Daniel Lavoie: official website

Diary of a happy man

The Canadian Composer
Spring 1991

In the well-lit premises of the Studio Victor, where these days he is finishing mixing a song for the second LP of the group Hart Rouge, Daniel Lavoie no longer has anything gloomy about him which at other times personified him. He speaks with assurance, his thoughts well articulated and no question (or almost none) puts him off. The man has learned. And his kindness denotes a charm which certainly remains one of his trump cards. He has not disowned Manitoba, his family still lives there and he, stuck in town, hopes to go back to the country as soon as possible. “ I can’t wait to go” he said. A man known for his shyness? Let say that, above all, he suffers from a chronic lack of self- confidence. But the seven Félix (awards) have reassured him. Several transitions and different images – the goatee beard and the bandit’s moustache – have for several years now given way to his big, dark eyes. Daniel Lavoie, at 42, seems to be at the peak of his powers.

From his first successes (“J’ai quitté mon île, Dans l’temps des animaux”) in the 70’s, he has known the highs (“Nirvana bleu” in 1979) and the lows (“Aigre-doux How are you” in 1981). After his transfer to the label Trafic in 1983, the album Tension Attention placed him at the forefront of a bunch of Quebecer artists; it had a very 80’s sound and, above all, international appeal. Today, music is a full-time job. He likes to keep up to date (“I’m rather hooked on computers”) and after having written the theme song for the film “Les longs manteaux”, in 1987, he is making his own cinema debut in a film by Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, “Le fabuleux voyage de l’ange” which will be released before Christmas. He’s also begun to produce albums for his fellow countrymen of Hart Rouge. So has the former gipsy from Manitoba settled completely now? This statement makes him burst into resounding laughter. Pleased with himself then? “I’m not over the moon about it, let’s just say I’m happy”.

The Canadian composer (CC): Is it the first time that you have produced an album for someone else?

Daniel Lavoie (DL): Yes, it’s happened just like that, perhaps because I had just produced Long Courrier and they though I was the right person to trust. I’ve been at it since last September, but I’m not the only one working on it, André Lambert too is doing arrangements. Above all, it’s an ongoing job: knowing how to listen to the songs, working at the lyrics; this framework allows Hart Rouge to define themselves, to decide what they want, whichis not always obvious when you are an artist.

CC: You’ve given yourself over to a new experience: the cinema.

DL: Some people have been speaking to me about it for years, they told me I should get into films. When I became successful in France, I was type-cast as a heart-throb. But I felt most uncomfortable about it and absolutely refused it, my refusal didn’t do me much good over there. Then little by little, I got used to the idea. And when someone as good as Jean-Pierre Lefebvre suggests something you give it serious consideration. I took time to read the script and it seemed to me that it could be very interesting.

CC: What part did you play in “Le fabuleux voyage de l’ange”?

DL: I played a 40 years old bloke who has problems with his daughter, with creativity in his work and with life in general. He’s trying to find himself. He struggles to find himself. He struggles to be a film writer, it’s a fable with lots of tenderness and surprises.

CC: And for the first time, you are writing the music score. Composing for the big screen, does that give you more scopefor creativity?

DL: It gives me enormous freedom and at the same time one must respect the picture and the atmosphere which is already there. But it’s not as stressful as writing successful pop songs which radio stations will accept.

CC: When you were composing the songs for 'Long Courrier', did the fact they had to please radio stations play an important role in the way you were working?

DL: You can’t allow yourself to do just anything when, for example, you have invested 100,000 dollars in the production of an album. But that’s not to say that the challenge is less worthwhile, one must try to write a song which will be interesting, beautiful and able to communicate feelings which will fit into the framework of radio stations.

CC: Are you happy with the previous album, 'Vue sur la mer'?

DL: Not very pleased. I admit that I had lost control a bit and I found myself with a different album from the one I had planned. All the same, I think there are some pretty good songs on that album, people seemed to like it. Let say that I’m 60% happy with it.

CC: Is 'Long Courrier' more like you?

DL: Yes, much more. Again, a year after its release, I spot in it all sorts of details I should have done differently. Happily, each album is a step forward.

CC: What will your next album be about ?

DL: I’ve no idea. I want to make a more entertaining, more gentle album . At the moment I’m only thinking about the kind of sound texture I’d like to give it. I’m working on the background.

CC: Many artists say that they never want to listen again to an album once it is finished and on the market .Are you like that?

DL: I’m a rather like that. You’ve got to understand that for months and months, often a year, two years you’ve been listening to those songs, you’ve been working on them again and again in the recording studio. You know each and every detail until you’re no longer surprised when you listen to them. It’s during live shows that I rediscover those songs. Then, they are no longer set in vinyl, they spring back to life with the help of five or six musicians and the audience.

CC: The one which became a turning point in your career was undoubtedly “Ils s’aiment”.

DL: The entire album 'Tension attention' was important. I remember that for a whole year before it was released we were trying to promote it here and there, to no avail. I’d just released 'Aigre-doux, How are you' which was a bit of a flop and many people said I was finished. Tension attention was a turning point because it put me in back on the music map.

CC: 'Ils s’aiment' also opened doors for you in France.

DL: I don’t know if I will ever know that again, such an enormous success. It’s amazing to think that 3½ minutes can be so important and bring you instant fame and cash. It was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot during that period. To become a star in a city like Paris gives your ego things you’d never dreamt of before.

CC: You are now an established artist in France?

DL: Yes, that’s where I opened my new show . But France is always hard work , you always have to give it your all. It’s a big market. The more there is to earn, the harder people are fighting. You really have to struggle to make your mark in France. I’m always struggling over there.

CC: 'Long Courrier' was released in France last Autumn?

DL: Yes, the promotional video of 'Qui sait' was a big success, but, on the other hand, we didn’t manage to make it into the couple of radio stations which really help to push up sales. But we’re back, pushing on with a second single called “Jours de plaine”.

CC: This spring you are putting on several shows in Québec.

DL: Yes, at the Spectrum in Montréal and in 15 towns up and down the province, in Abiti and at Lac-Saint-Jean. It’s like a first test, I want to take time to test the waters because experience has taught me that you can loose a lot of money with a show.

CC: Are you tempted by the English speaking market?

DL: I would quite like it. 'Cravings', in 1980, wasn’t a big success. 'Tips', the English version of 'Vue sur la mer', didn’t sell all that well either. It was a badly organised attempt, I didn’t have the necessary experience nor people to support me. I’ve just completed a new album in English, with completely new songs and I’m waiting for the right moment. But I admit I’m not all that set on it …which is perharps why it hasn’t yet happened for me ..