Roch Voisine
Encyclopedia
Joseph Armand Roch Voisine, OC
better known as Roch Voisine, (born 26 March 1963 in Edmundston, New Brunswick
) is a Canadian
Acadia
n singer-songwriter
, actor
, and radio
and television host
who lives in Montreal
, Quebec
and Paris
, France
. He writes and performs material in both English
and French
. He won the Juno Award
for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1994. In 1997 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
, Canada
but grew up in Saint-Basile, New Brunswick
. His parents are Réal Voisine, former mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Lac
, Quebec
and a former English teacher, and Zélande Robichaud, a former nurse. He is the oldest of three children: his brother, Marc, was born in 1965, and his sister, Janice, was born in 1966. Roch lived with his paternal grandparents, Maurille and Dorina Racine Voisine, from age four, when his parents divorced, until he was eight, when he went to live with his father. Roch considers these grandparents very influential on him, even as an adult. Roch moved to Notre-Dame-du-Lac when he was 12.
He aspired to be a professional ice hockey
player until he was severely injured playing baseball
in 1981.
He attended the University of Ottawa
and graduated in 1985 with a degree in physical therapy
.
Voisine married Myriam Saint-Jean on 21 December 2002. Voisine and Saint-Jean have two sons, Killian (born June 25, 2004) and Alix-Élouan (born January 9, 2006). On October 15, 2007, Voisine's website announced his and Myriam's separation.
(July 1) in front of 50,000 people at the la Ronde
amusement park in Montreal
.
Voisine's musical breakthrough came with his 1989 album Hélène
which sold three million copies and became a major hit not only in Quebec but also in France
, Belgium
and Switzerland
. In 1990, Hélène was awarded the Best Album prize at the Victoires de la Musique
.
After a highly successful European Tour in 1991, he was awarded France's Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
. His second European tour culminated on 17 April 1992 at Champ-de-Mars in Paris where he sang in front of 75,000 people. The show was broadcast live on TF1
and reached 14 million viwers. The following years, his statue was inaugurated at Musée Grévin
in Paris.
In 1993, Voisine had his biggest English-language hit to date with the single and album both entitled I'll Always Be There, on which he worked with David Foster
. The single reached number four on the Canadian music charts while the album reached number seven.
Over the years, he has continued alternating between recording both French and English-language albums. His French language work and concert tours have continued to enjoy success in Europe (especially France) and Quebec, while his English-language recordings are a frequent mainstay of Canadian adult contemporary radio. He also enjoys huge success internationally.
In 2006, he took part alongside other musicians in L’Or de nos vies in a formation named Fight Aids singing a song composed by Kyo
. Revenues went to Fight Aids Monaco.
Université de Moncton
, New Brunswick
, Canada
gave him an honorary doctorate in music in May 2007.
variety show for teenagers.
His dramatic roles include:
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
better known as Roch Voisine, (born 26 March 1963 in Edmundston, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
) 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...
Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
n singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and radio
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
and television host
who lives 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....
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He writes and performs material in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He won the Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1994. In 1997 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Childhood and family
Roch Voisine was born in Edmundston, New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
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...
but grew up in Saint-Basile, New Brunswick
Saint-Basile, New Brunswick
Saint-Basile is a community in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, it was amalgamated into the City of Edmundston on May 25, 1998. The 2006 Canadian Census recorded a population of 3751.-References:...
. His parents are Réal Voisine, former mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Lac
Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec
Notre-Dame-du-Lac is a former city in the regional county municipality of Témiscouata in the province of Québec, Canada, located in the administrative region du Bas-Saint-Laurent. On 5 May 2010, the cities of Cabano and Notre-Dame-du-Lac combined to form a new city named Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac...
, 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....
and a former English teacher, and Zélande Robichaud, a former nurse. He is the oldest of three children: his brother, Marc, was born in 1965, and his sister, Janice, was born in 1966. Roch lived with his paternal grandparents, Maurille and Dorina Racine Voisine, from age four, when his parents divorced, until he was eight, when he went to live with his father. Roch considers these grandparents very influential on him, even as an adult. Roch moved to Notre-Dame-du-Lac when he was 12.
He aspired to be a professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player until he was severely injured playing baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in 1981.
He attended the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
and graduated in 1985 with a degree in physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
.
Voisine married Myriam Saint-Jean on 21 December 2002. Voisine and Saint-Jean have two sons, Killian (born June 25, 2004) and Alix-Élouan (born January 9, 2006). On October 15, 2007, Voisine's website announced his and Myriam's separation.
Music
In the summer of 1986, he had his music debut when he sang on Canada DayCanada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
(July 1) in front of 50,000 people at the la Ronde
La Ronde (amusement park)
La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal, owned and operated by Six Flags. It is the largest in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada's Wonderland, with about 2.5 million guests in 2006...
amusement park 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...
.
Voisine's musical breakthrough came with his 1989 album Hélène
Hélène (song)
"Hélène" is a 1989 pop song recorded by the Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It was the first single from his first studio album Hélène, and was released in November 1989. This song allowed the singer to launch his career and achieved great success in France....
which sold three million copies and became a major hit not only in Quebec but also in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In 1990, Hélène was awarded the Best Album prize at the Victoires de la Musique
Victoires de la Musique
Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
.
After a highly successful European Tour in 1991, he was awarded France's Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
. His second European tour culminated on 17 April 1992 at Champ-de-Mars in Paris where he sang in front of 75,000 people. The show was broadcast live on TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
and reached 14 million viwers. The following years, his statue was inaugurated at Musée Grévin
Musée Grévin
The Musée Grévin is a waxwork museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the IXe arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee is charged....
in Paris.
In 1993, Voisine had his biggest English-language hit to date with the single and album both entitled I'll Always Be There, on which he worked with David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
. The single reached number four on the Canadian music charts while the album reached number seven.
Over the years, he has continued alternating between recording both French and English-language albums. His French language work and concert tours have continued to enjoy success in Europe (especially France) and Quebec, while his English-language recordings are a frequent mainstay of Canadian adult contemporary radio. He also enjoys huge success internationally.
In 2006, he took part alongside other musicians in L’Or de nos vies in a formation named Fight Aids singing a song composed by Kyo
Kyo (band)
-Biography:Since attending collège in Yvelines, the two brothers, Fabien and Florian Dubos, and two friends Nicolas Chassagne and Benoît Poher, discovered they had the same passion for bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden. In 1997, they met their manager, who...
. Revenues went to Fight Aids Monaco.
Université de Moncton
Université de Moncton
The Université de Moncton is a French language university located in Moncton, New Brunswick serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
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...
gave him an honorary doctorate in music in May 2007.
Television
Voisine's first television appearance was hosting Top Jeunesse (1988), a TQSTqs
V is a Canadian privately-owned French-language television network. The network has owned-and-operated and affiliated stations existing throughout Quebec, although it can also be seen over-the-air in some bordering markets in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick...
variety show for teenagers.
His dramatic roles include:
- Dany Ross in the CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series Lance et Compte (He Shoots, He Scores)Lance et compteLance et Compte is a series of Quebec téléromans revolving around a Quebec City ice hockey team. The series aired from 1986 to 1989 on the Radio-Canada network, and revival series on TQS in 2001 and on TVA from 2004 to the present....
(1989) - Police detective Tom Bullik in the Canadian TV movie Armen and Bullik (1992).
Albums
| Year | Album | CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
CRIA Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... certifciation |
SNEP certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sweet Songs | — | — | — |
| 1987 | Roch Voisine | — | — | — |
| 1989 | Hélène Hélène (Roch Voisine album) Hélène is a 1989 album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. The title track "Hélène" is his best sold single ever, reaching number one for nine weeks on the French Singles Chart. Other successful singles from the album include "Pourtant" and "Avant de partir" , released in 1990 summer.Two songs were... |
— | 3× Platinum | Diamond |
| 1990 | Double Double (Roch Voisine album) Double is a 1990 bilingual French / English double album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine as a follow up to the album Hélène. The first CD is all in French, the second all in English. The English tracks were also released as a separate album entitled Roch Voisine.-Album information:The album was... |
— | 2× Platinum | 2× Platinum |
| Roch Voisine | 49 | 3× Platinum | — | |
| 1992 | Europe Tour Europe Tour (album) Europe Tour is a 1992 album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine containing some of his best live performances in Europe with 22 of his hits, 18 in French and 4 in English... |
— | Gold | Platinum |
| 1993 | I'll Always Be There I'll Always Be There I'll Always Be There is a 1993 English language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes the hit single, "I'll Always Be There", and an English-language version of his earlier French language hit, "La légende Oochigeas", found on his Europe Tour live album.The song is in E-flat major, and... |
7 | 4× Platinum | 2× Gold |
| 1994 | Coup de tête Coup de tête (album) Coup de tête is a 1994 French language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes the hit singles "Laisse-la rêver" and "Jean Johnny Jean".-Track listing:#Coup de tête#J’entends frapper#Jean Johnny Jean#Laisse-la rêver#Ma lady mon secret... |
— | Platinum | 2× Gold |
| 1996 | Kissing Rain Kissing Rain Kissing Rain is a 1996 English language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes the title track, which was a big hit for Roch Voisine.-Track listing:#Kissing Rain#Shed A Light#Love Never Dies#Deliver Me#Cross My Heart and Soul... |
13 | Platinum | — |
| 1999 | Chaque feu... Chaque feu... Chaque feu is a 1999 album of Canadian singer Roch Voisine.It was released in 3 versions:*Canadian Version: 1 CD *European Version: 1 CD *Special Edition for Canada: 2 CD's... A |
— | Gold | Gold |
| 2000 | L'album de Noël L'album de Noël L'album de Noël is a 2000 French language Christmas album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. He simultaneously released an English language Christmas album entitled Christmas Is Calling.The album was released in two versions:... A |
— | — | Gold |
| Christmas Is Calling Christmas is Calling L'album de Noël is a 2000 English language Christmas album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. He simultaneously released an French language Christmas album entitled L'album de Noël.-Track listing:#Silent Night#White Christmas#Winter Wonderland... |
— | — | — | |
| 2001 | Roch VoisineA | 96 | — | Gold |
| 2002 | Higher Higher (Roch Voisine album) -Track listing:#Higher#Don't Give Up#Life's a Beach#By Myself#That's More Like It#I Believe#Since You Left#Closer Than Skin#All About Us#Virtual Cowboys#Tears In My Coffee#The Antidote#Never#Myriam's Song -External links:*... |
41 | — | — |
| 2003 | Je te serai fidèle Je te serai fidèle Je te serai fidèle is a 2003 French language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes six new songs and nine entirely revamped hits.-Track listing:#Ne m’oublie pas#Tant pis#Darlin’#La berceuse du petit diable#On mentira#Je l’ai vu... |
39 | — | 2× Gold |
| 2005 | Sauf si l'amour... Sauf si l'amour... Sauf si l'amour... is a 2005 French language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes 12 new songs.-Track listing:#Une femme #Sauve-moi#Même si#Ne viens pas#Ici ou ailleurs#Ne plus aimer#T'aimer vraiment#Quelque part... |
— | — | Gold |
| 2006 | Roch Voisine Live Roch Voisine Live Roch Voisine Live is a 2006 live bilingual double album, the first in French and the second in English by Canadian singer Roch Voisine... |
— | — | — |
| 2007 | Best of Best of (Roch Voisine album) Best of is a 2007 album of Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It is a double album containing a collection of his best hits from the start of his career until 2007... A |
68 | — | — |
| 2008 | Americana Americana (Roch Voisine album) Americana is a 2008 album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. Many of the tracks were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.He followed that in 2009 with the album Americana II.-Track listing:Bonus bilingual English / French version tracks marked with [*]... |
1 | Platinum | Gold |
| 2009 | Americana II | 3 | Gold | Gold |
| 2010 | Americana III Americana III Americana III is a 2010 album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It was a follow-up of his successful Americana album in 2008 and Americana II album in 2009... |
— | — | — |
| 2010 | Confidences Confidences Confidences is a 2010 French language album by Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It includes the single, "Décembre".-Track listing:#D'Amérique#Le grand pommier#Décembre#Belle comme un rêve#Libre#Les p'tits loups#Prends ton temps#Ma blonde... |
— | — | — |
- AAlbums with separate Canadian and European editions.
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | CAN Country | |||
| 1989 | "Hélène Hélène (song) "Hélène" is a 1989 pop song recorded by the Canadian singer Roch Voisine. It was the first single from his first studio album Hélène, and was released in November 1989. This song allowed the singer to launch his career and achieved great success in France.... " |
9 | 57 | — | Hélène |
| 1990 | "A Fishing Day" | — | 53 | 19 | Roch Voisine |
| 1991 | "On the Outside" | 5 | 52 | 32 | |
| "Waiting" | 23 | 74 | — | ||
| 1993 | "Oochigeas (Indian Song)" | 4 | 54 | — | I'll Always Be There |
| "I'll Always Be There" | 3 | 4 | — | ||
| 1994 | "There's No Easy Way" | 2 | 43 | — | |
| "Lost Without You" | — | 13 | — | ||
| "Shout Out Loud" | 1 | 15 | — | ||
| "Am I Wrong" | 10 | 45 | — | ||
| "She Picked on Me" | 3 | 21 | — | ||
| 1995 | "For Adam's Sake" | 10 | 50 | — | |
| "Heaven or Hell" | 20 | 88 | — | ||
| 1996 | "Kissing Rain" | 3 | 13 | — | Kissing Rain |
| 1997 | "Deliver Me" | 1 | 28 | 45 | |
| "Shed a Light" | 8 | 32 | — | ||
| "With These Eyes" | 10 | 72 | — | ||
| 1998 | "Love Never Dies" | 24 | — | — | |
| "St. Anne of the Wild Blue Eyes" | 55 | — | — |