Aleksi Campagne
Aleksi Campagne is a Canadian singer-songwriter, who won the Canadian Folk Music Award for French Songwriter of the Year at the 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2024 for his album For the Giving / Sans rien donner.[1]
Career
[edit]For the Giving / Sans rien donner, released in 2023, is a 20-song double album, featuring ten songs in both English and French versions.[2] Although fluently bilingual, he collaborated with his aunt Michelle Campagne to translate the lyrics into French due to the complications inherent in translating song lyrics, which must sometimes be translated thematically rather than literally due to the need to conform to the original song's melody and rhythm. Le Devoir gave the album a favourable review, comparing its blend of folk, jazz and indie pop influences to both Patrick Watson and Half Moon Run.[2]
Aleksi released For the Giving / Sans rien donner on 13 July 2023.[3] That same month, Aleksi was selected as a Mariposa Folk Festival Emerging Artist and performed at the festival.[4] In December 2022, his single "Another Day" was picked by Paul Corby as a Top Single of 2022.[5] In January 2023, Aleksi and his brother Gabriel were invited to perform for a Canadian citizenship ceremony.[6] In March 2023, radio host Tom Coxworth picked Aleksi as one of the Top 5 Favourite acts at the Folk Alliance International Conference.[7] In May 2023, he became the only Canadian finalist in that year's Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters.[8] On October 12, 2023, an episode about Aleksi’s music aired on the program Path to Creation directed by Igal Hecht.[9]
In 2021, he was featured on the album La Famille Campagne – Noël En Famille.[10] He released a self-titled ep in 2018.[11] He also performs with his mother as both a supporting musician in her band and an opening act.[12]
In 2017, Aleksi performed with the French children’s performance group Tam Ti Delam across Canada alongside artists Geneviève Toupin and Annick Brémault.[13] As a child, Aleksi is credited on three of his aunt Carmen Campagne’s children’s albums, including La Vache En Alaska (1995), Enchantée (1997) and Sur la Ferme de Grand-Père (2012).[14]
Advocacy
[edit]According to Billboard Canada, Aleksi was invited to perform for the environmental pressure group Music Declares Emergency for a concert on March 17, 2024 to Honour Neil Young and Joni Mitchell for their “commitments to environmental advocacy and awareness.”[15]
On April 7 2024, in his acceptance speech at the Canadian Folk Music Awards Aleksi dedicated his CFMA win for his bilingual album to “all those who speak more than one language.”[16] His promotion of multilingualism in Canadian music builds on the activism of his family. His father, Paul Campagne, was a member of the bilingual band Hart Rouge with his sisters Michelle, Annette and Suzanne.[17] [18]
Acting
[edit]In 2017, he played a wedding violinist in one episode of the Quebecois TV show Les Pays d'en Haut.[19]
Personal Life
[edit]The son of folk musicians Connie Kaldor and Paul Campagne,[12] he studied classical and jazz violin in university.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ Calum Slingerland, "Here are the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards Winners". Exclaim!, April 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Sylvain Cormier, "«For The Giving/Sans rien donner», Aleksi Campagne". Le Devoir, August 4, 2023.
- ^ Vanderhorst, Jan (16 July 2022). "Aleksi Campagne – son of Paul Campagne and Connie Kaldor – makes his bilingual debut". Roots Music Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Mariposa presenting 'unique outdoor festival' in October". Orillia Matters. 9 August 2022.
- ^ Corby, Paul (5 January 2023). "A few of Corby's favourite songs from 2022". Roots Music Canada.
- ^ "Previous Guests". Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
- ^ "Tom Coxworth's 5 favourite acts of Folk Alliance". Roots Music Canada. 8 February 2023.
- ^ "New Folk Finalist History Complete from 1976 through 2024". Kerrville Folk Festival.
- ^ "Path to Creation". IMDB. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "La Famille Campagne* – Noël En Famille". Discogs. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Brendan Kelly, "Aleksi Campagne isn't 'just a folksinger with a guitar'". Montreal Gazette, April 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Small, Alan (November 9, 2023). "Folk music veteran Connie Kaldor keeps it in the family". Winnipeg Free Press.
- ^ "Tam Ti Delam en tournée dans la province". Pour faire un monde. Canadian Broadcast Corporation. 6 November 2017.
- ^ "Aleksi Campagne". Discogs. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Decter, Rosie Long (6 February 2024). "Music Declares Emergency Canada to Honour Neil Young and Joni Mitchell". Billboard Canada.
- ^ "CFMA 2024 - Awards Concert Night 2 / PMFC 2024 - Soirée concert de remise des prix 2". Youtube. St Johns. 7 April 2024.
- ^ Barr, Greg (January 17, 1989). "Francophone pop band tries to find its bilingual niche". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ Metella, Helen (April 20, 1989). "Bilingualism haunts Hart Rouge; Deejays refuse airplay". Edmonton Journal.
- ^ "Aleksi Campagne". IMDB. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Jenna Melanson, "Aleksi Campagne announces bilingual album, For the Giving / Sans Rien Donner". Canadian Beats, July 9, 2022.
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