's the countryside of Québec, it's the northern coastline, Gaspésie, these fantastic areas which don't exist anywhere else. If I was to advise a French person arriving in Québec, I would say to him: take your time, hire a small car and go for walks in the countryside, benefit from the pure air and the extremely welcoming and kind people. It’s true that you will also discover a country, a people.”

And after Notre Dame …

After the euphoria of Paris, Daniel Lavoie certainly wants to get back on stage in France very quickly. “Today I’m allowing myself to look at far distant plans. For the moment I feel comfortable with Notre Dame, I intend to devote myself wholeheartedly to and to the bottom of things, but I say no to nothing, over the years I’ve discussed that which is well behind me and I enjoy the day after the recovery. I want to come back to Paris with a show. I’ve been thinking about it for years, I’m dreaming about making it just two pianos and one other player whom I like, face to face with each other and each helping the other. It would make a beautiful show. It would be fun but it’s still a long way off … for the moment Frollo has taken me over. After Paris, France, Belgium, Montréal and Québec … We will see.”