Interview: Geneviève Racette
Geneviève Racette
Interview by: Emily May
Photo: Éva-Maude TC
Montreal singer-songwriter Geneviève Racette grew up surrounded by music, singing harmonies with her sister and being exposed to a wide variety of musical genres., all of which shaped the artist she is today. Raised in a bilingual household, she learned to write in both English and French, but early in her career she released French music, with her first album, the purely French Les aurores boréales, being released in 2016. She later decided to expand her opportunities as an artist, and 2019 saw her release her first English speaking album, No Water, No Flowers. She recently released her latest single “Someone” featuring Dallas Green [City and Color/Alexisonfire], a song she says is the most vulnerable she has ever written. The track will be on her upcoming third album Satellite, due to be released on March 18th. Satellite is a 9-song collection, delivering honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love. Filled with intimate vocals, lush instruments, and expressive harmonies, Racette’s new album evokes moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, and ultimately, falling in love again. Racette has shared two other singles from the album; the reverb-drenched, earnest longing of “Maybe” and “Les adieux.”
She has already been nominated and received several prestigious prizes including, Emerging Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Award (2020). She traveled twice to the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity in 2017 and was selected among 150 singer-songwriters to work with some of the best songwriters from Nashville. Geneviève is also recognized by established artists in the industry for her talents. She grabbed the attention of singer-songwriter Dallas Green on Instagram with her cover of “Hello, I’m in Delaware.” He then invited her to appear with him on stage at the Osheaga Festival in 2019, a most memorable moment for her. Geneviève has an undeniable love of the stage, in 2019 she conquered over a hundred Canadian concert venues. In the last two years, Racette has broadened her performing territory, from mostly Québec venues to other Canadian provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Maritimes, as the headliner in each of the tours. She also finds time to exchange and meet with artists at a variety of music showcases such as Folk Alliance International New Orleans (2020), Folk Music Ontario (2019 and 2021), and the Canadian Music Week (2019), with an appearance at the Folk Alliance International showcase scheduled in May. With plans to collaborate with more artists and release more music, make sure to follow Geneviève Racette via the following links and stay up to date on all upcoming music, news, and tour dates!
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | SOUNDCLOUD | ITUNES/APPLE MUSIC | YOUTUBE | DEEZER | BANDCAMP
You grew up in a very musical and creative home, as both of your parents were musicians. What can you tell me about your childhood and how the musical environment you grew up in helped to cultivate your love for, and desire to pursue, music? In what ways do you feel that singing with your siblings growing up helped you to experiment and learn about your own voice?
Geneviève: I grew up surrounded by music. My mother taught piano at home several hours a day and my father was passionate about anything music-related. My siblings and I spent hours watching music videos on MuchMusic, learning choreographies, and singing along. I’m so grateful for the childhood I was given. My sister and I learned how to harmonize singing with the Spice Girls and I learned how to play guitar while listening to the Beatles. Being exposed to different styles and genres of music has definitely shaped the musician I am today. To this day my family is my #1 fan club. They supported me every step of the way. I need them.
You released your first full-length album Les aurores boréales in May 2016, which was a French-speaking album, and have since emerged as a rising talent in both French and English speaking Canadian music scenes. What can you tell me about Les aurores boréales and those early days of being an artist?
Geneviève: It feels like so long ago. I had a completely different life personally and professionally. I was applying for my first grants, playing my first shows, and struggling to pay my rent. I didn’t know much about the music industry but I truly tried my very best. I have been very lucky throughout my career but I did go through some tough times as well. Times when I did not feel supported by the people I was working with. I have learned and grown so much since then and I am so much happier in my career today.
In 2019, you released your second album, and first English-speaking album, No Water, No Flowers, which won you the Emerging Artist of the Year award at the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards. What can you tell me about deciding to record an English-speaking album and what it has been like to be a part of both the French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes?
Geneviève: I grew up in a bilingual family. The English language has always been part of my life. I’ve always written in both languages but I was told by Québec industry folks to stick to French. I was told it was very hard to “get out of Québec.” So as a young twenty-something-year-old, I listened to them for a while. Don’t get me wrong: I love French music. Les Adieux is one of my favourite tracks on the new record. But I felt pressured into singing exclusively in French for a long time. Québec is the only province in Canada where francophones make up the majority of the population. Québec’s French music scene in particular. You could very well have a great fulfilling successful career as an artist without ever leaving Québec. We really have a separate culture from the rest of Canada. But the reality is that the more languages you sing in, the more doors you get to open and explore. I don’t think anyone should feel pressured into anything when it comes to art. That defeats the purpose of art! I love the Canadian music scene. We have so many great artists. Touring Canada was SO MUCH FUN! We have beautiful scenery and people all around. I can’t wait to get back on the road.
You have talked about loving the music of City and Colour and how Dallas Green inspired you to want to be a songwriter. What do you feel it is about his songwriting that you connected so strongly with and that made you want to become a songwriter yourself?
Geneviève: I always listened to many different genres of music. I think it’s important to break out of your musical patterns and listen to new things. I was a huge Alexisonfire fan before being a City and Colour fan. When I discovered City and Colour I felt it was complementary to Alexisonfire. The music was completely different but it made sense. That was truly inspiring to me. It seemed like Dallas was following his inspirations without compromising. He could write and perform in a hardcore band and also write deep, touching acoustic songs. That is artistic authenticity. As a kid who loved all sorts of different styles of music, I could really relate to that.
You recently released the track "Someone," which features Dallas Green. What can you tell me about the track and what it was like for you to collaborate with Green? Do you plan to collaborate with him more in the future or have collaborations planned with other artists?
Geneviève: "Someone" is one of those songs that just poured out of me. It’s probably the most vulnerable song I’ve ever written. It’s a song about desire, temptation, seduction, and fantasy. There’s also guilt and shame that comes with it. I think sometimes life throws feelings at you and they’re meant to act as signals. I really like this song but it often brings me back to a weird place.
I totally heard Dallas’s voice when I wrote it but I was too shy to ask him to sing on it. There’s something about the melody that reminds me of City and Colour. I’m a pretty insecure person and the idea of asking one of my teenage heroes to sing on my song was a little too scary. I sent him a few demos and out of all the songs he fell in love with "Someone." Dallas said he would love to sing on it if I was interested. I said yes, duh. We didn’t really get the chance to work together in person yet. He recorded his vocals in Toronto during the lockdown. I think it’s very generous of him to have offered to sing on my new single “Someone” and I’m so excited to release it. I’ve known about this for so long, it was hard to keep it a secret all this time!
On March 18th, you will be releasing your new album Satellite, a bilingual collection of 9 songs that explores stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love. What can you tell me about the writing and recording process for the album, as well as the message you hope people take away from it? What has your journey of self-discovery been like?
Geneviève: Satellite is really a record about the cycle of love. It evokes moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness and ultimately falling in love again. An eternal period of beginnings and endings. Forever orbiting around love. While I wrote the record I was in the middle of what is called in astrology my “Saturn Return.” This is supposedly when the planet Saturn returns to the same ecliptic longitude that it occupied at the moment of your birth. They say it takes about 28-30 years. It’s a period of intense growth, discomfort, and maturity. It’s there to teach you responsibility for yourself. It makes you question everything and forces you to make important life decisions. I don’t know if you believe in that stuff but it was SPOT ON for me. I was about to completely change my life and it was super scary but very inspiring that’s for sure.
I’m lucky I had a few songs written pre-pandemic. I held on to those songs for a while before I wrote new ones. I did a lot of online co-write sessions with my friends Barbra Lica and Danielle Knibbe. Other than that, the inspiration was hard to find for a really long time. My brain was busy processing what was going on. Not to be dramatic but living alone and not being able to perform for so long has been really hard. When my producer François-Pierre Lue and I had to stop working on the record because the studio closed due to lockdown I was simply devastated. That record felt like it was the only thing I had left career-wise. It was really hard to deal with. But hey, we finished it and it’s finally coming out on March 18th!
Having performed on over 100 Canadian stages in 2019, what do you love the most about being on stage and performing for people?
Geneviève: Feeling a human emotional connection with people. Filling up a room with melodies and words that touch people’s hearts. There’s nothing like it.
You have also performed at various music showcases over the past few years. What do you enjoy about playing showcases and what can you tell me about the Folk Alliance International showcase you will be playing in May?
Geneviève: I am very excited and grateful to have been selected as an official showcase artist at FAI 2022. Showcases are really stressful and I don’t love playing them, to be honest. The performance part of these events is my least favorite. What I like about conferences like Folk Alliance International is meeting musicians from all over the world. Making connections with artists and watching THEM perform!
How would you describe your artistic vision as an artist and what can you tell me about your hopes and plans to broaden your reach as an artist beyond Canadian markets?
Geneviève: I try to stay as humble and true as possible with my art. It’s what I’ve been doing since day one and I feel good about it. With this new record, I hope to reach as many people as I can. Québec, Canada, USA, UK, name it. I have a large team (almost ALL WOMEN!) helping me with the promotion of Satellite. Team Racette has reached out to Montreal, Toronto, and Nashville. I’m really proud of that. Let’s cross our fingers and send good vibes on March 18th!
What's next for you? What are your goals going forward?
Geneviève: I am such a goal-driven person but with the pandemic slowing everything down I try hard to go one day at a time. What I hope is next for me is a more awesome collaboration with artists that I love.