Formerly a member of the duo Heartstreets, Laroie brings a touch of soul and R
She has just released her third mini-album, Tragedy.
Performing Sunday, August 6 at 6:30 p.m. as part of Sirius XM Sessions
There was some exploratory work. It’s electronic music. Depending on your vision, you can go down a lot of different avenues. When I released the second EP, I realized that I liked having a lot of layers of vocals and playing with the soul found in my songs. The idea of having singers with me stuck. The intensity that the songs can go to, I want people to be able to experience that. The beauty of live is that there is something spontaneous, that you cannot expect what will happen. At Osheaga, we’re going to embrace the electronic side with my DJ, Empress, and there’s going to be my two backup singers.
It concretizes what I do in my creative bubble. It doesn’t make the music physical, but almost. It allows you to experience something that is not solitary like creation. You experience your music in a different way when you are on stage. It often happened to me to be super emotional. I convey a song that could have been written years ago but, by sharing it with the world, in vulnerability, it concretizes the how and why of what I do.
Osheaga, I don’t take it for granted. It is a show which, for the beginning of my solo career, is very important. It is a festival with a very high reputation. A lot of people from the industry come. I’m super grateful for that. There is also a little more stress because it is Osheaga. At the same time, I’m not going to approach it any differently than any other show. It’s 150%, it doesn’t matter if there are 20 or 200,000 people in front of me, it doesn’t matter if it’s all my friends or people who don’t know me. At the end of the day, I want there to be at least one person who connects to my music and for that, I have to give myself, that I remain integrated in what I want to offer.
I am participating in an international development mission. I’m going to London, I’m going to meet people. I’m giving a show at the end of August. I want to reach the underground electronic scene.
He was Radio-Canada’s Rap Revelation in 2020 and made it to the final of the television competition La fin des weak, broadcast on Télé-Québec.
He works in the community environment in addition to his musical project.
His song Shoot has 683,000 plays on Spotify.
Performing Friday, August 4 at 7:30 p.m. as part of SiriusXM Sessions
Yes, it was as part of the QCLTUR album: we made a collaborative record with several hip-hop artists from the Montreal scene. All the artists were present, and I was there for my song with Connaisseur Ticaso and Barnev. This time it’s my first solo show.
I’ve heard of Osheaga since I was very young. What’s cool is that when I was young, I didn’t have the money to go there and then I find myself playing there. It’s a small victory in itself because I always wanted to attend.
I come on stage with my guitarist and my DJ. We play my “greatest hits” [laughs]. I believe that my music is made to be discovered live. I like to record, but live, we really give ourselves a lot. I like to communicate with the public, we have beautiful transitions between the songs, I like to take the time to live the moment. And my guitarist is not present on the album, we add his presence live and it really gives a hybrid between the rap that I do, which is very pop, and its touch a little more rock. It changes the songs. It’s important, otherwise, stay in the car and listen to it on Spotify [laughs]. It brings another identity.
The studio came very late in my life. I started on stage. I was composing songs on my phone with a little app. My songs were not recorded. I did a lot of stage when I was younger. I won Secondary in show, for example. And really later, I went to the studio. And it’s more stressful for me than the stage. It’s more difficult, it’s fixed. On stage, I can play more with my voice, my energy. Raccoon was born on stage.
I will always release more music. We want to offer the most we can, go as far as we can, and for that, you need the equipment, you have to please people and get the fans. I am determined to grow. We have reached a good level, but we can go further.
Rapper inspired by American old school influences. He launched his Mindflip project in 2018.
His song Run My Shit (14 million plays) was a viral hit. He has 395,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Performing on Friday, August 4, at 2 p.m., on the Green Stage
I had not done so many shows before the beginning of this summer. But it was big all of a sudden. I’m going to Western Canada and then I have six dates in Europe in September. I also have festivals in Quebec. Last year, at Metro Metro, it was my first music festival. It went really well, it was nice. People recognized my songs and those who didn’t know them got on board. It helped me find my vibe on stage. It’s a lot of energy, I run from left to right, I do flips. The smaller the internship, the more misery I have.
I will pay special attention to this show. I’m going to say things in particular, I’m going to want to go there especially with the magic of the moment. You want to practice, make it feel natural, but afterwards, you have to feel like there is something bigger. We will all be able to connect with the public and get lost in it.
Not even. I had never been to Osheaga or Metro Metro. And even when I was younger, I never said to myself that I was going to make music. I happened to be at a crossroad once, 10 years ago, and watched a movie about the laws of attraction. I meditated to find my higher purpose and I found the music. I was rapping into my MacBook microphone, but even for the first five years, I never thought I’d end up there.
I play the first on my stage. And there will be four other artists on other courses. I will have to work to keep the crowd. I’ve done a lot, shows where I get discovered. I prepare a set where I cut certain songs to keep the energy. I will imagine that everyone is there for me and go all-in.
We want to develop the European market as much as possible. I’m having a tour with another rapper in Europe. I will be able to create connections and the goal is to then go back alone, while doing the same thing in the United States. As an independent artist, you have to create your own opportunities. It’s work-love-passion and repeat the circle.
She has been making music since she was 7 years old.
She has 83,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and is also very popular on social media (610,000 likes on TikTok).
Performing Saturday, August 5 at 6:30 p.m. as part of SiriusXM Sessions
I found out a month ago, it was after the program was released. I didn’t expect to do that this year. When I got the call, it was a shock, but a good shock. […] I’ve been doing shows for a long time. I started doing shows with my dad when I was a kid. I did the Grand Prix when I was 13. But such a big festival, especially Osheaga, is my first time. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m sure we’ll have fun.
Yes ! I still have so much to accomplish. But I remember, when I was younger, I said to myself that if I did Osheaga, that would mean that I had succeeded. It is an honor, a golden opportunity. To meet people from the industry there too. And also to be able to say that I am doing Osheaga. It seemed so far away. It was not unattainable, but not for now. In terms of advertising and all that it represents, this is my biggest opportunity. We will take her with open arms and we will give our 100%.
The reason I got into this job is to do shows. When I’m on stage, I’m in my place. You can put two people in front of me or 50,000, I’ll do the same show. The goal is to have fun and to be proud of myself when I leave the stage. There is additional stress, because Osheaga is a big name. But I want to approach it as naturally as possible.
I’m going to release my EP and I’m going to put my heart on the table. This EP is my story. There are some pretty personal things. But I want to share that with the people who listen to my music. It will bring me some relief. I’m going to present what I’ve been working on for the last few months and I’m going to want to focus on the shows. Hopefully, one song will hook more than the others. I would like that to have a hit. I send it out into the universe, I would really like that. And the why is always the same: I want to keep doing shows, I want to have fun. It’s where I’m most comfortable.
Influenced by the music of Dermot Kennedy and Lewis Capaldi
A former hockey player, he discovered a passion for music as a teenager.
He independently released his debut EP, Looking Around, in 2022.
In Montreal, it’s a statement. I wanted to do the FEQ and Osheaga. With my friends, this is the place we used to go when we were younger. I saw all my favorite artists there. To play there is special. Three years ago, even before releasing a song, I went to see Kodaline in Osheaga. And they were on the stage where I’m going to play this year. We watched the show, with my cousin Max, with whom I make music, and we thought that they were really lucky to do this with their lives. It gripped us, we felt like being in their place. I still have adrenaline and stress. But right now, I’m excited. I will be able to take advantage of it.
One of the first times, in Victoriaville, I remember freezing when I saw the world when they opened the curtains. You would have put me with a tiger in a cage, it would have done the same thing to me. I didn’t know that feeling.
In the beginning, there was the stress of knowing if what I was doing was good. But now people sing the tunes with me. It’s the best feeling. You write a song in your room and there people know it by heart.
I always try to understand the vibe of the place. If there are people who are not listening to you, who are there to chill in the crowd, I try to punch, to capture their curiosity, to make a joke or something like that. Often, we start and it is more complicated, but, in the end, we feel that we have managed to attract attention. It’s a matter of being on the same frequency as the people in front of us. It’s never the same vibe.
I still have something of my own and then I open for Alicia Moffet. Right now, we want to work with partners in the United States to expand the project. At the moment, we are independent. I feel like I drive a Tercel in the Grand Prix and everyone passes me by in F1. And when I arrive to change the tires, I change them on my own and they have a team to help them. I think the world is looking for real music that resonates with their everyday life. I try to keep my tunes open for everyone to relate to.
