Daniel Lavoie is a Canadian pianist, songwriter and poet, radio host, singer and actor. The composition "Ils s'aiment" brought him fame. In the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, the performer played the role of Frollo. He writes music for films and cartoons.
The career of a French-speaking singer began in the seventies of the last century. Never since the beginning of his ascent to the heights of fame has Lavoie's popularity gone to naught.
The path to the vocation
The biography of Joseph-Hubert-Gerald Lavoie began in 1949. The boy was born on March 17 in the city of Danry in Canadian Manitoba. The family brought up five more children, including two adopted children who grew up with the future singer. At home they spoke only French, outside the family they spoke English. Therefore, the boy perfectly learned both languages.
From early childhood, Joseph was distinguished by excellent hearing. He became interested in playing the piano. A kid from four years old played on it. Mom, who had an excellent musical taste, opened the doors to her son to the world of creativity, introducing him to the art of opera.
Having become a schoolboy, the boy himself created his own shows. During performances he sang, acted out scenes, played instruments. Joseph learned to play guitar, saxophone, drums and trumpet. A fourteen-year-old teenager continued his education in college.
During the training, the teacher daily, in poetic form, gave the pupils the task to describe the previous day. Then the first song of the future celebrity was born. At 18, Larua won the Canadian radio competition.
Carried away by medicine, the young man continued his education at the university, during the holidays at the hospital he worked as an orderly. But love won in music. Until 1969, the young man performed in small groups at home, then went to Latin America.
To the musical Olympus
In 1970 he moved to Quebec. Then Joseph changed his name to Daniel. He started out as a pianist in bars in Montreal. Sometimes the young man sang songs written by him. Producers were interested in a promising artist. His composition "I left my island" sounded on the radio. Daniel dreamed of writing songs, not singing them. But no one offered cooperation to the little-known author. Then Lavoie decided to become a vocalist.
He wrote new songs, toured with the group. Recognition came in 1975. The debut album was called "I Left My Island". The lyrics, words were created by the singer, he also played keyboards. Daniel became famous as an excellent melodist and arranger. He was enthusiastically received in several countries. A new collection with country and jazz motifs, Lullaby for a Lion, was presented to the audience two years later.
World fame began in 1979 with the collection "Blue Nirvana". The main role in the compositions was assigned to the piano, accompanied by magnificent arrangements with simple and beautiful texts. One after another, the singer's new discs were released, Lavoie received prestigious awards, the first of which was the debate "Felix" as the best performer of the year, won fame both in Europe and in the USA.
A talented musician not only wrote and performed songs. 1984 became a landmark. Lavoie released the album "Tension, attention". The composition "Ils s'aiment" has won extraordinary popularity. Daniel, together with a friend, founded the Recording House to help young performers. The composer created the author's concert program "Hôtel des rêves" and began touring with it.
The singer took part in the rock opera Sand and Romantics by Lara and Plamandon in 1992. The musician reincarnated as the artist Eugene Delacroix. In 1996, the debut disc for children "Kroshka-Drakoshka" was released, which became the best children's album. A year later, its sequel "Le bébé dragon-2" was released.
Actor and singer
In 1998 he appeared at the premiere of the musical Notre Dame de Paris as Frollo. The vocalist on stage coped with this image superbly for three years. At the same time, he created works for Lara Fabian, Luc Duffaut, Natasha Saint-Pierre and Marie-Jo Theriot. Daniel played the role of the Pilot in the musical "The Little Prince" in 2002.
Performing activities continued in 2004. In 2010, Lavoie joined the cast of artists involved in the re-creation of the original version of Notre Dame de Paris. In the 2014 show, Lavoie presented the best numbers of the production.
Daniel starred in a movie. He has played in Ramp Lights, The Book of Eve, Felix Leclair, Antigone 34, and The Angel's Incredible Journey. He became a musician, the author of soundtracks for films and music for several cartoon projects.
He took part in the 2008 project "Twelve Men Gathered Together". The cycle introduced the audience to the songs of Gilles Belange, created on the verses of Gaston Miron. The sequel, the second series, was released in 2010. The project gained immense fame, a disc with songs was released. He has won three Felix awards.
From June 2010 to June 2013, Daniel hosted the author's program Lavoie Libre on Radio Canada. He offered to listen to music of various genres, read poems by French-speaking poets.
New plans
In 2011, Lavoie published his poems. He presented a collection of poetry and essays "Finutilité". The new book "Particulités" was published in 2015.
In the spring of 2014, in collaboration with Laurent Guardot, an unusual musical project was born. "Captured by the unicorn" was based on mythology and classical legends, and the singing was accompanied by playing on ancient musical instruments.
The singer and composer also managed to establish his personal life. The writer Louise Dubock became his chosen one. She co-wrote the lyrics for her husband's songs. The family has three children. Joseph chose directing, he is engaged in staging concerts and Lavoie shows, Gabriel became an equestrian trainer. Mathieu is a microprocessor developer.
Charity takes a lot of time. The couple work for the Literacy Association. The organization has developed an affordable one-year course on French literacy. Daniel works a lot at the Childhood Diabetes Foundation.
