A dash of francophone culture makes its way into Barrie Saturday night – Baptiste Day – when Ottawa-area songstress Gabrielle Goulet strides out onto the stage at the Mady Centre on Dunlop Street.
The 24-year-old Goulet, who hails from a small town called Bourget, just released her second CD, entitled Elle Sait (She Knows) in March, Goulet tells Barrie Today the concert will feature a number of cuts from that latest effort.
Goulet first took up singing to help overcome her initial shyness, entering a local talent show and making such an impression that she captured the attention and interest of the house Of LaFab Music disc, on which she’s recorded ever since.
Photo courtesy Gabrielle GouletIt turns out that the summer of 2012 was a pivotal one for Gabrielle, as her career finally took off thanks to her participation in the JAM program, which brought her to the Loto-Québec Scene of the Francofolies of Montreal. The following winter came her first album, Papillon, after which she was nominated for song of the year honours at the SOCAN awards.
In 2015, Goulet copped the Best Female Artist award at the Trillum Awards Gala. Then, in 2016, she released her second single, "Pas plus que ça", which topped the francophone radio charts for 20 weeks.
Goulet recognizes that the concentration of francophone is less strong in Barrie than, say, Midland or Penetanguishene, but she believes in staying true to her roots.
“My way of sharing my love of the francophonie is to sing in French wherever I go and to try and make people discover that, even though French is not usually their first choice for music, that they can still enjoy it!”
And the trip to Barrie gives her a buzz.
“I might have been in Barrie once before but (it was) a really quick stop! I am looking forward to spend time in Barrie and getting to know the place better.”
And whatever the size of venue, Gabrielle really doesn’t care.
“I really like the variations of singing on small intimate stages and the big festival stages. I don't have a preference, both ones make me happy to be sharing my songs.”
The show featuring Gabrielle Goulet – a celebration of French culture as we wind our way into Canada Day – gets underway at 7 p.m. Saturday night, at the Mady Centre, 1 Dunlop Street West. Tickets are only $25.00. To learn more about the concert, click here.
