Every week, The newspaper, in collaboration with the firm Léger, unveils a probe on a variety of subjects that affect you from near or far. Our barometer thus measures what makes you vibrate or frown as a Quebecker, young and old, francophone, anglophone or allophone, in Montreal or in the region.
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Who do you think are the three greatest singers in Quebec history?
1. Celine Dion: 65 %
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2. Ginette Reno: 40 %
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3. Félix Leclerc: 17 %
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4. Gilles Vigneault: 11 %
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5. André “Dédé” Fortin: 9 %
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6. Alys Robi : 7 %
7. Robert Charlebois: 6 %
8. Claude Dubois: 6 %
9. Diane Dufresne : 5 %
10. Éric Lapointe: 5 %
11. Roch Voisine: 5 %
12. Jean-Pierre Ferland: 5 %
13. Jean Leloup: 5 %
14. Gerry Boulet: 4 %
15. Daniel Bélanger: 4 %
16. Garou : 4 %
17. Lara Fabian : 4 %
18. Bruno Pelletier: 4 %
19. Fernand Gignac: 3 %
20. Claude Léveillé: 3 %
21. Charlotte Cardin : 3 %
22. Michel Rivard: 3 %
23. Marie-Mai: 3 %
24. Richard Séguin: 3 %
25. Isabelle Boulay: 2 %
► Methodology
The survey was carried out in two stages. LEO (Leger Opinion) panelists were asked an open question to submit their favorite singers. Then, a scientific survey was carried out among a thousand representative Quebecers from January 29 to 31, 2021 on the basis of the most mentioned singers. Each respondent could choose up to 3 singers. Only the 25 most popular singers are presented in this barometer.
- Philippe Leger, The Journal of Montreal
The finding
About a hundred singers were surveyed to carry out this barometer. Several big names, such as Pauline Julien, Richard Desjardins, Renée Claude and Paul Piché, were not selected in the top 25. This is not for lack of public love or talent, but because of a surplus of Quebec vocal talents. Music groups, meanwhile, were excluded from the barometer.
The surprise
Our favorite singers are all period markers. Alys Robi embodies the Quebec of the 40s, Félix Leclerc the 50s and 60s, Gilles Vigneault the 70s, Ginette Reno the 80s, Dédé Fortin the 90s and Céline Dion from the 90s to today. Each decade is marked by a singer, who embodies the Quebec atmosphere of the time.
The trend
Is it a disappointment that only two artists under 40, Charlotte Cardin and Marie-Mai, are in the top 25? One thing is certain: there is a whole young generation of singers with extraordinary talent, like Klô Pelgag, Cœur de Pirate and Émile Bilodeau, who will mark you, if you take the time to listen to them.
LONG LIVE THE OLD!
- Sophie Durocher, The Journal of Montreal
The first thing that struck me when I saw the list of the greatest singers and singers was that half of the artists who end up in the top 10 positions never play on the radio. When was the last time you heard Alys Robi on the air? And I am not talking about the advertising for the painting.
Félix Leclerc and Gilles Vigneault? We only hear them on Midsummer Day. It’s still crazy: the awards given to the best musicians in Quebec bear the first name of a man whose voice we can no longer hear, thirty-two years after his death.
Even Diane Dufresne, we don’t hear her often enough for my taste. Yet it seems to me that the Parc Belmont would be appropriate these days: “What did I do in the world that I was locked up here for the rest of my life?” What have I done in the world, there are days when I forget who I am and where I am … ”
It’s still incredible that these artists are also loved by Quebecers and also shunned by broadcasters.
Give me roses
The second thing that struck me is that, apart from Charlotte Cardin, who is 26 years old, there is no “young” singer in this list, no one under 30 (I remind you that Marie-Mai, born in 1984, will be 36 in July)! I, if I were a millennial, I would ask myself some serious questions.
In any case, one thing is certain, we cannot accuse Quebecers of being ageism!
Where is the happiness?
But one thing saddens me: where are Monique Leyrac and Renée Claude in this list? How could two of Quebec’s greatest singers have been forgotten like this? It is “All a music” which disappears in “Indifference”.
Make the difference.
Do the results of this survey make you react? Send us your opinion letters to participate in the discussion at the following address: [email protected]
- Listen to Anaïs Guertin-Lacroix’s column on QUB radio
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