Mitsou
Encyclopedia
Mitsou Annie Marie Gélinas (born September 1, 1970 in Loretteville, Quebec
) is a Canadian
pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host, and actress. She is credited as Mitsou Gélinas when acting, but records simply as Mitsou (the French spelling of Mitsu, which means honey in Japanese).
, Mitsou is the granddaughter of Quebec
actor Gratien Gélinas
. She got involved in acting and modelling as a child, but also began to pursue singing in her teenage years. In 1988, she signed with Canadian independent Isba Records and released her first single, "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy
" (composed and produced by Jean-Pierre Isaac
), which became a smash pop hit across Canada (an extremely rare feat for a francophone
song). Later that year, she followed with her debut, multicultural-themed album, El Mundo which also spawned the singles "La Corrida" and "Les Chinois". "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" was later remixed by Shep Pettibone
and re-released for the American
market with a new video.
In 1990, she released her follow-up album, Terre des Hommes. Ivan Doroschuk
(formerly of Men Without Hats
) wrote the title track in addition to her first English-language song "A Funny Place (The World Is)". She also changed her image by dyeing her hair reddish-brown instead of her trademark blonde.
The first single, "Mademoiselle Anne", failed to replicate her cross-Canada success, but in 1991 the second single, "Dis-Moi, Dis-Moi", put Mitsou back in the spotlight with a controversial video that showed her and several male and female models nude in a shower room. The video, which was released only a few months after Madonna
's "Justify My Love
", was banned by MuchMusic
(as the Madonna video had been).
Having banned two high-profile pop videos within a few months of each other, MuchMusic created a new occasional late-night series, Too Much 4 Much
, on which they would play banned videos along with forum and panel discussions on the controversies these videos raised. Due to the controversy, Mitsou's single was played across Canada even though the lyrics (which Mitsou co-wrote) were exclusively in French.
Her 1992 followup EP, Heading West, was a collection of past hits and new material in English and French. Despite a title track co-written by Cyndi Lauper
, and the radio and video play given the dance-driven single "Deep Kiss", it failed to generate a substantial pop hit. In 1993, she followed it up with her first full-English album Tempted. Although the lead single was written by RuPaul
("Everybody Say Love"), the album again failed to give her a significant hit. The video for "Everybody Say Love" featured nudity (as well as homosexuality) but failed to stir any media attention.
Subsequently, she returned to recording primarily French-language material for her 1994 album Ya Ya which included cover versions of songs popular in Quebec in the '60s and '70s, such as the title track and "Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer". She also released a Christmas album entitled Noel in 1995 that included some Quebec holiday classics.
After a hiatus, her next album, Mitsou (Éponyme) (1999), featured hip-hop-influenced beats and a street-oriented rock sound. She also co-wrote and co-produced all the tracks. A club-oriented EP Vibe followed in 2002. It features remixes of previous material such as "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" (which was re-recorded and released as a single) and "Money Penny".
's Academy Award
-winning Les invasions barbares. She was top billed in 1992's Coyote, which was a major release in Quebec (released during her popularity as a singer, she was billed as simply Mitsou for this release). She also wrote the song "Le Toucher" for the film The Bone Collector
.
In 2000, Mitsou joined C’t’encore drôle, the morning show on Radio Énergie 94.3 FM
in Montreal. She was an instant hit, as evidenced by the show’s high ratings and enormous popularity with 18-34 year olds who have made it the number one morning show for 10 years straight.
Since 2001 she has been the editor of a Quebec magazine for young women, Clin d'oeil. In 2005, she hosted the show Au Courant on CBC Newsworld
, an English-language program that focuses on "what's hot and happening in French Canada."
In February 2009, it was announced that Mitsou would become the "beauty ambassador" for Lise Watier
, a Canadian-based cosmetics and skincare product line, and would subsequently appear in the company's advertising campaigns.
In 2009, she also hosted Comment va ta famille?, a documentary series that portrays the state of the family in Quebec in 2008-2009, and television magazine La liste, produced by Marie-France Bazzo
for ARTV
. She also joined the cast of L’Enfant Prodige, a movie about pianist André Mathieu
, in which she played Vivianne Jobin, one of Mathieu's mistresses.
In fall 2009, she began serving as a presenter for the TV program Kampaï! À votre santé, a show on healthy cooking and dining, for Radio-Canada
.
In August 2010 Mitsou married her partner of 15 years, Iohann Martin, in a "surprise wedding" that he had organized without her knowledge for her 40th birthday.
Mitsou will begin releasing new singles via her website as the inspiration strikes her. The first of these is a collaboration between Mitsou and Creature entitle "On vole", and will be available for download by mid-May 2011, on Mitsou.com and iTunes.
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....
) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host, and actress. She is credited as Mitsou Gélinas when acting, but records simply as Mitsou (the French spelling of Mitsu, which means honey in Japanese).
Biography
Born in Loretteville, QuebecQuebec
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....
, Mitsou is the granddaughter of 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....
actor Gratien Gélinas
Gratien Gélinas
Gratien Gélinas, was a Canadian author, playwright, actor, director, producer and administrator who is considered one of the founders of modern Canadian theatre and film....
. She got involved in acting and modelling as a child, but also began to pursue singing in her teenage years. In 1988, she signed with Canadian independent Isba Records and released her first single, "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy
Bye Bye Mon Cowboy
"Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" was the debut single from Québécoise pop star Mitsou in 1988 from her first album El Mundo.While the lyrics were in French, it did contain several English words or words that could be easily understood by both an anglophone and a francophone audience: "bye bye", "cowboy",...
" (composed and produced by Jean-Pierre Isaac
Jean-Pierre Isaac
Jean-Pierre Isaac in Belgium, Moved to Quebec in 1961.Jean-Pierre Isaac, a French and English speaking Canadian, is a lyricist, Composer, programmer, DJ, Recording studio owner, located in Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal and a Music Producer.His contributions to music and his national and...
), which became a smash pop hit across Canada (an extremely rare feat for a francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
song). Later that year, she followed with her debut, multicultural-themed album, El Mundo which also spawned the singles "La Corrida" and "Les Chinois". "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" was later remixed by Shep Pettibone
Shep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
and re-released for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market with a new video.
In 1990, she released her follow-up album, Terre des Hommes. Ivan Doroschuk
Ivan Doroschuk
Ivan Doroschuk, is an American-born Canadian musician of Ukrainian origin. He is the lead vocalist and founding member of Men Without Hats. Doroschuk was born on October 9, 1961 in the U.S. state of Illinois and at a young age he and his family moved to Canada, settling in the city of Montreal,...
(formerly of Men Without Hats
Men Without Hats
Men Without Hats is a Canadian New Wave group from Montreal, Quebec. Their music was characterized by the distinctive baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing...
) wrote the title track in addition to her first English-language song "A Funny Place (The World Is)". She also changed her image by dyeing her hair reddish-brown instead of her trademark blonde.
The first single, "Mademoiselle Anne", failed to replicate her cross-Canada success, but in 1991 the second single, "Dis-Moi, Dis-Moi", put Mitsou back in the spotlight with a controversial video that showed her and several male and female models nude in a shower room. The video, which was released only a few months after Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's "Justify My Love
Justify My Love
"Justify My Love" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and was released on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. It caused international controversy due to the accompanying music video which was sexually explicit...
", was banned by MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
(as the Madonna video had been).
Having banned two high-profile pop videos within a few months of each other, MuchMusic created a new occasional late-night series, Too Much 4 Much
Too Much 4 Much
Too Much 4 Much was a Canadian television series, which aired on MuchMusic. The series, which aired after midnight Eastern time, played controversial videos which had, for one reason or another, been banned from regular rotation on the network, and featured panel discussions on the issues raised by...
, on which they would play banned videos along with forum and panel discussions on the controversies these videos raised. Due to the controversy, Mitsou's single was played across Canada even though the lyrics (which Mitsou co-wrote) were exclusively in French.
Her 1992 followup EP, Heading West, was a collection of past hits and new material in English and French. Despite a title track co-written by Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, and the radio and video play given the dance-driven single "Deep Kiss", it failed to generate a substantial pop hit. In 1993, she followed it up with her first full-English album Tempted. Although the lead single was written by RuPaul
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
("Everybody Say Love"), the album again failed to give her a significant hit. The video for "Everybody Say Love" featured nudity (as well as homosexuality) but failed to stir any media attention.
Subsequently, she returned to recording primarily French-language material for her 1994 album Ya Ya which included cover versions of songs popular in Quebec in the '60s and '70s, such as the title track and "Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer". She also released a Christmas album entitled Noel in 1995 that included some Quebec holiday classics.
After a hiatus, her next album, Mitsou (Éponyme) (1999), featured hip-hop-influenced beats and a street-oriented rock sound. She also co-wrote and co-produced all the tracks. A club-oriented EP Vibe followed in 2002. It features remixes of previous material such as "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" (which was re-recorded and released as a single) and "Money Penny".
Other achievements
Mitsou has also acted in a number of Quebec films, most recently in Denys ArcandDenys Arcand
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand, is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions...
's Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning Les invasions barbares. She was top billed in 1992's Coyote, which was a major release in Quebec (released during her popularity as a singer, she was billed as simply Mitsou for this release). She also wrote the song "Le Toucher" for the film The Bone Collector
The Bone Collector
The Bone Collector is a 1999 thriller film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, directed by Phillip Noyce and produced by Martin Bregman....
.
In 2000, Mitsou joined C’t’encore drôle, the morning show on Radio Énergie 94.3 FM
CKMF-FM
CKMF-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 94.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,400 watts using an omnidirectional antenna from the Mount Royal candelabra tower.The station has a contemporary hit...
in Montreal. She was an instant hit, as evidenced by the show’s high ratings and enormous popularity with 18-34 year olds who have made it the number one morning show for 10 years straight.
Since 2001 she has been the editor of a Quebec magazine for young women, Clin d'oeil. In 2005, she hosted the show Au Courant on CBC Newsworld
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
, an English-language program that focuses on "what's hot and happening in French Canada."
In February 2009, it was announced that Mitsou would become the "beauty ambassador" for Lise Watier
Lise Watier
Lise Watier is a Canadian selective cosmetic brand, launched in 1972, and distributed through department stores.Signature products of the Lise Watier brand include L’Expérience, Portfolio, and Désirable....
, a Canadian-based cosmetics and skincare product line, and would subsequently appear in the company's advertising campaigns.
In 2009, she also hosted Comment va ta famille?, a documentary series that portrays the state of the family in Quebec in 2008-2009, and television magazine La liste, produced by Marie-France Bazzo
Marie-France Bazzo
Marie-France Bazzo is a Canadian broadcaster, who has hosted television programming for Télé-Québec and radio programming for CBC Radio's Première Chaîne network....
for ARTV
ARTV
ARTV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel specializing in the arts and culture; including music, dance, theatre, visual arts as well as films and scripted television series.-History:...
. She also joined the cast of L’Enfant Prodige, a movie about pianist André Mathieu
André Mathieu
André Mathieu was a Québécois pianist and composer. Mathieu was born in Montreal, Quebec on February 18, 1929, in the parish of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur.-Biography:...
, in which she played Vivianne Jobin, one of Mathieu's mistresses.
In fall 2009, she began serving as a presenter for the TV program Kampaï! À votre santé, a show on healthy cooking and dining, for Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
.
In August 2010 Mitsou married her partner of 15 years, Iohann Martin, in a "surprise wedding" that he had organized without her knowledge for her 40th birthday.
Mitsou will begin releasing new singles via her website as the inspiration strikes her. The first of these is a collaboration between Mitsou and Creature entitle "On vole", and will be available for download by mid-May 2011, on Mitsou.com and iTunes.
Albums
- El Mundo (Isba) 1988
- Terre des Hommes (Isba) 1990
- Heading West (Isba) 1992
- Mitsou 1992 (U.S. compilation)
- Tempted 1993
- Ya Ya 1994
- Noel 1995
- La Collection 1997 (compilation)
- Mitsou (Éponyme) 1999
- Vibe 2002
Singles
- "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy" (Isba) (1988)
- "Les Chinois" (Isba) (1989)
- "La Corrida" (Isba) (1989)
- "Mademoiselle Anne" (Isba) (1990)
- "Dis-Moi, Dis-Moi" (Isba) (1991)
- "Lettre à un Cowboy" (Isba) (1991)
- "A Funny Place (The World Is)" (Isba) (1991)
- "Deep Kiss" (Isba) (1992)
- "Heading West" (Isba) (1992)
- "Everybody Say Love" (1993)
- "Le Yaya" (1994)
- "Comme J'ai Toujours Envie D'Aimer" (1994)
- "Ouvre-Moi" (1999)
- "Si Tu M'Aimes Encore" (1999)
- "Les Ronces" (1999)
- "La Vie Sera" (1999)
- "A Toi (You and I)" (2002)
- "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy (vibe mix)" (2002)
- "Mon Roi" (2002)
Related video
- 'Five Questions' with George Stroumboulopoulos, CBC News: The HourCBC News: The HourGeorge Stroumboulopoulos Tonight is a Canadian television talk show broadcast on CBC Television and hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. Originally known as The Hour from 2005 to 2010, it first aired on January 17, 2005. The program is currently initially broadcast on CBC Television at 11:05 p.m....
, November 10, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2005.