Damien Robitaille
Encyclopedia
Damien Robitaille is a Franco-Ontarian
musician from the village of Lafontaine, Ontario
, which is located in the Georgian Bay area, two hours north-west of Toronto.
Robitaille started his music career at a young age, when he started playing the piano when he was eight years old, and later in his childhood he learned to play such instruments as the trumpet, guitar and violin. Later on, Robitaille attended Wilfrid Laurier University
in Waterloo
to study classical music. While at Laurier, he was a member of the rock band The Mezameeze (made to sound like "Mes Amis" in French, meaning "My Friends"). Halfway through his university career he was a finalist in Ontario Pop, a franco-Ontarian competition, in which he won a scholarship to attend a one year program at "L'Ecole Nationale de la Chanson" in Granby, Quebec.
In 2004, Robitaille, a young poetic musician, played at the Festival de la chanson de Granby (Granby Song Festival) in Granby
, Quebec
in which he was a finalist. This festival, as well as the Francouvertes
festival in Montreal
, Quebec
where he won first prize, helped Robitaille become a successful musician in Quebec.http://www.bandeapart.fm/artistes_enrichies.asp?id=2059 Robitaille performs the vocals, guitar and piano for all of his songs.
In 2006, Robitaille released his first full length album titled L'homme qui me ressemble (The Man Who Looks Like Me). The title is a reference to the duality of being a performer having to take on a persona, which is a large part of Damien's act. On September 8, 2009, he launched his album Homme Autonome. He is released under Audiogram
.
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
musician from the village of Lafontaine, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, which is located in the Georgian Bay area, two hours north-west of Toronto.
Robitaille started his music career at a young age, when he started playing the piano when he was eight years old, and later in his childhood he learned to play such instruments as the trumpet, guitar and violin. Later on, Robitaille attended Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
to study classical music. While at Laurier, he was a member of the rock band The Mezameeze (made to sound like "Mes Amis" in French, meaning "My Friends"). Halfway through his university career he was a finalist in Ontario Pop, a franco-Ontarian competition, in which he won a scholarship to attend a one year program at "L'Ecole Nationale de la Chanson" in Granby, Quebec.
In 2004, Robitaille, a young poetic musician, played at the Festival de la chanson de Granby (Granby Song Festival) in Granby
Granby, Quebec
Granby is a city in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 47,637. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the fifth most populated city in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Brossard and...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in which he was a finalist. This festival, as well as the Francouvertes
Francouvertes
Francouvertes is an annual Canadian music festival in Montreal, which spotlights emerging francophone musical artists from Quebec.At the end of each year's festival, three finalists are named, following which a jury presents an award of $10,000 to an artist chosen as the Best New Artist of the Year....
festival in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
where he won first prize, helped Robitaille become a successful musician in Quebec.http://www.bandeapart.fm/artistes_enrichies.asp?id=2059 Robitaille performs the vocals, guitar and piano for all of his songs.
In 2006, Robitaille released his first full length album titled L'homme qui me ressemble (The Man Who Looks Like Me). The title is a reference to the duality of being a performer having to take on a persona, which is a large part of Damien's act. On September 8, 2009, he launched his album Homme Autonome. He is released under Audiogram
Audiogram (label)
Audiogram is an independent record label founded in Quebec in the 1980s. The label represents performers who have contributed to and have marked Quebec's cultural scene. In the 1990s, Audiogram became home to many of the top local French artists and in 1993 expanded into the English-speaking...
.
Discography
- Damien (2000) - Independently released album which Damien recorded with the help of his high school music teacher
- Damien Robitaille (2003) - Mini-album featuring tracks from Francouvertes
- L'homme qui me ressembleL'homme qui me ressembleL'homme qui me ressemble is the first full length album by Franco-Ontarian musician Damien Robitaille.-Track listing:# Mètres de mon être# Je tombe# Cercles# Rouge-gorge# Voyeur planétaire# L'homme qui me ressemble...
(2006) - Homme Autonome (2009)